Let’s talk storing plastic bags.
Because the issue starts out innocently, with a trip to the grocery store.
But before you know it, those plastic grocery bags have staged a silent coup under your kitchen sink.
As a professional organizer, I’ve seen countless cabinets held hostage by a mountain of crinkly plastic bags, making it nearly impossible to find the dish soap or the trash bags when you actually need them.
There’s more than one method to organize and store plastic bags, after all.
Some work better than others, so I’ll cover all plastic bag storage possibilities in this post.
Let’s get into it!
Pare Down Your Plastic Bag Collection
The truth is that most of us have more plastic bags on hand than we’ll ever need.
Even with stores switching to paper bags, there’s still a glut of plastic grocery bags in circulation and you don’t need as many as you have (really!).
Plastic grocery bags are usually less valuable than the space they take up if left unrestrained, so figuring out the best method for storing plastic bags in your home is a smart use of time.
Especially since it doesn’t take much to contain them and open up some usable space in your cabinets and closets.
Before settling on a plastic bag storage method, pare down your collection.
Go through the plastic bags you have and pull out any that have holes, rips or tears or as a size that you won’t use because they’re too small or too big.
You don’t need completely useless plastic bags in your “just in case” stash.
Another reason for decluttering your plastic grocery bag collection is that they will degrade over time into tiny pieces of plastic that make a huge mess.
It’s a huge hassle to deal with to say the least, so it’s best to wrangle them all to use them before they begin to break apart.
Methods for Storing Plastic Bags
The most effective plastic bag storage hack I recommend to my clients is to install a dedicated plastic bag dispenser.
You can purchase a plastic bag dispenser, DIY one if you’re a sewer or use another containers to hold the plastic bags.
All of the plastic bag containers work like this: By tucking each bag into a confined space, you compress the air out of them and force a massive volume of plastic into a very small, manageable footprint.
This keeps your plastic bags accessible and tidy rather than an overflowing mess.
Ikea Plastic Bag Holder
Ikea has a very inexpensive holder for plastic bags that acts like a plastic bag saver, keeping all of the bags compressed in the same area together.
I have one installed in my garage, right by the door, because I reuse the bags to clean out my kitty’s litter box.
The holder’s location is in a prime spot without being in the way.
But it does look a bit messy, especially when it’s packed full like mine.
In this case, you may want a different look for storing plastic bags both practically and more aesthetically.
Stainless Steel Bag Holder
A stainless steel plastic bag holder is a great option if you need a container with more structure and a cleaner aesthetic look.
Sometimes household members may not be aware of their strength or a container’s limits, so having a container with a hard shell can be a more durable option.
This sort of plastic bag holder can be hung on a wall or the inside of a cabinet or rest on the bottom of a cabinet if hanging isn’t preferred.
Plastic Bag Storage Sock
You can purchase or DIY a plastic bag “sock”, which is essentially a fabric tube with a handle on one end so it can be hung and a drawstring closure at the bottom so the bags stay put while in the tube.
Most tubes can expand to a relatively large area, so this is the best option for closet or pantry storage.
This isn’t the best choice for an under the sink application.
It takes up too much room when full, so cluttering up under your kitchen sink may not be the best option.
Under the Sink Cabinet Storage
Tucking a Youcopia plastic bag dispenser in the under the kitchen sink area is a smart location for easy access to the plastic bags.
This option doesn’t require the holder to be hung or installed in any way, so it’a great option if you don’t want to screw something into a wall and want to be able to relocate the dispenser one a whim.
Any Rigid Container
If you’re really not interested in buying a specific product to organize and store plastic grocery bags, then there’s a DIY solution available to you.
Just use any rigid container and stuff the plastic bags in it.
The plastic grocery bags will condense down in size, so you’ll be able to fit a bunch.
I used an extra refillable dishwasher detergent dispenser I had to do just this.
I store it under my bathroom sink to keep the plastic bags close for reuse as garbage bag liners.
It’d. great way to keep a stash of plastic bags in another part of my home where they’re used a lot.
Keeping Plastic Bags in Check
No matter which method of storing plastic bags you choose, the real magic happens when you treat your dispenser as a hard limit.
Once the container is full, act as if you’ve officially reached your maximum capacity for bags.
Instead of forcing “just one more” into an already stuffed plastic bag storage cabinet, take the extras and immediately place them in your car to be dropped off at a local grocery store recycling bin.
Regularly purging the overflow ensures that your storage stays functional and that you aren’t cluttering up your space with relatively low-value resources that are easily replaced.
Over to You
And now you have some fantastic options for storing plastic bags in your home so they’re accessible and ready for use!
Taking the time to figure out the best way for storing plastic grocery bags means you can use these tools to help keep your home uncluttered and functional and your space won’t become overrun with them.
Need help wrangling other plastic bags in your kitchen, like Ziploc bag organization?
Or plastic food wrap and foil storage?
Be sure to check out the posts since focusing on these everyday items will really impact how well your kitchen is organized!
More Organization Resources You’ll Love
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