Quick Tip: A Simple Solution for Plastic Grocery Store Bags

by Mandi on April 30, 2011

plastic-bag-storage

As I’m putting the finishing touches on my ebook, How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too — all about being a mother and pursuing your own passions — I’m reposting some of my favorite posts from the archives! If you want to be notified when the ebook is ready, just submit your email address here.

I learned this little trick in the 7th grade from Mrs. Riley, the headmistress at our school, and it’s one I still use today.

We use reusable shopping bags when we remember them, and we take a lot of the plastic bags back to Wal-Mart to be recycled, but we also like to keep some of them around:

:: In the diaper bag for dirty diapers, trash or accidents
:: In the kitchen for scraps or as quick carry-alls
:: In the picnic basket for dirty dishes and trash
:: In the car for trash or miscellaneous items that need to be brought in

1. Start by holding the plastic bag in one hand and the handles with your other hand.

2. Holding the handles tightly, slide your other hand down the bag, squeezing out all of the air.

3. With the end of the bag in the palm of your hand, begin wrapping it around two of your fingers.

4. As you wrap the bag, the handle will twist in your hand.

5. When you get to the end, you should have a small loop left in the handle.

6. Take the loop and slip it over the rest of the bag to secure it in place.

Quick and easy (once you get the hang of it!), and they take up so little space this way!

How do you use extra grocery bags?

Jenn F

Thanks for posting this. I often have used another technique (which involves flattening and folding the bag flag-style into a triangle) but this one is waaay quicker (thus making it far more likely that I would do it as opposed to just stuffing them haphazardly under the kitchen sink *ahem* oops.)
http://www.se7en.org.za Se7en

We fold ours into triangles and tuck the top in. Then we pop them in a box with a “window” cut in it… just pop the bag out whenever we need one. We use them to gather our household garbage and then close them and pop them in the big bin for weekly collection. We only have a couple a month but they are so worth it. We also use them for painting t-shirts and pillow-cases, just slide them into the “garment” and then the paint won’t seep though to the back of them.
http://joyceandnorm.wordpress.com Joyce and Norm

We normally don’t have too many plastic bags either, but I guess I better start collecting because we plan on having a garage sale to raise funds for a friend who was just diagnosed with a brain tumor. Maybe you can check with the grocery store for the recycled bags??
http://joyceandnorm.wordpress.com Joyce and Norm

We don’t have too many plastic bags around here. I do the loose knot. We use them for our trashcans. So I usually just stick 4 bags in the trashcan and either week, just take out the bag with the trash, and don’t have to replace the bags until next month.
http://www.wonderwomanwannabe.com heidi @ wonder woman wannabe

well, isnt’ that just a super snazzy trick! and, yep – i totally just tried it too.
http://seemyfootprints.blogspot.com/ Klhill

If it helps, you can use old newspapers/paper to line your bins, or nothing at all and just leave them out in the rain to rinse and/or use reclaimed water from washing veges etc to rinse out the bins.

Good to hear your stores in the US take back their plastic bags to be recycled. That’s a great start. *thumbs up*
Anna

or you can do like that (make small triangles):

http://ladybee.ru/flylady/69/619/

http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life…Your Way

I can see the benefit of this, but it seems like it would take a lot longer?! I need to try it next time!

Marilyn

It does take a little bit longer, but it uses less space. I too used to fold my plastic bags like you did until I tried the ‘triangle’ method.

Wanibug

we use them to wrap up our stinky diapers.
nancy_purple

we also use them for cat litter! so we need TONS! and we also use them for the small trash cans, of course. I am going to go try this trick. We have all of our family save their bags for us, since we shop at Sam’s and Aldi’s and don’t get plastic bags too often – my husband does the self-checkout at WMart and double-bags so he gets more bags! so it seems like we have NO bags one day, then all of a sudden my parents stock us up, and the pantry is OVERLOADED with bags! I will try this, to save some space in the bag dispenser.
SweetsLady

We use it for kitty litter box and also for lining smaller trash cans.
nancy_purple

I love the idea to store them in old wipes boxes! We get wipes from Sam’s, so with each big box, we get one new empty tub. There are only so many tubs you need!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1419619732 Mellissa Richards Simmons

I watched the news one night and they did a test on the plastic grocery bags people store at home. I was shocked and grossed out about how much bacteria they found…to think a lot of people use these to take their lunches with them to work. I was so grossed out by it that I have gone back to using store bought paper bags, and you can recycle these. We do however keep plastic bags on hand to use for small garbages around the house, cat litter, and in the car. I like this space saving idea because we have a TON of them in a box under the kitchen sink and they are always spilling out.
nineteen19

I use plastic bags @ work for carry out meals. I made a hanging bag out of a dish towel to stuff them into. I like this idea for home to take up less room, but @ work they would fall out of the bag, & I need them to come out easy to open. We also use the bags to trade books & they make good packing material in mailing packages.
Pingback: Links I Like: May 3, 2011 | Life of Lugsy
Erin

Mrs. Riley was the head person at my school too… did you go to montessori? I know I am reaching…LOL

http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life…Your Way

I did! Too funny — in Bowie, right? When were you there?!

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http://www.corbitoness.com/ Gene

Great idea. We started using reusable bags last year but we still have lots of plastic bags left, to be used as trash bag in the future but it can take a lot of space, even when folded. Looks like I’m folding it the wrong way. I’ll make sure to do this and take before and after photos.