I realize that food items need to be in containers/bottles that are sealed tight so avoid leaking out. But really now, do they need to be so tight that one cannot open unless the bionic man lived next door.
So many frustrating times trying to get a bottle cap off of a water bottle or soda bottle, even using those jaw type gadgets or rubber bottle cap turners.
Or even trying to open up something as simple as a thin plastic container of lettuce once you are able to get the zip strip off [pliers required], there is still the corner tabs to try to get open. Why won't this open???
Then there is a dish soap bottles, have to give the bottle the Heimlich Maneuver to get the soap out.
Hopefully container designers are reading this.
It takes R&D and $$$ to change packaging (which is often outsourced) so companies need to really have a good reason to invest in a change.
My favorite tool is the cheap disposable plastic box cutters with the push-up blades. I don't know what I'd do without those.
Jars can be depressurized, so sticking a spoon under the lid to loosen the cap and allowing the air to move will make turning the lid a lot easier.
My personal roadblock is my plastic Pellegrino bottles... oy, those caps.
I'm afraid to ask what's going on with your dish soap bottles down there, I haven't run into any difficult safety features on those yet.
What worked, finally (no it wasn't calling my neighbor, the hulk😁😁), was inverting the bottle under running hot, hot, water over the seal for a minute or two. That was what my mom did, and rapping the lid on the edge of the counter to break the seal. I wouldn't do that, might chip the counter top! But using a utensil to tap the lid sometimes works.
https://smile.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Opener-Base/dp/B002DWA6KM/
Plop the pad on the counter, put the jar on the pad and use the tool like wrench. The pad is surprisingly good at holding the jar still.
I’ve used it on everything from Perrier bottles to the Costco sized Parmesan cheese containers.
The teeth can chew up plastic lids sometimes so watch out for scratchy bits on reusable containers if you have thin skin.
https://www.amazon.com/Jar-Openers-Multi-Purpose-Reusable-Stainless/dp/B09XHSHG7P/ref=sr_1_153_sspa?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI07a82pbW_AIVdhvUAR3Cow2QEAAYASAAEgIGWfD_BwE&hvadid=397075555588&hvdev=t&hvlocphy=9028940&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6126981613838855159&hvtargid=kwd-371389380449&hydadcr=28522_10703235&keywords=the+best+jar+opener&qid=1674218979&sr=8-153-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyWFJTWEdQN1FQNjYwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDMzNDcyMkRKTFc3TTQ3SUlOOSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTk1NTMyM08zOVYwVVdHRFFVOCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX210ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Here is another one open up to 4" lid!
https://www.amazon.com/Kichwit-Adjustable-Jar-Opener-Arthritis/dp/B071V3G23Y/ref=sw_img_sspa_dk_huc_pt_expsub_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B071V3G23Y&pd_rd_w=wYnge&content-id=amzn1.sym.421156cc-ae17-4608-955b-a8d126cb098e&pf_rd_p=421156cc-ae17-4608-955b-a8d126cb098e&pf_rd_r=S0XEPPXAX2BAD0M7BXT0&pd_rd_wg=bmgHq&pd_rd_r=c27538bf-e471-490e-bf50-2e15dc8fd32f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSjJMTVo3OEQzSEhOJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDI0MzU1S0tYUE43SUJOQVlEJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1Nzg3MTYxMzhUMTlGRFExNDRRJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfaHVjX21yYWkmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
I have pliers - needle nose and slip joint in my kitchen drawers. They help with some things like bottle or carton caps that are too tight.. Years ago the kids were told to always put my needle nose pliers back or they got me a new pair for Christmas Guess what? Yeah, pretty well every Christmas.
Breaking the seal on jars in usually relatively easy for me. I have an implement I use to pry open the lid a little and the seal breaks. Apart from that the hot water trick works and or banging the jar up side down on the edge of the sink or counter. But I once broke jar that way so that is my last resort.
OTC meds sealed in a blister pack type of thing can annoy me. Some are easy to pop out, others need scissors every time. And child proof containers can be a challenge. I think I finally have the pharmacy trained to not use those for me, but other things come similarly packaged.
Ziplock type bags with the indentation showing where to cut can drive me mad. I inevitably miss the sweet spot and have to trim the top more. Then there isn't enough edge to grab to open the bag. The seal on a bag of three Romaine hearts can be a pain to open. Usually I end up cutting it off.
And they call these improvements. Don't get me started on the size of, for example, supplement or pill bottles compared to their contents. Sometimes I order two of the same that I use regularly and dump one into the other.
Because of that they are required to put the meds in a "child proof" bottle. They can send a regular cap with the order but they can not put it on the bottle.
The most frustrating one is my bottle of Synthroid. It is a tiny sort of square bottle with a small cap. On the bottle neck are sorta like "wings" that protrude out and you are supposed to squeeze the cap while turning the cap. I can NEVER get the cap off. I have resorted to trying to cut the wings off, they have a nub on them that catches the cap. I use nail clippers to do that. Sometimes I can not get it cut close enough so I am left with a wing that I can't cut back cuz it is so small the clippers can't grip it.
I have taken a serrated knife and cut the entire top of the bottle off and then I have to pour that med into another bottle. (won't get into the time when I cut my finger deeply with the knife!)
Then to contend with the plastic/foil that is on the bottle, that stuff is darn near impossible to tear.
AND...once I get the bottle open there is one of the moisture absorbing plastic "things" that is just a hair lash smaller in diameter than the opening of the bottle so I have to get that out so I can get the pills out.
No wonder one of the meds is for BP!
I suppose the good thing is I have not had to purchase cotton balls for years because 6 yards of the stuff comes in each bottle with each supplement I buy.
I have noticed that the lids on everything have become incredibly shallow, making them harder to grip and open.
I am grateful to see more items being packaged in bags. Scissors can solve that challenge.
Wish companies would make easier to open toilet cleaning products. Squeezing the tabs on either side of the bottle top is becoming harder and harder as I get older. And the vice grips are becoming harder to use.
Reading these posts I am reminded of a time I was in a hotel and had bought a new mouse for my laptop. It was impossible to get it open with my fingers it was so well wrapped with hard plastic but I had a pair of nail clippers in my purse and clipped away until i could open it which took me quite a while and was very frustrating. Thinking about it, it would have been smarter to go down to the desk and see if they has scissors.
Same issue with liquid body soap... now I use Ivory which has a hand pump.
Still experimenting with hair shampoo trying to find something more senior friendly and works well on my hair. Had to give up my favorite OGX [small round turquoise blue bottle] loved the richness and smell of that shampoo because the bottle was just too hard to squeeze :(
I have had this type of jar opener for years! I have no grip strength due to permanent damage from a bicycle accident. I would be lost without this type of jar opener.