Yeah, I know. I'm a crazy, hippie gardener who loves gardening, canning, sewing, and most basic homesteading things. And honestly, I've never set foot in an IKEA and am not likely to ever do so. But I do have a practical view on most things. And the IKEA shopping bags have proven to be affordable and practical.
A few years ago, Mom accidentally gifted me with an IKEA Frakta bag. I loved it and reused it quite a bit. Then I got the new to me van and wanted to make sure that I wouldn't damage the seat/trim/whatever with the totes I used for my then job as a newpaper courier. It turned out that the Frakta bags would fit in the space and would hold as many papers as the plastic totes. They also wouldn't damage things. And they had good strong handles which made lifting them a lot easier. Even better, when I was done for the night, I could neatly fold them and tuck them away under the seat. Then I got really sick and had to give up the route. (Newspaper couriers are independent contractors that get no benefits whatsoever and paid very little. So if you get a newspaper, tip your courier well and frequently if they do a good job. Especially at the holidays.)
So two of the bags got used to pack up all the things out of my old van until I have the time and patience to sort through them. And the old van went away. The rest went under the front seat in the new van where I'd grab them occasionally to help move loads of grocery bags and other miscellaneous things.
Then I discovered that they were the perfect size for a load of laundry. Add to that the ability to fold them and store them in a small place... they've replaced my laundry baskets which have been destroyed by my son. That has come in really useful this last two weeks after my washing machine died. Because, while not waterproof, the bags themselves are not harmed by water. So bags were loaded, laundry washed, then put back in the van to come home and run through the dryer.
Now, that's the blessing of the big bags. Sometime in October I ordered the two smaller sizes because of the ability to easily wipe the bags clean. If needed, I can use Clorox with bleach on them which is something that most of my other reusable bags can't handle. Just a note here: Yes, I make my own reusable bags from different fabrics. And I actually have some very strong nice ones, made in standard sizes, that I use. But they are not water resistant or bleachable, and sometimes that is needed.
Anyways, those smaller bags have gotten used quite frequently. And the rainbow version is slightly more waterproof than the regular blue version. As in it will contain leaking liquids a bit better because it's not a woven material, but don't expect them to hold water or any other liquid in large quantities for very long. They save my sanity when I pickup grocery orders to discover that whoever bagged it went a little wild with the plastic bags. As in one item, maybe two, per bag. (Yes, those bags get saved and used for garbage bags. And I was running low. But still...) And last, but not least in any way, they cost less or the same as the reusable bags you can grab in any store, but they will last much, much, much longer. I'm just a little tired of semi fabric reusable bags that can't survive the washing machine, can't be cleaned, and tear up within a year or less.
And now I'm looking at getting the Frakta storage bags for storing the excess piles of blankets that belong to my son. Because I can pack them full and shove them under his bed where they will also provide a buffer between him and the cold floor. And maybe to also replace the underbed totes in my room that are full of fabric and other miscellaneous items. Why in my room? Because the same son, who I love dearly, has bounced enough frames off of the totes to break and crack them. The IKEA storage bags are cheaper, well made, and won't break if a son breaks another frame on top of them.
Now the good part, you can buy IKEA bags easily at their website. You can also get them on Amazon. And if you are looking for limited edition versions - Ebay has you covered. So I don't need to give you links. I bought my first set of 10 Frakta bags on Amazon. But I've gotten all the remaining bags directly from the IKEA website.
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