The best ways to fold packages compactly into a triangle or an envelope. So that they don’t take up too much space

Nowadays, every person is trying to optimize their actions. And it doesn’t matter what they are aimed at: reducing the time to produce something, freeing up free space in relation to gadgets, the Internet, computers. Why are life hacks interesting? They provide an opportunity to solve a problem in a new, unusual way, approach it from a completely different angle, and get a stunning result. The main advantages of life hacks are usefulness and simplicity.

To put it in simple and understandable language, a life hack is a list of useful information or knowledge that simplifies our daily existence. Such knowledge may include:

• how to quickly and efficiently fix something if it’s broken using improvised means;
• how to relieve certain pain sensations, mainly using traditional methods;
• how to put everything in its place so that it is cozy and convenient;
• What is the easiest way to master a foreign language?

There are a great many such tips and they are all useful in their own way. During the existence of mankind, so much experience has been accumulated in various areas of life that it is worth sharing with everyone. This simple but very useful information includes information on the best way to store bags in the kitchen. There are always a lot of them and they cause a lot of inconvenience, falling out of all the boxes at the wrong moment and constantly spoiling the mood of the housewives.

What packages are there?

We come across various types of bags all the time and can no longer imagine our life without them. Depending on their functionality, they are usually divided into the following main groups:

• With handles , which in turn are divided into the following types: with loop handles or die-cut handles. The first category includes bags in which the handles look like ribbons attached to the top edge of the bag. The second category includes products in which handles are made on top of the bag and, for greater reliability, reinforced with a second layer of polyethylene. Such bags are used to carry anything, including food.
• The most common are considered T-shirt bags. They can often be found in retail outlets for packing products and then transporting them to their destination. They are quite durable, with a thickness of 20-30 microns. They are sold mainly in packs of 50 - 100 pieces.
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• Packing bags. They are mainly used for packaging products: bakery products, cereals after packaging. Industrial products are sometimes wrapped in them. Their main task is to protect the goods from dirt. They cannot be used to transport anything, as they are not equipped with handles. Their thickness is so small that even a small load can tear them. Such bags are usually sold in the form of rolls.

• Garbage. The name speaks for itself. They come in different types: both with and without handles, different strengths, colors, smells, which determines their cost.

• For packaging clothes. They are usually large in size and of medium density. Used in stores and dry cleaners to keep clothes clean.

• Gift. They are not reliable or functional and are intended for one-time use. But these bags are so beautiful that you just can’t bring yourself to throw them away.

Classification

Our home (be it an apartment or a country house) is inhabited by the housewives’ faithful assistants – plastic bags. Today this is the most convenient packaging. Supermarkets offer it for free. The bonus makes a good impression and is a priority when choosing a store. Based on their shape, packaging is divided into several types:

• “T-shirt” is the most common. Convenient to use, has a large capacity (due to folds on the sides) and an affordable price;
• with a slotted hole - more expensive. Purchased for packaging gifts, business papers, and in the form of advertising. They are distinguished by more durable material and look representative;
• the best option is bags for packaging. Used for bulk products and small goods.

How to fold packages compactly

Each type of bag has its own tricks for storing it in the kitchen. There are several simple ways to fold bags so that they are compact, take up little space and look good when used later. Let's consider several ways.

How to fold a bag into a triangle

This activity does not take much time and is quite simple, you only need to fold about 5 bags and the speed of work will double. The most difficult thing in this process is to align the bag well so that it can be folded comfortably. Next we perform the following steps:

1. All corners are carefully aligned.
2. Then the hand is passed well over the surface of the bag so that there is no air left there.

3. Fold the bag in half and lengthwise (this is more convenient).

4. Carry out the same procedure again.

5. Bend one of the bottom corners of the bag into a triangle.
6. By folding, one triangle is folded into another triangle.
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7. This process continues until the next triangle rests on the handle.

8. Moreover, the last triangle should coincide with the handle on the side that looks like a pocket.

9. During the entire folding process, you need to run your hand over the bag so that air particles do not stagnate there.
10. The handles fold in half.
11. The triangle is folded over the handles and inserted into the pocket of the main triangle.

For more information on how to fold bags into a triangle, watch the video:

How to fold a bag into a tube

This is the easiest way to give your bag a compact appearance.

1. The package is laid out on a flat horizontal surface and carefully leveled.
2. Fold in half lengthwise several times (you get a strip).

3. The easiest way is to wrap this plastic strip around two fingers.

4. The handles are wrapped around the bag.

How to fold a package into an envelope

This method is typical mainly for large and rigid packages:

1. As usual, lay the bag on the surface and remove air particles from it using the palm of your hand.
2. Fold them in half or quarters depending on where they will be stored.
3. The number of folds depends on what your package hopper looks like and how big it is.

