Refilling Vinegar Bottles

[Purwell]

Bottles like this can be refilled.
Boil about 30mm of water in a saucepan, hold the bottle upside down in the water for a couple of minutes.
When the plastic has softened, the cap can be pulled off if you wear a thick glove.

 

[oldaunt]

Hmm, never have any bottles like that......

 

[Purwell]

Maybe just UK?
Works with Soy sauce and Worcester sauce bottles too.

 

[Alligatorob]

Bottles like this can be refilled.

What do you refill with?

 

[raybar]

We save a few bottles and jars for use around the kitchen, but none that require heat treatment to remove their tops.

 

[Jules]

View attachment 215566
Bottles like this can be refilled.
Boil about 30mm of water in a saucepan, hold the bottle upside down in the water for a couple of minutes.
When the plastic has softened, the cap can be pulled off if you wear a thick glove.

There are few bottles of food that I want to refill. I’ll keep this method in mind for a few other things that I would like to decant.

 

[Lavinia]

I use this method to undo the stiff tops of jars.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would be concerned that heating the plastic could cause the release of some toxic substances.

My 16-ounce vinegar bottles look like this.

I save them and try to find a kid that's interested in growing a pickle in a bottle.

 

[JonSR77]

Heated plastic can release styrenes. No, they are not good for health. If you are talking about heating up a plastic cap...it is not a large volume of plastic, so it might not be all that bad.

I would definitely not linger over it, while doing it...at least have some good ventilation...get the pot of boiling water, put that bottle in upside down and leave the room. Or, better yet, put the whole thing outside until it is time to check on it.

I don't know the range here...when it produces enough styrenes or other chemicals to be dangerous.

Personally, I would just throw out the bottle.


Generally, there are a lot of DIY ideas that seem good and seem to save money, but are actually not all that safe.

My father was experimenting endlessly. He had an engineering background.

He once made a set of dentures for himself.

I said to him..."Dad, did you use medical grade porcelain?" He looked at me like I was nuts. Then, I explained, that materials can have different grades and if something is not "food grade" or "medical grade" ----- it very well might have toxic materials in it.

Unless you have real mastery in chemistry and such...just be careful re DIY projects...