Slowly, because they're a little expensive, I've been adding Weck jars to my pantry to hold things like candied ginger, special sugars and salts. I love their clean lines and how neatly they stack. But sometimes I would lose track of what was in them — is that whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour? Things were starting to look a little tatty as I added masking tape labels until I discovered the white pen!
I love the look of white ink on jars, even on jars filled with salt where it's not easily seen at first. This works really well for canning projects, too!
The pens do take some getting used to in order to manage the ink flow. I recommend practicing on less fancy jars first before you commit to your preferred jar. I'll probably redo the molasses sugar, pictured above, for example. It was my first jar and you can see that I hadn't quite figured it out yet. The ink can easily be removed, but only by using solvent based removers (like nail polish remover) or by carefully scraping with a razor blade, both which require extra caution.
The pen I use is a Japanese white indelible paint pen from the Kinokuniya Stationary Store in San Francisco's Japantown but most well-stocked art supply stores should carry less obscure brands like Sharpie's paint pen. Just ask for a pen that writes on glass and you should be fine.
I've also heard of white china markers and liquid chalk, but have never used them. Do you have any experience with these or other white marking products?
Weck Jars on the Web:
$22.50-31.50 for a case of 6 plus shipping Heath Ceramics
$13.25-23.30 for a case of 6 plus shipping Weck Canning Jars
White Paint Pens on the Web:
$3.99 per pen plus shipping Sharpie
Related: Best Jars to Organize your Pantry
(Image: Dana Velden)
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Can't you get white-out pens in the US?
I really like this idea. It looks super cool.
RosieGreenie: As I mention in the post, brands like Sharpie are easily available at most art supply stores. There's also a link to the Sharpie pen at the bottom of the post.
I use a Sharpie 'Metallic Silver' for marking stained glass or stone before I drill through it. I'm sure it would also work for this purpose. The instructions say to store it with the tip down.
Ugh avoid china markers at all cost. Its a grease pencil. We used them in art school. They come in all sorts of colors and yes they'll mark on glass but they smudge and smear with a lot of contact (on glass at least) and I wouldn't want them coming in contact with my food.
Paint pens are nice idea.
I highly recommend switching to a white grease pencil, or china marker as they're called. I don't know if what you're using comes off without some major scrubbing or chemical application, but a grease pencil rubs off with a little thumb work. This can be bad, obviously, if the labels starts coming off in your cupboard. But if you write it on the top instead, I bet it wouldn't be a problem.
dZed: The paint pen scrapes of easily with a one-sided razor blade. Of course you have to be careful any time you use a razor blade but the paint came off with little to no pressure.
I also tried nail polish remover which worked, too, but I usually like to avoid nasty chemicals like acetone, the prime ingredient in most nail polish removers.
I just use a permanent marker (black sharpie) and a little vinegar or rubbing alcohol takes it right off.
I use the sharpie/rubbing alcohol method suggested by LainerX!
I like buying the 15-pack of different colors... but I'm nerdy like that!
I do white porcelain spice jars, written on with a grease pencil. we use the jars a lot and as long as you don't stick your thumb in the middle of the label, it doesn't smear. Does come off easily with a paper towel. I would imagine a color would be easier to see than white words on a clear glass/white flour or sugar background, but I do appreciate that the aesthetic of white on neutral is cleaner.
These are super cute! I save all my Bonne Maman jam jars to keep dried fruit, seeds, nuts, etc in. It's just two of us in our home, so we never really need more than what fits in those jars. I've been looking for larger jars for nutritional yeast, lentils, etc and I think these would be perfect!
Sharpie Mean Streak marking sticks are pretty common in science labs because they're waterproof, but they come off in the dishwasher.
This might be a better solution, as your storage needs change.
I keep pastry flour in the freezer, so it's not a problem.
I use a plain old black Sharpie. I keep almost all my dried goods in jars...not expensive ones, but most are reused spaghetti sauce/jam jars. And I got some at thrift stores too. So I guess I'm not too concerned about marking them up. White metallic looks nice too...but I guess it depends on what's inside...black seems easier to read.
Crayola makes markers that are specifically for writing on windows/glass. While there are no white ones (to contrast against dark goods), they are easy to use and easy to remove, though you can touch the print without constantly worrying about messing anything up.
Dana V, aren't Sharpies different to white-out pens? I thought Sharpies were just ink, whereas white-out is a thick white painty stuff that normally comes in a little pot with a brush in the lid (maybe called something else in America).
RosieGreenie: Sharpies have a PAINT pen line, which is different than their regular ink line. I haven't used them but I've been told they work just fine. I don't know about the white-out stuff, but the little pot with a brush in the lid sounds like a lot of fun!
Oh gosh, I just realized that you referring to 'white-out' the office product! (shrinks in embarrassment) Sounds like a good alternative!
I just use a whiteboard marker (perhaps you call them dry-erase markers?). The marks do come off if you wipe them with your hand, but after they've dried they survive gentle handling, and they're really easy to touch up afterwards, or change if the contents of the jar changes.