Probiotic Jar Use and Care

Sterilization is not necessary for successful fermenting in The Probiotic JarTM. Washing with soap and water, and drying, is sufficient before packing the Jar. Drying is not even necessary unless you are using chlorinated/fluoridated water to wash it. 


If you have fermented dairy in your Probiotic JarTM, then you may have lingering dairy probiotic bacteria sticking to the glass that sometimes imparts an unwanted flavor to future vegetable ferments, and in this case sterilization may be desirable.

To fully sterilize the Jar, remove the wires, place the lid on the top of the Jar without the gasket installed (lay gasket in bottom of Jar) and place in a cold oven. Turn the heat to 340 ̊F and after reaching temperature, maintain the temperature for 1 hour, turn off the oven and allow to cool without touching the glass until it is completely returned to room temperature.

Placing the glass into a hot oven or removing it from a hot oven can result in breakage of your Jar, and will lead to more brittle glass. Never, ever pour boiling water into your Probiotic Jartm.

The gaskets can be hand washed with hot soapy water, and oven baked. The grommets can be removed for washing the crevices and the holes as needed, especially after overflows. The grommet can be reinstalled wet (slips into place more easily) and sterilized in the oven as described above. The grommets do not need to be sterilized after washing, unless dealing with dairy bacteria as described above.

The Airlock should be washed thoroughly when changing lids or starting new ferments. A special brush can be purchased at ProbioticJar.com, but any brush that fits the openings on the Airlock is good enough. When doing continuous ferments such as dairy kefir or ginger bug, it is advisable to wash the Airlock weekly for countertop use, or monthly for refrigerated use, when feeding the ferments.