It’s always a good idea to hang on to leftover paint from a project in case you need to do touch-ups in the future. But have you ever stored your paint in its original can only to find it completely dried out when you need it? Once you pry open a paint can, it’s no longer sealed so you’re inevitably letting air in which will cause your paint to dry out quickly. A simple and stylish storage solution is to store your paint in airtight food storage jars! Above is some leftover paint I had lying around the house and below is what it looks like now. I used these jars from the Container Store which have an airtight seal in the lid to keep food fresh but it works just as well for keeping paint fresh too! They also have a pretty pattern embossed onto the glass so they’re both functional and good looking. They’re also a steal with the largest size costing just $3.99. You can also work with old metal lid food jars you already have at home, so long as you’re sure the seal is still in tact. Jelly jars work quite nicely. Be sure to label your jars so you can keep track of your colors.
4 Comments
You mean to tell me that I can get rid of all those half-empty paint cans in my garage? I am seriously headed to buy some Ball canning jars today!
Great idea! How do you get all of the extra paint stuck to the sides of the can into the jar?
Hi Melissa! You should try to save as much paint as possible but typically the paint stuck to the sides of the can has started to solidify a bit which is why it’s harder to get off the sides but I use a wooden paint mixing stick to try and scrape as much paint as I can into the glass jars. Hope this helps!
Many times I’ve stored extra touch-up paint in Tupperware-type containers for the new owners of houses I renovated/built because I dreaded those terribly messy cans, but this is a much better idea as it looks so much nicer. Thanks for the FAB idea, Nicole!!!!!