This may not apply to you, but I found that the vacuum bags were not as great as they sounded. We stored tons of clothes in bags similiar to the Space Bags in our garage. We threw away hundreds of dollar worth of clothing this summer when we found that mice had chewed right through them and made nests in the clothing. We also had clothing in Rubbermaid containers which was untouched. These of course outgas and are not at all environmentally friendly, but since they are in our unattached garage and they are the only thing we have found to keep our clothing safe, we are using these. Just something to consider.

I've used the actual space bags and ended up throwing them away since they wouldn't hold the vaccuum seal and I was using them for saving space on storage. I tried a couple of years later and found the same problem although the bag itself did not tear so if you're looking for something to just store them in they did fine but if you were looking to vaccuum seal them then I'd stay away from them.

Question: Storage is such a major problem, as many items needing storing stink, but we gotta keep them. Bills, receipts, tax returns etc. I started out bringing empty new paper boxes home from work, but all of a sudden these cardboard boxes are stinking. A local copy store told me that these boxes are coming in with some kind of new coating on them. I checked out the cardboard boxes the Container Store sells, but I can smell the slight odor of "cardboard" on them. We have been storing this stuff in an unused small room in our home that we use as an attic, since we have not attic, but the odors DO leach out of the room. My wife and I went through and transferred all the box contents to large clear kitchen size plastic bags temporarily and took all the cardboard boxes to the recycle center. Hear, we thought we had a great system, and no!! I don't want to buy the number of plastic storage boxes we would need, but do not know what to do. The same problem these others are coping with with storing their clothes. What do we do?

P.S. I apologize that I didn't research first through your books we own, but just am at work reading this during my lunch break. Others may be interested, too, I thought, after reading this other person's question.

I have used the Space Bags as well and found them to be disappointing. They do not hold the vacuum seal at all.

Ali R.

I use the Space Bags and like them. The key to keeping the seal is to run the slider across the opening a few times. I don't know why this works better but it just does. What I really like about the Bags, aside from the minimal space storage, is the laundry factor. Anytime I have stored clothes in boxes, plastic bins, trash bags, etc. I have needed to wash the once-clean items again to remove the storage stink. Not so with Space Bags. Everything comes out as fresh as they day they were stored, and I don't have to run the washer.

I like the "Real" Space Bags - I agree that items come out completely fresh. Another tip besides running the slider a couple of times is to NOT overload the bags!!!! Hard to do, I know, but if you don't surpass the recommended capacity, I have found the seal to work for a minimum of 1 year. Also, our cleaners recommended that any stored clothing be aired at least once per year to let the fabric breathe, then gently fold ACID FREE paper (available in craft departments) into the items. You could wrap your items in the acid free paper, then put in the space bag or Rubbermaid tote. One more thing I've used is the underbed storage "drawers" from Bed, Bath and Beyond - they are cotton on 3 sides, with a strip of cedar wood in one side, and a plastic top. Perhaps you could use these and pack a few into a Rubbermaid to keep moisture out.

Space Bags are a great idea, if they would only work like they say. I bought a bunch and after a month, out of 10 large bags with sweaters, fleece, throws stored inside, only 1 bag managed to hold the vacuum seal. They are pointless if they don't hold the seal, which they just don't. Very disappointing. They need to make them with a triple seal or something so they stay sealed. Then they would be amazing. I was using the brand Space Bags too, not any knock off brand.

i agree with many of the individuals posting here that "the space bags do Not hold their seal". this is especailly true with the extra large bags. sounds like a great idea, but they promise More than they deliver. this is misleading and disappointing.

i would say at best they are just okay, and if using do not over-stuff them, they do not hold as much as they say on the packaging.

maybe we all need a lot Less stuff, then we wouldn't have to store it !

I checked the space bag web site. They stated that space bags are made up of nylon and polyethylene. So does that make them relatively safe? I have found that they work pretty good, at least the middle size bags that I have used. I really am only concerned about safety. After years of using a vinyl shower curtain and other nasty plastics I am anxious to minimize my child's exposure to toxins.

After reading this post awhile back, I went ahead and purchased some space bags. They did not hold their seal at all, no matter what I did and how many times I sealed them. Some would hold for a couple weeks and some would loose their seal right away. The idea is great, but the design is poor. We recently purchased some of the large ziplock bags that Debra mentioned to take on a canoe trip. I am going to try reusing them for storage. I actually sometimes use a straw to suck the air out of food ziplock bags and then quickly seal them up and it works great. I wonder if I could do something like that with the ziplocks.