Storage Bags

What storage bags do that a box cannot

A box keeps its shape, which helps on a shelf but less so in the narrow gap under a bed or between a wardrobe and the ceiling. A bag gives a little, so it can be eased into an awkward corner, slid into the eaves or tucked into the cupboard under the stairs. An empty bag usually takes up less room than an empty box, too.

Storage bags come into their own when the summer clothes go up and the winter coats come down, on moving day, and when someone is packing for university. Many homes settle on a mix: boxes for things that might crush, baskets for what you reach for daily, and bags for the soft, squashable things in between.

Measuring the space before you pick a size

Start with where the bag will live. Measure the height under your bed, the depth of the wardrobe shelf or the width of the loft hatch, and check the bag you have in mind against it. Picture the bag full rather than flat, since a bag swells as it fills.

Then think about what goes in. Thick duvets, spare pillows and blankets need big bags, the kind often sold as jumbo storage bags, while scarves, swimwear and gloves sit more neatly in something smaller. Several smaller bags are easier to lift down than one heavy one, and they keep one kind of thing together.

Plastic, nylon and recycled material

Recycled material has been recovered after use, or left over from making something else, then reprocessed rather than produced from scratch. A recycled bag begins with material that already existed.

Nylon turns up in most of our bags. It is a plastic that is light for its strength, which is why rucksacks and luggage use it so often. A plastic or nylon bag adds little weight of its own, so what you lift down from a high shelf is the contents rather than the bag.

Laundry day, the weekly shop and the toy pile

A larger storage bag makes a practical laundry bag. Keep one in the bedroom for towels and bedding, another for delicates, and the washing reaches the machine already sorted. Empty laundry bags on wash day rather than leaving damp things sitting inside.

Some of our bags are made with children in mind, and a bag is a good home for soft toys and dressing-up clothes that need tidying away when friends come round. A few of our bags come in pink.

Packing a bag so things come out as they went in

Wash whatever you are putting away and make sure it is completely dry: even a little damp can leave clothes smelling musty by the time you take them out again. Fold rather than stuff, put heavier things such as jeans and towels at the bottom, and leave some room at the top so nothing is crushed.

Choose a dry spot for the bag, away from an outside wall that can turn cold and damp in winter. A scented sachet tucked among folded clothes keeps them fresh, and a label listing what is inside saves opening bag after bag in search of one jumper.

Looking after plastic and nylon bags

Some of our bags can be wiped clean, and for those a soft cloth with warm water and a drop of washing-up liquid is usually enough, then a dry cloth to finish. Let the bag dry completely, inside and out, before you fill it again. For anything beyond a wipe, follow the care details for the bag you have chosen.

Keep plastic away from radiators and strong sunlight, which can fade it and make it brittle over time, so a sunny windowsill or the shelf beside the boiler is no place to leave one. Shake out dust and crumbs before an empty bag goes back in the cupboard, and store it flat.