DIY hand soap and jar dispenser (plus Ball® giveaway)
It’s almost that time of year when our family gets together for an annual tomato canning extravaganza. It’s also the time when I fall in love, all over again, with my ever-growing collection of canning jars.
Since I have so many, I’ve explored different ways to use my Ball® jars beyond stuffing them with food. I’ve crafted a holiday vignette, displayed flowers, caught lightning bugs, and served drinks in them.
But I’m most proud of my latest canning jar creation – a DIY hand soap dispenser.
To make your own soap dispenser and the homemade hand soap for it, you’ll need the following:
- 1 Ball canning jar (pint-sized or smaller)
- 1 canning lid and band (I’m loving the new Design Series lids.*)
- 1 dispenser pump (I reused one from an empty bottle.)
Homemade essential oil foaming hand soap recipe:
- 2-3 Tablespoons liquid castile soap
- 5 or so drops of essential oil (I like the Young Living™ Thieves blend. The oil is optional, though.)
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin or Vitamin E oil (also optional)
- Filtered water
Step 1: Use a 5/8-inch power drill bit to cut a hole in the center of the canning jar lid (or use whatever bit matches the size of your soap pump).
Step 2: Insert soap pump into hole. To seal and secure it to the jar lid, I used hot glue.
(For the record, glue gun burns are the worst! They make me feel like saying words no church-going woman should ever say. Can I get an “Amen?”)
Step 3: Add homemade soap mixture and filtered water to jar.
Step 4: Secure top to jar. Shake vigorously to activate foam. Done!
To make my dispenser pretty, I added a chalkboard label from Walmart and wrote on it with a silver permanent marker. Tip: Use a smaller, narrow label. I had trouble getting mine to stick because it had to wrap around the jar.
Do you enjoy using your canning jars for more than food storage? Ball also has some cute jar accessories to help us multi-purpose our jars even more.
Ball Regular Mouth Sip and Straw Lids on drink mugs
For all my fellow canning and jar enthusiasts: On Aug. 1, Jarden Home Brands will host this year’s fifth annual Can-It-Forward Day, broadcast live online at FreshPreserving.com from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. The webcast will have an integrated chat function where consumers can submit home-canning questions to be answered in real time. New this year, there will also be an exciting celebrity mason jar auction unveiled during the webcast.
(AUG. 1 UPDATE: The link to the webcast is here.)
So be sure to tune in to that. I’ll be sharing a link to the broadcast here, so you can also check this post on Aug. 1 to watch.
Until then, enter below to win a coupon for a free case of jars. This year’s limited time, vintage-style jars are gorgeous!
* Affiliate links are provided in this post for your convenience.
Making applesauce!
I just bought some of those Ball jars this week!!!!!
I love this idea. I have the pump and now all I need is a Ball jar! 🙂 I could definitely use a case to put up my Cornus Mas jam. Yum.
I store my dried beans, brown rice etc in Ball jars. I also use them (pint size) to bring my morning smoothies to work with me.
I use Ball jars for making homemade wood stain, storing candy, as a vase for flowers, drinking glasses and a hundred other ways around here.
I use them for everything! I drink out of them, use them as candy jars, use them as bird feeders, craft supply storage and gifts. Love my jars!!!
I use them to hold my handmade lotions and creams.
I use mine as drinking jars, to store homemade lotion, for applesauce and my homemade BBQ sauce. I have been eyeing the purple ones for a while since it is my favorite color. So that is what I would get if I would be so lucky to win.
I love to use them with candles, and as a vase for flowers and herbs.
I actually do can. My Blackberry jam would look pretty in those purple jars. i also use the jars to drink coffee and put all sorts of stuff in.
I like to put my buttons & beads in them ,also use them for drinking ice cold water with lemon and sweet tea…
I’m going to can strawberry preserves!
I use jars for many things… Button storage, canning, thread storage.
I love these jars so much! They are so versitile!!
I use them for storage in my kitchen (e.g. bread crumbs, quinoa), a table centre for a gathering (e.g. baby shower, on the patio), and as glasses to drink from. Oh yes, I do use them for canning too!
Heather in Canada
Love using them to make wax candles.
Great idea!
I mainly use mason jars to make jams especially in the Fall time. Love it!
I have a slight obsession with mason jars and love to use them around our home. They are great to use for candle holders, flower vases, drink glasses, small craft supply storage, mixing milk paint and for making my husband’s favorite refrigerator pickle recipe in. My list of uses could go on and on, and I am going to add your hand soap dispenser project to the list! Thanks for sharing this craft idea and for authoring a great blog!
