Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Favourite organising tools #11 - Ziploc bags

If I had to go around my house taking pictures of all the ways I use Ziploc bags, I could probably start a Ziploc blog - the obsession is that bad!

I am reading Angela Yee's book, I'm not neat but I'm organized, and she said says for storage, to always choose clear over opaque. That's what reminded me of why I love Ziplocs so much. And of course, I agree totally. I always tell people to only buy clear plastic containers for the kitchen - it will change your life. No more food going off because you can't remember what's in the back of the fridge.

Anywayy...here's how the Ziplocs work for me

I have all sizes, all colours in my cupboard because they're just so versatile. But I will restrain myself from gushing and only tell you about a few of the uses in my home!

1. This is my organised travel toiletries bag. It stays permanently packed. As you can see, I have lovely green Jiffy bags for hair, face, body and make-up. It's easy when I get back to see what I need to replenish so I'm ready for the next trip.


2. Then we have my gym clothes. I don't like my shoes touching my clothes - am I weird? So I put my gym shorts, T-shirt and socks in a big Ziploc like this and toss that on top of my takkies (sneakers) in my gym bag.
3. And of course, I blogged about the gift wrap in December. I love the way the ribbons and bows are all kept separate yet you can see exactly what's in each packet.


Some of the other ways I use Ziploc or Jiffy bags:

Kitchen

  1. Open bags of biscuits (cookies) or chips
  2. Cheese
  3. Cucumber
  4. Ice blocks (take up less space in the freezer in a ziploc than in the trays)
Study

  1. keep different categories of greeting cards separate - birthday, thank-you, Christmas, etc
  2. iPod, cords and charging station
  3. camera cords
What do you use Ziploc bags for?

Here's how Suzanne uses Ziplocs.

8 comments:

Veggiemomof2 said...

Did you know cut veggies will stay good longer if you wrap them in foil instead?

I use them to organize cords & chargers.

Lazy Organizer taught me that a metallic silver sharpie can write on those black chargers so you can label them too!

Marcia Francois said...

Veggiemom, I did not know that about the foil!

I actually don't use much foil and now that I discovered Glad bake, the foil is almost obsolete in my kitchen LOL :)

I will try though and see how it goes.

I've taken to labelling my cords with POST-IT flags! I use the bright pink ones - they stick great and look cute all at the same time!

Phyllis Sommer said...

once my freezer was being repaired and the guy made fun of how many ziplocs there were in my freezer...hey, it works!

Amber said...

I use Ziploc bags for organizing and containing the kids' puzzles and flashcards once the boxes wear out - which they do rather quickly in my house!! =)

Anonymous said...

i hate shoes touching my clothes too!!!

i love the new super-size ziplocs they have. so great for games and puzzles, crafts, etc.

hey, have you ever tried those vacuum thingies that suck out all the air after you seal the bag?

Upward Falling Autumn said...

I use them for EVERYTHING!... nails, screws, nail files, paperclips, my sons cars, toys...

All sizes, all shapes. Love, love, love them. I did feel that my obsession might be super bad for the environment, but I found Bag-E-Wash, so now my conscience is clear... and so are my bags :)

Marcia Francois said...

Jane, no I haven't tried the vacuum sealing thing. But I hear they're great - a real space saver.

Autumn, I also wash mine out and re-use them (the kitchen ones, that is).

Proverbs31, great uses!!!

Phyllis, hey you're right - they DO work!

Anonymous said...

I use them to group all my daughter's silverwear together in "her" drawer in the kitchen. She can get her silverwear out by herself this way. ( no knives, of course).

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