The First Thing You Should Do with a New Box of Kitchen Trash Bags

I hear my mother’s voice whenever I clean. It says things like “Never touch something twice,” and “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Oddly enough, I also hear it when I see rarely worn clothing in our closet. I just know that my mother would say, “Don’t think that your closet keeps clothes from getting dusty. Oh, no, it does not. When I cleaned out your great-aunt’s closet her clothes were caked in dust. You need to cover this.”

If you guessed that this voice speaks to me because my clothes aren’t covered, you’re right. But that’s where this tip comes in! I put off buying garment bags for long enough and a solution has fallen right in my lap! No, I don’t need to buy anything to keep my formal dresses and off-season coats dust-free. I can just use kitchen trash bags!

The next time you open a new box of trash bags, use it as a cue to give your closet a quick check. Do you have some nice work dresses that you haven’t been wearing much? Did you just stash your winter coats away for the season? You can use one bag per garment or group like garments that you’ll need all at once, like when the seasons change. 

To turn a garbage bag into a garment cover, hold the bag upside-down and put your garment, still on the hanger, in the bag. Poke the hanger through the middle of the bottom of the bag and spread the bag down over your clothes. (Imagine the plastic bags you get from the dry cleaner.) No need to tie the bags up or anything; in fact, you shouldn’t, as that can trap moisture or odors. Cover your garments the next time you open a new box of trash bags and you can reuse these bags again when the seasons change and you need to swap out seasonal items.

Do you use garbage bags for anything (aside from garbage) around the house? Tell us in the comments below!