Is anyone else having trouble opening twist off caps??? Both my thumbs are shot.....

[a kennedy]

worthless when opening these tops…..have no strength in them, but I swear the size of the tops are getting skinnier!!! Or am I wrong??? I do admit my thumbs are not as good at gripping as they used to be, but I think the size of the caps are smaller than they used to be too.

[vapor2]

1. YES they are becoming increasingly difficult to remove

[Hotler]

2. You need a pair of 12" or bigger Channel Lok tongue & groove pliers. This is just an example, there are other brands.

https://channellock.com/product/440/
Works on a lot of lids. Find a used pair at a pawn shop for a couple of bucks.
be well, be safe

[a kennedy]

3. Yes, I do use some like that......but it's just kinda annoying....

But yes, those do work just fine.

[hlthe2b]

4. If you are having trouble with childproof pharmaceutical caps and have no small children in the home

(nor do any visit), you may be able to get your pharmacist to allow you to sign for simple pop-off caps which could help you a lot. Don't even consider doing so, if the neighbor kids or others might have opportunities to find them.

If it is jar caps, they make silicone rounds with nubbins that grasp the lids which can make things easier.

[Lonestarblue]

5. You need a gadget that opens tops of various sizes.

I have this one from Amazon, but kitchen stores probably sell it as well. I use it frequently.

https://www.amazon.com/Topoem-Openers-Seniors-Stainless-Arthritis/dp/B0DG2VC14R/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?

[Marthe48]

6. Yes, for awhile now

I have a jar opener gripper pad, for the easier lids. I wrapped sturdy tape around the tip of a pair of pliers for small and stubborn lids and caps. I have a pair of vice grips I use as well.

One of my tried and true tools is the bottle opener, slangily called a church key. Place the pointed tip for opening cans under the rim of the cap with the tab for opening caps facing out. Gently push the handle end toward the jar. This will break the seal between the jar and the lid. Be sure you do it gently so you don't chip the jar. I've never chipped a jar, but it could happen. If one place under the lid doesn't work, try another.

[AnnaLee]

7. High grip cabinet liner

I just take a thick, high grip, cabinet/drawer liner, you know the non-adhesive spungy stuff with the holes, and cut two strips about 4x12 inches. I put one around the cap and, if needed, one around the bottle/jar and twist. It usually works without extreme effort and I avoid those stramge callouses that some caps lead to.

[global1]

8. Once You Get The Cap Off The Container - You Have To Deal With The Seal.....

on the top of the container.

There are very little pull off tabs that you can't even get your fingernails under and then you struggle with that seal.

My mother at 80 y/o - who has passed now - always had trouble with those seals. She once took a sharp pointed knife to puncture that seal and accidentally jabbed her hand, cut it and bled.

These manufactures of these containers with these seals need to provide a more substantial tab - that one could grip to easily pull off the seal on the top of the container once the cap is off.

Unfortunately - the designers of these containers - cap and tabs - don't think of the elderly customers that buy their product and don't make it easy to remove these.

Most of these people won't buy that product again. The manufacturers are losing business - because they make these things difficult to deal with.

[dickthegrouch]

10. I presume you're referring to pedialyte or equivalent bottles

Those are the worst I know of
I’ve been buying “SaltStick” electrolyte fast chew tablets, and “Ultima Healthcare” powders to avoid those ridiculously difficult inner seals.
They are very nicely flavored for my taste and zero calorie which is an added benefit.

[dickthegrouch]

9. I often have to ask for water bottles to be opened for me

I’ve recently found places that won’t let the staff (with presumably relatively clean hands) open them, which means I have to ask a total stranger who’s hands have been who knows where to open it instead.
Even if I succeed in opening it, the new improved (not!) plastic-saving bottle is so thin I often end up with water all over me because it’s been overfilled and the pressure exerted to get it open causes squeezing sufficient to waste 1/4 of it.

[cliffside]

11. Dycem ... the OT gave me a piece after I broke my wrist ...

they cut it off a roll, not cheap though. Later on I bought this from Amazon for opening jars etc.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JNPBW64?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Smaller version listed here for
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BRCGKLI?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Roll link
https://www.amazon.com/Dycem-Non-Slip-Material-Roll-Blue/dp/B000C23XJG/ref=pd_sim_hxwPM1_sspa_dk_detail_d_sccl_4_5/143-1157767-8827350?pd_rd_w=qm8D6&content-id=amzn1.sym.3a852a98-d65f-4301-9bd0-9b589b14d1ef&pf_rd_p=3a852a98-d65f-4301-9bd0-9b589b14d1ef&pf_rd_r=VP989YD759A70MW8QAZH&pd_rd_wg=YbqqI&pd_rd_r=ac79e3e0-f831-40a5-aba8-73b0d6009e0a&pd_rd_i=B000C23XJG&th=1

But I think the idea of cabinet liner mentioned in reply #7 might be worth a try.

[ProfessorGAC]

12. My Wife Sure Does

We request simple screw-on caps for her meds.
If she needs an ibuprofen, there is a 95% she'll need me to open the bottle.
So far, I'm nit having any difficulty. But, it probably happens to everyone eventually.

[FakeNoose]

13. I don't have the strength in my hands that I used to have

... but I can still get the twist-off lids and bottle caps if I wrap a dry kitchen glove (the rubber-coated kind) over the lid.
The rubber glove gives me enough grip to twist the lid off.

[a kennedy]

15. Hmmmmmmm, now that's an idea.....gonna give that a try, Nd thanks.

[LiberalLoner]

14. Yes they are getting much harder. I use a beverage buddy device to grip and twist off the caps.

[Nittersing]

16. I have a couple of silicone hot pad/trivets that work pretty well.

They're from the Thermoworks folks who make, primarily, thermometers. But they also have a line of silicone stuff that's good to 400 degrees. I LOVE their spatulas!

Anyway, here are the (multi-colored!!!) trivets: https://www.thermoworks.com/tw-trivet/

[IcyPeas]

17. Milk cartons are the worst. And yes, they have gotten smaller: article

It's not just you – bottles and cartons are now harder to open. We found out why.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/04/shrinking-plastic-caps-bottles-harder-to-open/75719362007/

[a kennedy]

18. Yes, yes, yes.......this is exactly what I was/am saying.......caps ARE SMALLER IN SIZE.

It's not your imagination: Beverage containers for milk, soda and water have gotten harder to open in recent years because their plastic screw top caps have been shortened to save plastic.

It's a subtle shift in products opened by millions of Americans every day – a change the industry touts as saving not just plastic but also weight, both of which lead to less energy to transport them, a lower carbon footprint and a lower cost to produce the packaging.

"That’s one of the reasons that people transitioned from glass and metals, because plastic is so much lighter and weight is such a large percentage of contribution toward your carbon footprint," said Patrick Krieger, vice president of sustainability at the Plastics Industry Association.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/04/shrinking-plastic-caps-bottles-harder-to-open/75719362007/