Adventures in Space Bags

I get really excited about organizing products. Still, I buy very few, because you don't really need fancy containers or products to be organized. You just need a system.

But, as I mentioned last week, I bought some Space Bags®

for the first time. In this case, they were the ideal solution to contain some winter blankets. Now, would they really work?

Yes and no. I grabbed a bag, folded a blanket and ...

Well, it doesn't look like the commercial does it?

Pro - The bug-proof, moisture-proof bags enabled me to store the blankets in my outdoor shed.

Con - Bulky comforters are difficult to fold well,which means the bags won't come out flat.

Ah well. I carried on, filling four different-sized bags full of fluffy blankets.

Pro - The bags are easy to open and the stuff inside really does fluff right back up again.

Con - The bags have a Ziploc-style mechanism, plus a white plastic piece to help you zip it shut. The plastic piece also seems to seal the top edge of the plastic closed. But it doesn't always "click" the Ziploc teeth together, so I did most of them by hand, then used the plastic piece for the top seal. Plus, the plastic piece comes off very easily and could be lost.

Pro - It's really fun to suck the air out of the bags with a vacuum cleaner.

Caution: If you're storing down blankets or pillows, they recommend only removing half the air, to prevent crushing.

Another pro: My order included a cloth container, where I stored the sheets, now sitting on my closet shelf for easy access.

Conclusion? I love these bags. In this case, it provided a good solution for getting my overstuffed closet shelf cleaned up. check out the before and after:

What organizing tool or products have you used? Were they useful or not?