One of the frustrating things in my life is trying to open various containers. These old fingers don’t always have the strength to press down on the cover and twist or squeeze the cap at the arrows and turn. After I remove the lid, there’s a shiny seal to deal with. Several tiny tabs around the rim are supposed to lift it off but it doesn’t seem to work that way for me.
These problems were apparently brought about by the “Tylenol scare,” which began September 29, 1982. The first of seven individuals died in the Chicago metropolitan area after ingesting Extra Strength Tylenol that had been deliberately contaminated with cyanide. The company pulled 31 million bottles of the tablets back from retailers; the first major recall in American history. Ten weeks after the withdrawal, Johnson & Johnson placed tamper resistant, triple sealed safety containers of the pain reliever on the shelves of retailers.
That same year, the U.S. passed a federal law that made tampering a crime. Legislation approved in 1989 requires tamper proof pharmaceutical packaging. It isn’t just pill bottles that are a problem for me to open. For years, I’ve applied baby oil to my wet body after a shower. To open a new one, I must first remove a clear, plastic seal and then squeeze the cover to open it the first time. After that, the lid can be put on loosely.
When I open a new ground cinnamon to sprinkle on my apple pie, I must remove the shiny silver seal with the wee tabs lurking under the rim.
I think of the magical phrase, “open sesame,” from the children’s story, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” in Antoine Galland’s version of One Thousand and One Nights. It opens the mouth of a cave in which forty thieves have hidden a treasure. If only that phrase would work for me.
Does anyone have an easy way to open these containers?
Yes, opening containers IS harder to do than when I was young. With large juice bottles, I often run a knife between the lid & another part therefore loosening the lid from this piece. In addition, I sometimes hit the lid on the sink. These two techniques usually open this type of bottle.
Sometimes, running hot water over the lid will open it. If the above fail, I take a large mouthed pliers & twist, and that will usually get the lid off.