To be stumped by a Sarson’s Vinegar bottle?!

[Poggenpole]

So am really trying to think about ways I can cut down on waste and reduce my contribution to the landfill. Was at the supermarket and had vinegar on my list and thought, Instead of buying yet another flip top Sarsons vinegar bottle, I’ll buy a larger refill bottle and fill my empty flip-top bottle instead of just chucking it in the recycling and buying another one. Am sure I’ve done this before.

So I get home and attempt to get the lid off the flip-top to fill it up. Except I can’t get the sodding lid off. Instead of it being a screw top lid, it’s now fitted on solidly and you can’t twist it or pull it off. How stupid is that?!

Of course, I looked to the internet and one quick search later I am watching the following YouTube video from a guy who has also encountered this problem:

So the answer if you don’t want to click on the link is to pour boiling water from a kettle over the lid (a perilous move, even the guy on the video splashed himself in the process) which softens up the plastic meaning with some brute force and a tea-towel you can force off the lid.

What on earth has gone through the design and packaging minds at Sarsons? That in this day and age, when the world and their spouse are doing everything to reuse and recycle and broadcast their environmental credentials, it decides to go BACKWARDS and sell refills for a bottle that they’ve redesigned to thwart any reasonable attempt to refill it?!!

I just can’t fathom it. I might have to write to them. I’m out of work and have the time for that sort of thing. Would be good to know if anyone else has felt similarly frustrated by a vinegar bottle Oh and AIBU for being annoyed by this?

What’s gone through their minds? Forcing you buy more smaller bottles which make more money than big ones I presume.

Could you just purchase a vinegar (and oil) bottle set. Then you can refill it safely as many times as you want?

A vinegar bottle it about £2.
Although I do get your point. I used to be annoyed with Mr Muscle bottles because you couldn't get the lid off. Now you can but I can't find any refill. And my fabric softener I buy in bulk but am not convinced that it saves resources as the big one is a plastic gallon bottle.

They don't want you filling their bottles with generic vinegar & not buying theirs.

If you're that worried, buy a proper vinegar bottle which is designed to be refilled.

My Sarsons vinegar bottle is almost 30 years old

Just buy a refillable vinegar bottle like the ones in pubs?

YANBU. Pisses me right off this does.

Another vote for buy a vinegar bottle.

My Sarsons vinegar bottle is almost 30 years old

I had one for years, but a friend threw it in the bin, I retrieved and washed, then it went in the bin again, then we had an argument and then I bought a bottle.

I just poke holes in the plastic lid of the one I've bought.

I also had the same problem. A safer way to get the top off is to pour some very hot water into something like a jug and dunk the bottle upside-down in it for about thirty seconds.

I'm sure those bottles used to have screw tops

Is that your dad in the video
OP?!

YANBU!! I was absolutely enraged the other day with a bottle of cleaning spray that I wanted to wash and refill to use as a spray bottle for houseplants, and then discovered it wasn't a screw top and couldn't get the top off.

BimblyBom - it’s not my Dad I promise (God rest his soul). But he’s somebody’s and I’d be proud of my Dad for having the nouse to go on YouTube and make such a useful public-service video

I do remember my Mum buying the bigger refill bottles and stabbing a hole in the top - I think some come with the little plastic stopper with a hole in don’t they - or have they stopped that? Now that would be ironic.

I also hate those vacuum packed meat packets where you use a load of muscle to pull off the plastic but end up just removing a top layer and there’s still a membrane of plastic left behind. A lot of packaging gets on my nerves to be honest!

I had this annoyance with the Lush spray bottles. They are great little bottles and I was hoping to reuse them for white vinegar for cleaning, but could I get the bloody lid off.

I asked Lush in the end who basically just said 'they aren't designed to be reused but they can be recycled'. Not really the point as I just wanted to reuse the thing.

@AlanThePig I was listening to a R4 program about bottled water and the waste involved in single use plastic. The water company used the same argument that 'the bottles are recyclable'. It was pointed out that the it's reduce, reuse, recycle ie recycle is the last point not the first!!!

Vinegar is the devils piss anyway

I did exactly the same as you OP! So frustrating! I use an old kikoman soy sauce bottle now. With a sticker on so we don't get mixed up...

I hate shampoo and conditioner bottles that don't have screw lids. I want to put water in to get tge dregs put or to clean for recycling

I'm glad other people agree with me, I thought I was alone, I know I have had Sarsons vinergar bottles with flip top lids that unscrew, I contacted Sarsons regarding this to be told to buy a condiment set and fill that up (not good enough) as the hole is still left open and the vinegar fly gets in and poops in the vinegar

We don't use pub style vinegar bottles because I've found flies in them before. We do the hot water technique now, with a regular Sarsons bottle. And supermarket own vinegar. Sarsons can FTFO if they think I'm paying their prices to refill it when they've made the bottles single use only.

Dont say vinegar -say Sarson's

It’s the same with Tesco black pepper grinder. Definitely used to be refillable, now you can’t unscrew the lid. I have bought a new refillable grinder

I've just discovered the same thing. The lid on my old Sarsons bottle broke so I bought a new one thinking I could refill it (with genuine Sarsons refill vinegar) and can't believe they've changed it so you can't any more. Will have to chuck it and buy another shaker bottle like everyone is suggesting.

Glad to see my thread revived 😊

I hadn't read it for over a year and missed the posts about the vinegar flies. It brought back a horrible memory of being on holiday in Greece and noticing what looked like larvae in the vinegar bottle - are these larvae of vinegar flies? Eeeuurgh!! Hadn't heard of them before.

Still annoyed by the stupidity of the redesigned Seasons vinegar bottles and yes, I've noticed our pepper grinder is not refillable either.

I think refill bottles were outlawed some years ago, possibly due to an EU ruling.

I remember reading about it in the context of Spanish restaurants where some restaurants used to put out refilled bottles and it was supposedly to ensure quality, food hygiene and not passing off a cheaper brand as an expensive one.

I used to buy Felipo Berio olive oil spray and refill that, but they're also fixed cap now. Strangely any 'oil refill' bottle I've bought has turned into a leaky sticky mess after not so long.

Our vinegar is in a refill bottle, but finding one was a lot harder than you'd imagine. I got it from the range after looking in all the supermarkets, Ikea, Wilko, pound shops, B&M etc.

Greece and noticing what looked like larvae in the vinegar bottle - are these larvae of vinegar flies?

no idea, maybe it’s like the maggot in tequila?

Re: vinegar bottles - I fill a mug with boiling water, stand the bottle in it upside down for a minute or so and then you can just pull it off (using a tea towel because it’s hot!). Just let the cap soak again for a few minutes so you can put it back on.