Good Question: How To Top Milk Bottles?

Here's an interesting question from reader Julia! She has a collection of milk bottles and wants to put them to good use. She says:

How do you top a milk bottle?

I want to use milk bottles to store beverages in the fridge. They’re glass, the opening is large enough for reasonably easy washing, and they don’t take up too much space. The bottles are also easy to obtain; this one is from a local dairy whose products are stocked at many grocery stores here, and the bottle deposit is a mere dollar.

I’m only lacking a re-usable lid. I’m looking into silicone or rubber corks, but thus far have only found them available with a large minimum order.

Does anyone else know of a solution, and a source?

Cheers,
Julia

Julia, what a cool idea! We love the idea of repurposing glass bottles in the fridge. But we really have no idea on how to close them!

Well, one idea. We have some vintage milk bottles that we use purely for decoration, and some of these came with cardboard circles that close off the top. You could do something like this - find waxed or sealed cardboard and cut circles to fit the tops. This won't seal the bottles against spillage, of course, but it would make them less permeable to fridge odors and the air.

Readers? This is one for you...

Next question?

Related: Very cool vintage milk bottles

Comments (18)

I'm not sure that they will have exactly what you are looking for, but can I recommend American Science and Surplus? The prices are fairly cheap (or VERY cheap), but you may get nailed on the shipping, as you only need a small amount.

Hope it helps!

http://www.sciplus.com/index.cfm

Although this is not a graceful solution, I usually put a small square of cling wrap over the top of glass bottles and hold it there with a rubber band. You would have to replace the cling wrap each time you filled the bottle but it's better than nothing.

We're doing this at home already for water and juice. We've just been thoroughly washing the plastic lids that come with the milk when purchased and then reuse them. Seems to work just fine for us.

Do your bottles come with lids when you buy them?

wait - what kind of lids do they come with? why are they not reusable/washable? i haven't bought milk in this kind of bottle before, so i've never seen the type of lid they use...

i would use glad press and seal, at least temporarily until you find a better solution.

My first thought was to go to a science supply store and find some rubber stoppers that they use for test tubes and bottles.

I do this glass bottle thing, too. I use Strauss milk bottles which come with reusable lids. But if I've lost one or picked up a vintage bottle, then I just squish/mold on a bit of tinfoil which is slightly larger than the opening. This a) seals the top pretty well, b) is fairly easy to put on and take off and c) is usually reusable. Its not so pretty, but it works!

hmmm, might be off course here, but shootin' anyway! What about drain stoppers? you know the rubber ones that you can buy that have a metal ring on top? Hope you find a good idea, because I LOVE your idea of using glass. I've got quiet the plastic phobia of late! Have a great rest of your week!

What about a wine bottle stopper? I'm not sure how big the opening of the milk bottle is, but that might work.

If there is a "brewers supply" store where you live, they will have food-safe rubber stoppers, and corks as well, in lots of sizes. Most big cities, and many small towns have such a shop. If not, I'd do an internet search for the same sort of supplier, they usually don't require huge quantities...

I'm not sure I understand why you need to use theese bottles to store liquids - where are you getting liquids that don't already come in packets/bottles???

Thanks for the link, Greyrussian.

Greyrussian's link has the plastic caps but if you're still inclined to make your own, what about making them by cutting a cardboard circle to fit the opening then glue it to the center of a thicker square shaped piece of paper that you wrap around the bottle top, secure with string, ribbon or twisty tie.

Don't you think your local dairy will miss having those bottles in their circulation? I know the deposit is only a dollar, but it might cost the dairy a bit more than that to replace the bottles that you are keeping. I think the dairy is to be recommended and supported for making such a green effort as to provide reusable bottles for their product.. the least you could do is return the bottles to the dairy so that they can reuse them!

Violetsrose - I store homemade almond milk and juices in the glass jars. My beverages don't come in packets, unless the rind of a watermelon or skin of an almond is a 'packet' :)

funhon29 - cool idea about the drain stoppers! Don't know if I could find ones that fit, but the metal ring would be handy.

m! - good point about the circulation question. I've contacted the dairy and will report any findings.

Hi Julia,
You can make your own caps with polymer clay. I think it is non toxic. You can make them any color or different colors. If you want them with a little flexibility, the clay comes in a type that will remain bendable after it is baked. There are two kinds of flexible clay, the one they sell for kids to make flexible figurines and the type they sell for making erasers. I'm going to try making them with the clay that comes out hard after baking. If you want an exact fit, then bake the caps on the bottles. If you have a good idea of making a tab for the top of the cap, let me know. Right now all I can think of is making a little tip with the clay on top of the cap. Or you could imbed any little kitchen thing or even a shell or marble or little cow figurine. If you want the cap to be snug, maybe you could make it a little thicker and find a suitable rubber band to use as a gasket. Good luck. Send pictures if you make something. Jean