Lifting the Lid on Lifting a Lid

If you suffer with arthritis or a weakness in the hand or wrist department, then opening a jar lid can be a major problem and some of the solutions available are like pieces from a manual of medievil torture. The most common utensil on offer is the scissor style clamp with a variety of different integral lid sizes to choose from. The first thing to point out is that if you buy a cheap one, you may well have wasted your money and a more expensive one still might not work for you since it requires some strength in your grip to squeeze the handles together and at the same time twist to release the lid. It might sound petty, but this can be most frustrating. The solutions come thick and fast, Boa, different sizes and shapes of bits of rubber sheet, trap it in the door frame, damp cloth, clamp it between your knees, wait for someone strong to call by, run it under a hot tap, wind out steel strap, and on and on. The problem with most jar lids is the vacuum created when it is sealed at the factory. The absolute best solution I have found which suits just about all hand and wrist ailments and does not cost the earth is the JARKEY, rather like a beer bottle opener for jars. Simply place it under the edge of the lid and lift, and with little effort the vacuum is released and the lid is easily unscrewed. Thereafter wipe around the top of the jar to keep the thread free of becoming sticky and all should be well.