Storage bags that you compress with a vacuum cleaner - any good?

[FelicityMintcake]

Argh need more space! Are those bags that you suck all the air out of and squash down actually any good?

I have some duvets, blankets, winter clothes etc that are taking up too much space.

Are these a good solution? Are some better than others? I see there are some on Ebay.

Help!

I have some from Blooming Marvellous that were a bit pricey but are great. Also got some from Argos a lot cheaper but they don't stay compressed v well. The BM ones are definitely worth getting I have double and king size duvets in mine which means they take up a lot less space.

I have used some from jml i think and they weren't that good, not really space saving and also they were really hard to get things in.

Would they not make a duvet a bit flat and less puffed up when you came to use it again?

They're great for duvets and pillows paisleyleaf - as soon as you open the seal, they just puff up as they were before. And the bag keeps the dust out too.

Felicity I usually get the ones from John Lewis; GLTC used to do some handy ones that were in a sort of rectangular canvas bag. This meant you could stack them on top of each other (otherwise they're a bit lumpy and bumpy once all the air's out). They don't seem to carry any at the moment, will have a quick search and see if I can find them elsewhere...

Like these - Yellow Moon do them

I swear by them ! With limited space and having duvets and sleeping bags to store they are the easiest things to have.

Our local pound shop had large and medium bags on sale and with a bit of wiggling they work wonders!

HTH

They were also available at Robert Dyas ...

They are excellent.

I had avoided them for years as one of those gimmicky things you see on late-night infomercials. Anything that has an infomercial is Sea Monkeys for adults, in my view.

But I bought some recently and they're miraculous. Brilliant for baby clothes, bedding, out-of-season clothing. I've even got one containing some nice cushions that don't match my current decor but I might want to use again in the future.

I might have to buy an Ab-Dominizer or a magic chamois cloth next.

I bought 2 for £5 from B and M bargains recently. They worked well and are the same size as the large one Yellow Moon are charging £14.99 (for 2) for.

It's a slippery slope ninedragons!

Phew! Just been in hand to hand combat with my overflowing cupboards. And lost. I've ended up with more mess and wondering where to put it all than before. Dh will be so pleased. Not.

So then..Wow! It's a yes from mn then on the vacuum bags.

That's good enough for me! Will it work on my bum I wonder...hmmm. Imagine pants made of the same thing. Now there's an idea for Dragons Den

Rofl at ninedragons 'seamonkeys for adults'. I do love those infomercials though Nine. I so want to believe them and watch mesmerized as all lifes little problems are solved by JML for £14.99 (+p&p).

If only

But they do! Apparently these do just the same thing for arses.

My favourite-ever infomercial ran a few years ago and featured a woman standing on a machine with a belt that miraculously shook your fat off.

The subtitle said she was "Malcolm, 46, housewife"

They're all true in every respect, you know.

Get them from poundland! Not that much diff to the ones I bought from M&S. Am currently nesting so have gone a bit crazy - everything has gone into them (mostly duvets, pink baby clothes (having a boy) and DH's down jacket). We've got so much more space now....

I think it depends on what you plan on storing. I have a box of bed lining under my bed that was overflowing, so I got some from Dunelm Mill thinking they would do the job. As they are just sheets, there's not much air to them to suck out. Then, as the plastic bags didn't fit perfectly in the box I wanted to put them in, I had to fold up the sheets carefully and suck the bags up whilst in the box to allow for the excess plastic to be squished in. It was quite a mission, and I still can't close the lid properly.

For storing thick jumpers, duvets and other 'poofy' things, I'm sure they're a god send. Or if you splash out on those lovely canvas box and vacuum bag sets envy.

Must be doing something wrong. I got the ones from JML with little slidey thing to seal...seal. They are great for about 5 mins, then v gradually start to puff up, till about three weeks later, they fall out of cupboard onto my head! I love the idea of them, just cant cope with the reality, any ideas what I am doing wrong? (I seal them several times and follow it thru by hand)

JML was useless for us so i bought some from the Poundstretcher and they were brilliant!

i got some fab lands from poundland too

really really good, easy to use and i have opened them and resealed them several times and they still work perfectly.

ideal in the loft

ive just found one bag and it called "Space bag storage packs" either from poundland or poundstretcher

I bought some from Boots when I was shipping stuff overseas - they were ok, good valve on them but the plastic is a bit weak and one of them tore.

Then last time I was in the UK and needed to ship some more stuff (clothes and that) I bought some from Homebase - no special valve on these, just had to stick the nozzle in the zip bit before closing it fully - not quite as effective but still pretty good - no tearing.

I think they are brilliant, actually. The thing to bear in mind though is this:
just because it has got smaller, it hasn't got any lighter - sounds like common sense of course but be careful with the bigger ones!

I have found these ones not too bad Poundland.

seb1 those are the fab ones i used and highly recommend

We take a lot of bedlinen on holiday to France with us (easier than washing the stuff there).

Obv. this takes up a lot of room and means we're limited as to how many cases of wine souvenir Breton pottery we bring back.

Would these vacuum thingies be the answer?

Oh and would they be good to use instead of suitcases?

(thinking about just how many bottles of cider tins of Breton biscuits we could bring home...)

I have JML ones from Woolworths and they're crap - may try to move upmarket to Poundland - or possibly John Lewis...

I can also recommend the bags from Poundland.....