If you’re like me, you’ve seen vacuum storage bags for years and wondered whether they’d work.
Could they really smoosh items like pillows and blankets to save space when you store them?
My friend got some of the bags at Walmart recently when she was packing things and organizing her house to put it on the market — and she said they work and they’re great.
Ever the frugal skeptic… I decided to buy one when I saw it at the dollar store and test it. (My friend bought a 3-pack at Walmart and they were about $20. Mine, on the other hand, cost $1 for one.)
The Essentials vacuum storage bag package held a single 17.5 x 27.5 plastic bag that had a round opening (valve) in the middle to insert a vacuum cleaner hose. The bag was thicker than I thought it would be.
I got two thick pillows from the couch in the living room and put them side by side in the bag, and pulled the clip across to close the seal (like a giant Ziplok lunch bag).
I opened the valve and inserted the hose from the vacuum cleaner in the opening, then turned on the vacuum.
Wow! In seconds, the air was sucked out of the bag and the pillows — and the contents were nearly flat as a pancake! Just screwed the valve cap back on to close the bag.
Before
After
A while later, I opened the cap and seal on the bag — and the pillows regained air quickly and plumped up to the same size they’d been before.
It was amazing!
If you need to reduce the size of pillows, bedding or out-of-season clothing to store them, just pick up some vacuum storage bags.
You could even squish big things before taking them on a trip and save a lot of space.
They work!
Great round up of tips. I’ve been feeling the itch to do some deep spring cleaning. So these are perfect!