I had to find a way to repurpose dry cleaning bags because of my husband’s addiction to starch. Not the carb-loaded starch, but the industrial-strength starch in both the collars and the cuffs in his dress shirts.
Our first Sunday, as a married couple and back from a disastrous honeymoon that almost ended in divorce, I made an announcement; no not that one: I could not iron his shirts. Without going into the details; as a recent grad with career aspirations (interviews), I argued I could not be distracted by the iron.
I proposed two options: he could iron his own shirts or outsource the task. Since I am sharing 5 ways to repurpose dry cleaning bags you can guess which option he pursued.
And, now we have dry cleaning bags and wire hangers. Every time I collect the wire hangers in our closet I think of the cheesy 1980’s movie Mommy Dearest and Joan Crawford’s famous line; “No more wire hangers.” I always shove the wire hangers back into the dry cleaning bag and hope they get reused.
Sidenote: Has anyone thought to replace the wire hangers with cardboard hangers? Do they exist?
Here are a few ways to repurpose dry cleaning bags and other household plastic bags. I have three ideas to repurpose dry cleaning bags. All of these work using the same technique. This is a low tech project.
Start with the top of the dry cleaning bag; the top (end) that has an opening for the hangers. I tie this end together with a double knot to hold the bag together.
1. Cover Seasonal Wreaths:
Some of my wreaths drop their faux leaves just like the Aspen trees in our yard. They create a dusty mess in storage. Now, I cover my wreaths with dry cleaning bags. The clear plastic works great to see which wreath is in what bag.
This is one of my favorite wreaths I found at Homegoods.
2 . Line Small Trash Cans
This idea does not work for your kitchen size trash cans. I tried it and it was a fail. The kitchen trash was too heavy for the drycleaning bag.
However, the drycleaning bags worked great to line the trash can in the bathroom trashcans under the sink.
One of my top ten pre-listing suggestions explains why I advise my sellers to stash the bathroom trashcans.
3. Pack Clothing Donations:
The clear film makes it easier to sort items once they get to the donation center. Now that my kids are potty trained and in college, I am a little more organized with my donations.
4. Crafts + Paint
For quick crafts or paint projects use a dry cleaning bag. The drycleaning bags are lightweight and easy to cover a space before a glitter party or Mod Podge project. I used a dry cleaning bag to catch the drips when my ghost left while hanging out to dry. Made the drying process a breeze.
5. Packing Material
Drycleaning bags make a perfect packing material because the backs are pliable and lightweight. These bags are easy to fit into tight corners of a care package or storage boxes if you decided to do this project.
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We rarely get things dry cleaned but I’m all about repurposing things. I save the bags if we do!
Since the stay at home order our dry cleaning has been nonexistent. It’s all my husband. I think I dry clean a few things every few months. We just got cleared for slow opening of city beginning Sunday. laura
Love these ideas Laura! Thank you!
Ashley