I’m not sure whether I share a creative streak with some of my readers, a concern for the environment or just a propensity to be cheap. But whatever the motive, we sure have embraced the cause of reusing bed linen bags.
A couple of weeks ago, I offered some suggestions for reusing those zippered, clear plastic bags that sheets, comforters and other bed linens come in.
Now it’s your turn.
I heard from a number of you who, like me, can’t bear to throw away a potentially useful item. So today I’m devoting this space to your ideas.
I’ll start with Barbara Adams of Strongsville, who saves the bags and uses them when she travels. They’re handy for holding all sorts of things, she said — cosmetics, combs, brushes, underwear, knit shirts and sweaters, and even slacks in the larger, blanket-size bags. She can grab just what she needs without having to unpack everything, she said.
But the bags’ benefits go beyond organization, Adams said. She discovered that when she was on a bus trip and the driver had to load the luggage into the bus in a downpour.
“Many people had wet clothing because the water seeped through their soft-side luggage,” she said. “Nothing penetrated my zippered bags.”
Score one for ingenuity.
Adams also uses smaller bags inside her larger gym bag to carry items such as underwear, tissues and a hairbrush to her water exercise class. That way she can keep wet or dirty items contained and dry items dry.
Akron resident Louisa Misquitta also uses the bags for travel, but for protecting good dresses for weddings or other special occasions. The bags keep the clothes from snagging or getting wet, she said.
Dianna Huffman of Medina Township started keeping lightweight blankets in a zippered bag in her car to cover her kids when they napped on car trips. They’re grown now, but she still carries the blankets around for emergencies or for covering her legs when her husband keeps the air conditioning colder than she likes.
Akron’s Rita Jubin finds the bags handy when she has garage sales. She uses them to keep pieces of toys together, and since they’re clear, the customers can see at a glance what they’re buying.
For Kathryn Jenkins, a new retiree from Medina, the bags have proved invaluable for organizing her sewing projects. She can store fabric in them, sorted by color or type, and she uses one for storing all the pieces of her current project.
Jeannie Nagy of Norton uses hers to carry items to the beach, such as lotion, sunglasses, lip gloss and even a washcloth to wipe sunscreen off her hands after she applies it. She always knows where everything is, and she can just grab the bag and go.
Great ideas, all. But my favorite came from Cathy Lynn of Brunswick, who managed to find a way to use a zippered bag to help her kids develop good etiquette habits.
Lynn filled the bag with colored paper, envelopes, colored pencils, markers and stickers, which her children use to make their own thank-you cards.
“They seem more willing to do it [send thank-you notes] if it’s a fun craft,” she said.
That’s one creative mom.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/mbbreck, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckABJ and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.