# Jar storage



## Easternshoreman (Jan 28, 2015)

My wife and I have been canning for a few years now, each year we seem to can more and more and we are out growing our storage. Is it ok to stack jars? Also how dark should your jars be kept?


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

I'd be careful because of the chance they'd slip off and get cracked or chipped. Plus, I wonder if it might effect the seal on your lids. If you put a sheet of cardboard between the stack, that might work to stabilize them. I wouldn't stack more than one layer because of the weight. That's just me, maybe somebody else does it without a problem. If you have the boxes your jars came in, you could put the filled jars back in those boxes and maybe stack one box on another.

As far as the darkness, be sure the jars aren't placed where sun shines on them through a window and don't store them near anything that gives off heat like a radiator. Dim and cool is better.


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## Janis R (Jun 27, 2013)

You shouldn't stack cans, I keep my jars in a room, the darker the better but it doesn't have to be pitch dark.
We took regular shelves and cut them down.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

I stack jars when I'm out of room and have never had any issues. If it's something we don't use "everyday" I will put a piece of cardboard between them for stability. I just make sure newly canned jars are completely cool.


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

We stack pint with no problem, but not quarts. If we just have to stack quarts we put them in the boxes to stack.


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## Melesine (Jan 17, 2012)

I've never had issues with stacking.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

My folks would store them in their boxes so stacking wasn't an issue.
We stack ours with cardboard in between in the cupboards in the kitchen and single rows on the shelves upstairs or in plastic totes tall enough for 1 layer of jars.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

One of our canning locations, I built the shelving 2 quart jars apart. Then we use a pc of 1/4" plywood (saved cutoffs) on top the bottom layer of jars. Pints, we usually stack on top each other.


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## Easternshoreman (Jan 28, 2015)

Thank you all for the responses. I keep most of my jars in a spare room on a shelf. It has curtains so they don't get direct sun. Sounds like that should be ok.


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## shellybo (Nov 9, 2013)

I have limited storage space but found a great way to store a lot of my canned food. Under my bed I purchased several plastic under bed boxes with lids from Walmart (they cost about $6.00 each without wheels). They fit pint jars perfectly- about 30 jars in each box). No one would even know they are there since I have a cloth skirt on my bed which hangs over the side. They seems to slide easy when filled with jars. I just slide them out get what I need and slide them back under my bed (8 boxes fit under my bed). I also make use of closet space and stack pints with cardboard between the jars.

here is a link to the boxes, they weren't available online so I purchased them from the store.



http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-8.5-Gallon-34-Quart-Latch-Storage-Box-Set-of-6/20699654


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Not very neat, but works for me. This is out in the pole barn (climate controlled).


Wrong picture. Can't seem to get the one I wanted.


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

Are you canning more and using it up timely, or are you canning and ending up with extras that start to be three or four years old. As long as the seal holds, it's safe, but canned food degrades in quality. I'm leery of stacking, prefer not to keep canned goods in boxes since I see how many BOXES, not how many jars/servings. My mother canned a lot and always left the rings on, but the Ball Book says to remove those. Probably a good idea, since it makes it obvious if something is poorly sealed, or lets go after a while.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Use Less said:


> Are you canning more and using it up timely, or are you canning and ending up with extras that start to be three or four years old. As long as the seal holds, it's safe, but canned food degrades in quality. I'm leery of stacking, prefer not to keep canned goods in boxes since I see how many BOXES, not how many jars/servings. My mother canned a lot and always left the rings on, but the Ball Book says to remove those. Probably a good idea, since it makes it obvious if something is poorly sealed, or lets go after a while.


I take rings off my throw away lids but keep the rings,very loosely, on my tattler lids. We had a mouse problem and they have chewed through the tattlers edges. The ring keep the mice from chewing but they are loose enough to not "hold" the lid on if it pops.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Mice..never till it would happen to me would I have plan to avoid that from happening.

Thank you.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

kasilofhome said:


> Mice..never till it would happen to me would I have plan to avoid that from happening.
> 
> Thank you.


They were horrible last year. I was ready to tear the house apart to get rid of them.


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## NEfarmgirl (Jan 27, 2009)

I like using milk crates for quart jars and stack those instead of stacking jars on one another. I do stack pint jars with no problems. I bring a crate up with whatever food In need and keep tomatoes, beans and pickles in them from the time they are put away after canning until they are put in the pantry and used. I then have the crates ready to haul jars to storage or be refilled and put in the cellar.


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## Werforpsu (Aug 8, 2013)

I keep all my original boxes, plus any other boxes that are the right size for jars. I stack boxes 2 tall because my shelf is that tall. 
I only had a problem once and it was that I pulled the top box of quarts out and tried to slide it back into place instead of lift it. The weigt of the full box of jars was enough to get stuck under a seal in the back row of the bottom box. It popped one jar lid. I heard it and used the jar immediately. Now I slide both boxes out together or lift the one on top instead of sliding.


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