How and where to store bags in the kitchen

All housewives have a lot of bags and bags left that have already been used, but it’s a pity to throw them away. Over time, quite a lot of them accumulate and the question arises where it would be better to place them so that they do not cause a lot of trouble and do not take up free space in the kitchen. At the very beginning, the method of storing “packages and bags” was common. But this is quite inconvenient. It is best to sort all the bags by size, density and functionality.

Let's look at the most common options for storing bags in the kitchen:

Throw it away or keep it?

Many people don’t worry about storing packages, so they simply throw them away. And they do it in vain. This is not about “huge” cost savings or the inability to buy a new polyethylene friend - this is pollution of the planet.

A plastic bag takes one or two centuries to decompose. Other scientists claim that the decomposition process lasts a thousand years, and during this time it poisons the environment with toxic compounds.

Since such a household item appeared only in the second half of the last century, it is too early to talk about empirical data.

Bags harm not only nature, but also humans. For example, in Bangladesh they clogged sewers, causing flooding and killing thousands of people. You can often see photographs where turtles or fish are entangled in plastic, unable to get out and suffering from their limited abilities.

Storing polyethylene is not a matter of saving, it is a matter of a healthy attitude towards your planet and yourself. To understand how to store packages beautifully and compactly, you should first understand their classification.

How and where to store bags in the kitchen - DIY ideas

If you have a wild imagination and know how to use threads and needles, you can create unique devices for storing bags in the kitchen. First of all, they will be unique and inimitable.

For such creations you need to have scissors, a variety of fabrics, strings, as well as available tools: dolls, boxes, flower pots, boxes, and so on.

DIY dolls for bags

First of all, you need to get scissors, jewelry, bright scraps of fabric, material from which the doll’s eyes will later be made, and cotton wool.

We sew a blouse and a skirt for the doll from fabric pieces. Before you start cutting the doll, you need to draw out a pattern of arms and heads on paper. After making a pattern, sew all the components of the doll. To make it voluminous, you need to stuff it with cotton wool. Then the head is sewn to the blouse, and the latter to the skirt. An elastic band is inserted into the bottom of the skirt. It is in the skirt that you will store the bags, and it will be very convenient to take them out from there.

Wire Grid Bag Storage Container

Such devices are sold in retail outlets, but you can make them yourself. They are very convenient because they do not take up much space in the kitchen, and the necessary package can be removed from any hole.

DIY bags and pouches for packages

They don't need any special modification. They can simply be styled as kitchen utensils so that they look harmonious. To do this, it’s worth decorating them with something. Such containers are very practical and do not take up significant free space.

Storing bags in a plastic bottle - several ways

Not a bad option. Take a bottle with a volume of at least one liter. It is advisable that it sells regular sparkling water. The presence of other liquids in the bottle can contribute to the appearance of foreign odors, which are very difficult to remove.

Under no circumstances should you use containers that have previously stored chemicals or other toxic substances.

The bottle is rinsed and thoroughly dried. The bottom is removed. The neck is cut off at a distance of about 10 cm. If sharp edges appear, they must be carefully cleaned using fine-grained sandpaper. The bottle is attached to the kitchen cabinet door. The bags are placed inside the container.

For more information about this method, watch the video:

There is another way to adapt a plastic bottle for these purposes. You can cut off only the throat and leave the bottom. But in this container you can only store packages rolled into a tube, otherwise getting them out will be problematic.

The process looks like this. Take bags (mostly “T-shirts”), lay them out on a flat surface, smooth them out well, and remove the air using the palm of your hand. Then the bags are rolled up into a narrow ribbon. Having reached the middle, the second bag is placed on the first bag and the rolling process continues. So all the packages are folded into one roll and placed in a bottle. The handles of the first bag should be placed in such a way that they look out from the neck of the bottle. If you need to get a little bag, you just need to pull its handles.

Video of the process of making such a container for storing bags in the kitchen:

Save space

If you cannot allocate a shelf in the kitchen for storing plastic packaging, there is another way out - rolling it into a tube. Rolled this way, they are perfectly stored. You can put such packaging not only in a bag and a box, but even in a plastic bottle.

The principle is simple - remember how bags are packed in a supermarket - simply rolled up. We propose to improve the method a little.

Twisting technique:

1. Fold the bag into a long, narrow strip.
2. Overlap it, place the second one somewhere 7-10 cm from the handle. Start twisting the polyethylene into a tight tube, making sure that the next bags are also overlapped.
3. Tighten the continuous roll from the bags with a thin elastic band and place it in any convenient container.

We offer several options for storing packaged rolls:

1. Plastic bottle. Before use, it must be cut so that the cylinder of the bags fits freely

It is very important to rub the edges of the cut bottle with sandpaper to avoid injury afterwards.

Cut the bottle along an even part, moving 7 - 10 centimeters away from the neck. Then put a roll of plastic packaging into the bottle and cover it with the previously cut neck. The place where the edges join can be glued or reinforced with tape, or you can do nothing; the edges will stick together.

