How to Sterilize Glass Bottles and Jars[2024 Updated]

Do you sterilize your glass bottles and jars before putting foods and beverages in them? You must sterilize all your glass bottles and jars to prevent them from getting contaminated by dust particles, debris particles, and microorganisms.

If you fail to sterilize your glass containers, you risk contaminating your foods and beverages. Then, if you consume those contaminated foods and beverages, you run the risk of getting sick from them.

That is why you must do everything possible to thoroughly sterilize your glass bottles and jars to ensure they are clean and safe for storing your precious food and beverage items.

Table of Content

1.Why Should You Sterilize Glass Bottles and Jars?

2.Is It Easy to Sterilize Glass Containers?

3.How are Glass Bottles and Jars Sterilized?

4.Preparing Your Glass Bottles and Jars for Sterilization

5.The Top Four Methods for Sterilizing Glass Bottles and Jars

6.Additional Tips

Why Should You Sterilize Glass Bottles and Jars?

You may wonder if sterilizing your glass bottles and jars is even worth your time and effort. Well, if you plan to store any edibles like food and drink products, it is imperative to sterilize the bottles and jars for the sake of your health and wellness.

For instance, imagine if you want to store frozen glass milk bottles filled with cow milk or human breast milk. As you may know, milk creates a highly inhabitable environment for microorganisms to grow and multiply. If you fail to sterilize your glass bottles before adding milk to them, any organisms left in the bottles will quickly diminish the quality of the milk.

Therefore, you must put your glass milk bottles through a rigorous sterilization process to ensure they are clean and free of microorganisms before adding milk to them.

Is It Easy to Sterilize Glass Containers?

Glass jars may be more expensive than plastic jars, but they are worth paying more. Not only are glass jars more durable, but they are also easier to sterilize.

Glass containers have solid, non-porous surfaces that make them easy to keep clean and sanitary for storage purposes. Since glass is a non-porous material, it does not trap dirt and debris particles like other materials. That makes it an ideal material for sterilizing and cleansing.

How are Glass Bottles and Jars Sterilized?

Sterilizing glass bottles and jars requires exposing them to a temperature of approximately 275°F. That is the minimum temperature needed to destroy microorganisms and dissolve any tiny debris particles.

You could use a higher temperature to eliminate debris and microorganisms, but a temperature above 275°F could risk damaging the glass material of the bottles and jars. It is better to keep it at 275°F for safety reasons because it will ensure your glass bottles and jars remain solid and intact.

Preparing Your Glass Bottles and Jars for Sterilization

Cleanliness is the key to preparing your glass bottles and jars for sterilization. First, you must ensure that your sterilization area and all surrounding areas are completely clean and free of bacteria and other potential contaminants.

The sterilization area is where the sterilization takes place, which will likely be the kitchen in your home. Since kitchens are some of the most contaminated areas in a house, wash the kitchen floors and countertops with a bacteria-killing disinfectant to ensure they are contamination-free.

Next, you will need to clean the glass bottles and jars before sterilizing them. Sterilization may eliminate microorganisms and tiny particles, but it won’t eliminate bigger particles and debris. So, cleaning the glass bottles and jars will remove all larger contaminants.

Here are some tips for cleaning glass bottles:

Wash the glass bottles and jars under hot water with dish detergent.
Use a sponge or bottle brush to scrub away all visible pieces of dried food particles.

Repeatedly rinse the bottles as you scrub them with the sponge or bottle brush.
Wash the lids of the bottles using the same cleaning methods.
If you come across any stubborn debris particles you cannot scrub away, fill one-third of the bottle with hot water. Add 1 tsp salt and two drops of dish soap to the water. Put the lid on the bottle and shake everything around for about 30 seconds. That formula should help break down the stubborn debris and make it easier to scrub and rinse it away.

Please Note: Many glass bottles and jars have metal lids with rubber sealant rings built inside them. You cannot subject these rubber rings to hot temperatures because the intense heat will break down and diminish the rubber material. Once that happens, you won’t be able to close the lids properly. Then, the contents inside the glass bottles and bars will be at higher risk of contamination.

The Top Four Methods for Sterilizing Glass Bottles and Jars

What kind of glass bottles do you wish to sterilize? Start with any glass jar that will store contents highly susceptible to microorganism growth, such as yoghurt glass jars. If you can successfully sterilize these glass jars, you’ll be able to sterilize all kinds of glass bottles with ease.

Below are four ways to sterilize glass bottles and jars.

1) Hot Rinse Cycle in the Dishwasher

Do you have access to a steam dishwasher at your house? If so, you may find the dishwasher sterilization method the fastest and easiest way to sterilize several glass bottles simultaneously. All you need to do is place your clean glass bottles and jars in the dish rack and set the rinse cycle to a high temperature.

The dishwasher method can save you much time if you must sterilize a bulk number of glass bottles and jars. On the other hand, if you only have one or two glass bottles to sterilize, you may want to use another sterilization method that consumes less water.

2) Nuke the Bottles in the Microwave

The microwave serves as one of the fastest glass bottle sterilization methods. It is ideal if you only need to sterilize a few glass bottles instead of a dozen.

Rinse your clean glass bottles and then put them on the glass tray inside the microwave. Make sure you don’t dry off the glass bottles after rinsing them. They must remain soaked with water for this sterilization method to work effectively.

Set the microwave time between 30 and 45 seconds at high temperature. That is all the time it takes to eliminate microorganisms in the microwave.

3) Heat the Bottles in the Oven

Perhaps one of the most recommended glass bottle sterilization methods is the oven. The oven gives you total control over the temperature and time set for sterilizing your glass bottles.

You can begin the process by preheating the oven temperature to approximately 275°F. Place two sheets of newspaper on the oven racks (only if you use an electric oven). If you have a gas oven, find a flame-resistant alternative to the newspaper.

Place the glass bottles and jars on the newspaper material on the racks in the oven. Try to keep some space between the bottles and jars so they do not touch one another. Let the bottles heat inside the oven at 275°F for at least 20 minutes. Set the timer on the oven if you don’t wish to exceed this amount of time.

After 20 minutes, slip your hands into a pair of oven mitts and use them to remove the glass bottles and jars from the oven. Place them down on a heat-resistant mat or cutting board to cool off.

4) Boil the Bottles on the Stove

The stove serves as a traditional home remedy for sterilizing glass bottles. It requires more time and effort than using a microwave, oven, or dishwasher. However, you may like the stove method if you want to witness the sterilization process in live action.

Sterilizing glass bottles on a stove requires a large pot filled with water. First, place the large pot of water on one of the stove ranges and turn up the heat for that range to the highest possible temperature setting. Wait until the water starts boiling.

Gently place the open glass bottles facedown into the boiling water. Use tongs to help you completely submerge the glass bottles into the water and keep them there. Once the bottles fill up with water, the weight of the water should force the bottles to the floor of the pot.

Let the glass bottles boil in the boiling water for approximately 25 minutes. That should be enough time for the sterilization to be successful. Afterward, turn off the heat to the range and wait a minute for the water to settle down. Use the tongs to remove the glass bottles from the hot water. Place the bottles onto a heat-resistant mat to dry off.

Additional Tips

Here are some extra sterilization tips for our consideration:

Do not attempt to sterilize cracked, rusted, or damaged glass bottles.
Add the food and beverage contents to the bottles as soon as they finish drying after sterilization.
Adding distilled white vinegar to hot water can provide extra assistance in killing bacteria with the oven method.