The Surprisingly Simple Hack To Free A Stuck Jar From Your Garbage Disposal

Having a garbage disposal can be incredibly convenient and even beneficial. There are actually some food items, like tomatoes, that are better off going in your garbage disposal than in your trash. The devices also help prevent drain clogs by disintegrating bits of food before they damage your plumbing.

One issue people have with garbage disposals, though, is that things can fall into the drain due to the large diameter. Small items, of course, can simply be fished out with a gloved hand. Other items, like wide-mouth mason jars and other jar types, have a diameter so close to that of a garbage disposal drain that when they fall into the hole, it can be a real challenge to remove them. If a jar has fallen into your sink's opening, mouth-side down, and you are unable to grasp it with your hands, tongs, or anything else you've tried, there's no need to panic. There is a super simple hack that will have your jar free in no time.

This is an easy hack that only requires hot glue and another jar with a lid, two things you likely already have in your home. If your jar is stuck in the opening with the right side up, there is another method to try included below. No matter how it's situated in your sink, however, this should help you get it out.

If you've got a jar that has fallen mouth-side down in your garbage disposal opening, the first thing you need to do is find another jar and its corresponding lid that are approximately the same size as the one that's stuck. It can be slightly smaller or larger, as long as the lid is able to be glued to the stuck jar. Then, dry the bottom of the jar that's jammed in the garbage disposal opening — you need to do this so the glue sticks to it. If you have a sink full of water that's not draining due to the stuck jar, scoop it out into the other side of your sink, or into a bucket if you have a single basin. Once the bottom of the jar is no longer submerged, dry it and apply hot glue liberally around its edge. Next, press the lid, mouth-side up, onto it. Finally, once the glue has dried, screw the second jar into its lid and carefully pull the stuck jar from the disposal opening.

If your jar is stuck mouth-side up, this hot glue gun hack won't likely work, since there may not be enough rim surface for the glue to adhere to. Luckily, for a stuck jar that's mouth-side up, there's a technique that involves WD-40 and duct tape you can try. Just spray the WD-40 around the jar's rim, then dry the inside of the jar thoroughly. Cut two pieces of duct tape and place them onto the inner surface of the glass on opposite sides of the opening. Then, carefully pull the jar out using the strips of tape as handles.