Push the handles of the central package that stick out from the middle of the roll through the neck. If you pull the bag, the handles of the next “T-shirt” will appear behind it.

2. An old coffee can with a hole cut in the lid. Don’t forget to clean the edges of the hole either, otherwise the principle is the same. The jar has its advantages; it is convenient to place it on any surface, which cannot be said about a plastic bottle.

But the bottle can also be mounted on the inner door of the kitchen cabinet, for garbage bags, for example. You can also create many interesting characters from a bottle - a hare, a pig, etc. It's just a matter of your imagination and skills.

DIY bags for bags and packages

This invention looks beautiful in the kitchen, is very convenient, does not take up much space and does not require large expenses for its creation.

First of all, you need to take a piece of thick fabric. A kitchen towel may also work. The main thing is that the color matches the decor in the kitchen. Then we take the following steps:

1. We cut out the required size canvas. A length of half a meter and a width of 30cm are considered very convenient. You need to sew a “tube” out of it. To do this, fold the fabric in half (the side of the product is 25cm) and sew a seam (one).
2. Afterwards, the product is turned inside out so that the seam remains on the inside.
3. The bottom and top edges are folded and stitched in such a way that the elastic can be tightened into them later.
4. A neat loop is attached to the top of the bag, through which it will be suspended from the wall with a nail.
5. We stretch the elastic bands so that the bottom of the product is half the size of the top.

The whole work will take a maximum of half an hour, but the result will amaze you. Moreover, you can sew all kinds of beads, buttons, bows onto the fabric, and also make an applique. This will give the product more charm.

DIY knitted bags for packages

If you have knitting needles or hooks at home, as well as remaining skeins of thread, then the easiest option to make a container for bags is to knit it yourself. Moreover, there can be plenty of options: from the usual rectangular “sleeves”, to all kinds of fruits, mushrooms, berries, animals, handbags and so on. What is your imagination enough for? Such products turn out to be very beautiful and it is not only convenient to place plastic bags in them, but they also look advantageous in any kitchen, even one equipped in a simple style. And for children this is a whole holiday.

Knitting containers is quite simple, but you need a little experience. If certain difficulties arise, special books for beginner knitters can help. As for threads, it is best to choose not one skein, but several, and they should be bright and match well. It is not recommended to use very thin threads. The product will have an unsightly appearance, especially after placing many bags in it. Such a container will not hold its shape, which will ruin the entire result of the work.

Yarn should be selected carefully. It can be wool, cotton, synthetic or polyethylene. If a pattern has been conceived, then it is worth using wool threads for it. They have sufficient elasticity and elasticity. Experts recommend giving preference to synthetic threads. It is advisable that the yarn is not twisted too much. Excessive twisting of the threads can negatively affect the quality of the finished fabric.

Types of sachets

There are a huge variety of bags on sale, ranging from garbage bags to the smallest sandwich bags. As a rule, several types of packages are used on the farm:

• Disposable small ones. Used for packing children's lunches for school and for storing food in the refrigerator.
• Household portable ones. We use them when we go shopping at the grocery store. Often, forgetting to take another bag with us, we buy a plastic bag again at the supermarket. In total, a great many of them gather at home.

It’s a shame to throw it away, and it’s not recommended. Because polyethylene is harmful to the environment. It is better to save them and use them later on the farm.

Garbage. The biggest ones. They often come on a roll and are used as needed. They do not take up much space if stored in their original presentation.

For storage, different types are divided into small ones separately and large ones separately. The same applies to the material, since plastic specimens are much thicker than polyethylene ones. And paper ones cannot be rolled up at all. During sorting, it is worth getting rid of old, torn or dirty items.

Let's sum it up

There are always a lot of plastic bags left and we cannot part with them. Therefore, they need to be provided with a secluded place for storage. You can purchase special plastic boxes for these purposes at any hardware store, but it will be trivial. Of course, they can be placed in drawers of kitchen tables or hung on doors, but it will not look beautiful. And the convenience is questionable.

It is best to approach the issue of storing bags in the kitchen with a certain amount of imagination. Everything can be done with your own hands, you just need to choose some free time. And the desire to create and imagination will appear during the manufacturing process.

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Ready-made organizers from the store

If you don’t want to make homemade devices, and you don’t like any of the ideas, then use ready-made plastic or metal containers. They can be bought in stores. Structurally, they are half-cylinders or rectangles with moderately large holes. This container has a bottom. The principle of operation is simple - we put bags into a container. If necessary, pull one out through any hole. The container can be mounted on a wall or on the inside/outside of doors.

Photos of organizers for packages

Simple, convenient, hand-made organizers will help you bring order to your kitchen. Crafts with decorative elements will make it elegant and cozy. You just need to turn on your imagination, involve children and the older generation of the family in the work.