I use the jars for all kinds of things but my favorite is probably as a flower vase. Thanks for this giveaway!
Love the ball jars! Kinda partial to them since I share the name!!
Absolutely! Too cute. 🙂
Love that color! Thank you for doing the giveaway! I tried canning years ago, but had to buy all my fruit. This year I’m in a CSA, so I’m going to look into doing some conserves.
We use our canning jars as glasses to drink from because they take a licking and keep on ticking!! I also use them to store craft supplies, soap dispensers, tealight holders, bug catchers, potted plants, picked flowers, water vessel for painting, candy storage, ice cream sundaes, chicken soup for sick friends, recipe in a jar gifts, homemade body scrubs, silverware holders at bbqs and so many other things!!
I love how durable they are and they are sooooooooooooo versatile!!! LOVELOVELOVE the Vintage jars and would be over the moon to add them to my mason jar collection!!! I am sure I can find a 101 ways to use them!!! Thanks for the chance to!
Barbara, you are getting your money’s worth out of your jars for sure. 🙂 You’re so right about the durability! Thanks for stopping by.
I absolutely love jars and find new ways to use them daily!
I love using them as candles. I decorate with yarn, fabric flowers and other craft supplies. I also use them for canning veggies too 🙂
Would love to win these! So many uses for them!
I am in LOVE with the colored jars. I also love your soap dispenser mason jar. Great tutorial. I am going to make it!! Thanks for sharing.
Overnight Oatmeal!
Greetings Susan,
I use my Ball jars for literally…EVERYTHING! Right now, there being used for cotton balls, Q-Tips, buttons,Detox concoctions,Oatmeal breakfast in a jar,nails & screws,our toothbrushes in the bathroom, my makeup brushes, 2-assorted berry Parfait’s left in the refrigerator, my Art Journaling paint brushes, pencils and pens, or sweet dog’s homemade vegan snacks, loose change, we have them hanging low in the garden with the solar light lids…I mean the ideas are endless!
Thanks for the giveaway…and may the good Lord continue to bless you and your family richly!
Blessings,
Yolanda
I love the canning jars for canning, food storage, and iced tea glasses!
LOVE the new colors! I use my jars for storing leftovers – just pop in the microwave at work for a healthy lunch.
Love all the uses for canning jars besides food storage.
I love the idea of using canning jars for all sorts of these, but I don’t actually have any… it’s on my list. 🙂 I think this may be the first thing to try.
I use mine to store salad toppings, seeds, croutons, and corn kernels for making popcorn… Want to start using more so many other reasons, just haven’t gotten around to them yet.
canning…doing peach butter next week
I love using them for iced green tea and iced coffee drinks.
I like to jar extra veggies from the garden.
I love canning jars. Several mornings each week I leave home with a smoothie in a jar. I use them in my craft room to store supplies. My pantry is packed with home bottled food.
I love them for aroma dried flowers in our bathrooms, and I also love them to can peaches!
I actually use canning jars to can! I started learning about four years ago and ever since, I make jams, pickles, and can tomatoes, greenbeans, apple sauce, fruits–you name it! I love canning.
I have started using my jars for freezing foods in addition to canning. I have found that frozen applesauce tastes just as good as canned and takes so much less time. I would love to win the jars!
I use Ball Canning jars for everything. I have a new granddaughter and I make baby food for her, I also make bath scrubs, store candy, use them for cups, put flowers in them, canning, there really is not anything I cannot use them for, when we take a road trip in our RV I use them to bring laundry soap, dish soap, etc… great for making homemade salad dressing in, everything.
I use mine for canning pasta sauce, apple butter, and pickles.
Love using canning jars for everything! Especially canning! Always feel so good when I see my canned pears on the shelf!
I love to use them as vases or candle holders….
Blessings…
Sherri
I use mine to grow sprouts on my windowsill!
I love giving “gifts in a jar”. So easy to make up, and can be personalized!
Besides for actual canning, I use them for dry storage of grains, as containers for cotton balls & Qtips in the bathroom, and for cold brewing ice tea in the frig.
I use them from canning salsa to storing craft supplies.
I love to can in them and also I use them for storage in my craft room.
I can’t wait to make my homemade salsa and can it. We ran out 2 months ago.
That sounds yummy, Karen. 🙂
Love drinking from jars, storing in them, and making to go salads…. Also love to can raspberry and fig jam
To make salsa!
I love to use the ball jars in colors for jams. I think that makes them extra special for gifts.
We use our jars to can lots of in season fruits and vegetables. I love my Ball jars. 🙂
We like to can apple butter.
I use them for terrariums.