Reusing plastic linen/bedsheet cases

Whenever I buy a new comforter, blanket, curtains and the like, I always love the clear plastic zippered case they come packaged in. I’ve always thought to myself, “I could use this for something!” Then, I hang onto the case for a few months (sometimes a year goes by), never use it, rediscover where I actually stored it, then chuck it into the bin for recycling. 

Until now.

I recently stumbled onto a tip for reusing these plastic cases by storing an ongoing craft project. During Christmas, there were several of these in my house, and it just so happened that I had several plastic cases in which to store them. Voilà, a tidy solution for the straggling pieces of my latest project, and a useful repurpose for the charming plastic case.

Plastic cases are see-through, come in several different sizes and either button or zip closed, making them useful for a plethora of storage and organizing ideas:

• Kids’ markers, crayons, or other art supplies. (makes it easy for them to find a specific color or item)
• Craft projects. Sewing, scrapbooking, needlepoint–endless possibilities. I don’t knit, but I imagine these would be great to bag up your latest knitting or crochet project.
• Toys. Think Legos. Or Barbies. Or anything with multiple pieces. Also great to store a “sometimes toy”–the one that you only pull out on a rainy or “I’m so booored” day.
• Coupons. Use the smaller, more flat cases to stash your coupons. Throw the case in your purse when you’re ready to go shopping.
• Travel. Use a larger case for dirty clothes while on vacation or a smaller case to store wet swimsuits.
• Seasonal clothes. Use the larger plastic cases to store sweaters during the summer and shorts during the winter.
• Table and bed linens. Duh! This is what they were used for to begin with! Now you can use them to store additional sheets and blankets, heirloom quilts, seasonal table cloths and so on.
• Items for future repurposing. Want to save an item for future reuse (purpose TBD), but don’t know where to stash it? Use a plastic case!
• Cords and chargers. Wrangle your electronics drawer by storing like items in different plastic cases.

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