101 New Uses for Ball Jars

Everything that is old is new again, or so it seems. During the past few years, ideas for using Ball jars for everything but canning have been everywhere – on Pinterest, in magazines, in craft supply stores, etc. And, of course, is it even possible to have a wedding reception without Ball jars anymore?

Many of these “new” ideas aren’t so new. In 1954, Ball Brothers Company published a booklet entitled 101 New Uses for Ball Jars and Fittings: Ideas for Better Living. Company president, Edmund F. Ball, introduced the booklet by saying, “In this new book you will find an old familiar friend – the Ball Mason Jar – serving in many new and unusual ways….” The consumer, Ball said, has “discovered many different purposes to which Ball Jars may be applied when not filled with home-canned foods.”

The consumers of the 1950s and the folks at Ball Brothers Company were prolific with their ideas for alternate uses of Ball jars. According to information in the booklet, the jars could be used as light fixtures, vases, utensil holders, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, humidifiers, driveway lights (perhaps the precursor of today’s solar lights?), ribbon ironers, and much more. Check out the description that goes with the instructions for making driveway lights. Apparently the “lady of the house” wasn’t too skilled at backing her car out of the driveway.

One of my favorite uses is the bed warmer. According to the instructions, “If crawling into a cold bed or sleeping bag shatters your morale, you can stop those chattering teeth by preheating the bed with a Ball Jar filled with hot water…. Warm feet on a cold night lead to pleasant dreams.” So simple. The answer to cold feet is a Ball jar.

Unlike current postings on Pinterest, the intent of this booklet was not solely to share ideas. It was to share ideas and sell jars. As Ball said in his introduction, “It is our hope that ‘101 New Uses for Ball Jars and Fittings’ will prove interesting and practical, as well as profitable.”