I am always looking for new ways to make going green easier & fun for my family. Ways that save time & money while still being sustainable. One of the things that I have yet to find a replacement for is plastic storage bags. Until now.
I was super excited to try out these Reusable Silicone Food Bags for Linnai, Inc.
I use plastic storage bags for so much more than food; in fact, I probably use them the least for food storage. That’s mostly because it’s a pain to rinse them for recycling, but also because they are really convenient for so many other things. Problem is that they only last a very short while because they are so thin.
But these are very thick & durable and are completely food safe.
Pros:
- Sustainable eco-friendly design.
Of course an obvious advantage to using these is that they can be reused over & over. Some people would say that you can do that with plastic storage bags; just the thought of that makes me cringe. That is completely unsanitary for food storage, especially if different types of foods are being stored, because they can never be completely cleaned.
- Easy to clean.
Unlike plastic bags these can be thrown right into the dishwasher, so they are completely food safe.
- Each bag is a different bright color with cute little saying on them.
The colors make them easy to spot in the fridge, pantry, playroom or anywhere else you choose to use them.
Which leads me to…
- They are super versatile.
I could think of so many ways to use these bags beyond food storage. Of course it would be so cute to have a section of the pantry or shelf in the fridge lined with them for storage, but they are also durable enough to keep small craft items, small toys (like the tons of Lego sets my littlest loves to build & rebuild), hair ties & accessories. Use them in the garage, office, or laundry room.
I used the bright pink one to mix the borax & washing soda for my homemade laundry & dishwasher detergent and store it in the laundry room.
Since the bag stands upright on its own & there are measurements on the outside of each bag with a maximum fill line, it was super easy to fill without the extra tools I normally have to use (measuring cup, funnel, and chopstick to break up lumps). I just poured it in, zipped it, & shook it up. Now instead of mixing everything each time I need new detergent, I can just take as much as I need from the bag. Efficient.
- Watertight/airtight seal.
I did a wet test & dry test on my reusable bags. I stored bagged sauerkraut in 1 & the detergent base I mentioned earlier.
With both, I turned them upside down, shook them & had no problems with leakage or spillage (or a failed zipper). My 8 year old even tossed me the bag of sauerkraut to make him a hot dog. That was a bit of overkill, but that tells you just how tight the seal is.
Cons (if I can even call them that):
- The zipper was not easy to figure out at first. There are arrows on the slider to help, but the 1st time taking it off takes a little elbow grease.
- Opening the 1st bag to fill it was not easy either. It’s almost like it was vacuum packed. I just pulled it open very slowly so I would not break or tear it.
Neutral/improvements:
- I love the cute little sayings on the bags. I think it would be nice to have multiple options & even the option of blank bags.
- Multiple size options would be great.
In the end, would I purchase these to use in place of plastic storage bags? Absolutely. At $22.99 for a set of 4 (around $5.75 per bag) they are an investment that I would use to supplement storage containers or for very specific storage needs. When I think about how much we spend on plastic baggies in a year, these pretty much pay for themselves since you buy them once & done.
Note: a sample of the product described was provided at no cost from Linnai. All opinions are my own. I have received no monetary compensation in exchange for this review.
