I Vacuum-Sealed My Clothes Like in a 90s Infomercial, and It Actually Rocks

My fellow 90s kids will remember them well—as with OxiClean, Snuggies, and that infomercial about an incoherent bear named Muzzy who wanted to teach your kids French, Space Bags were hammered into our brains as the best way to “triple your closet space” per the perky lady who sold them on TV. Which was cool, if you cared about closets (we didn’t yet) or if you liked the way vacuums magically sucked the air out of the plastic bags, and had a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids effect on even the bulkiest of clothing. That was tight. 

My mom ate those 00s infomercials and passed down the habit—these suckers not only work, they’re borderline cathartic when it’s time for spring cleaning. Take it from someone who has been sucking their clothes into stackable, flapjack-thin piles for over a decade: Watching your chunky knit sweaters and winter puffers get sealed tighter than astronaut ice cream is an amazing sensation, and one that makes you feel like finally, for once, life has let you cheat a little bit. (It was a long winter.) 

Now that we’re fully-ish functioning adults with bed frames, we’re obsessed with the idea of vacuum-shrinking our clothes to the gods. We would kill to have more storage, because most of us either live with sloppy, sprawling roommates (or you are that roommate), or live in railroad apartments where built-in storage is a precious commodity. When Sun Ra said “space is the place,” he was, in fact, talking about our closets, dude.  

Luckily, there are more options than ever for vacuum storage bags, from travel-sized suction bags to kits that come with their own hand-operated air pump, just in case you’re a rube who doesn’t own a vacuum (if that's the case, please try this $61 one; it saved my sanity). And don’t worry, vacuum-sealing your clothes won’t damage them. Au contraire. It will rescue them from hungry moths, musty and smoky odors, and most of all, give you back the space you deserve to brew moonshine—or hard cider—in your closet. 

Here are some of the best-selling vacuum bags the internet has to offer, from hang-able bags to jumbo packs—so you can stop cramming, and start sucking. 

Are you new here? Then you’re going to need either a variety five-pack from a vetted brand such as Ziploc, which comes with its signature sliding lock (not a given for every suction bag!) so that you can seal the bag up tightly before sucking it to the heavens.   

Amazon is also the premier slinger of these suckers, and one of their best-selling kits is by Spacesaver. “I was desperate to get more closet room and decided to give this product a chance,” writes one reviewer about the six-bag kit, which has a 4.5-star average rating from  over 48,000 reviews, “the bags are made of thick, quality plastic [and] very easy to seal [...] I have much more room and my winter clothes are stored safely and beautifully.” 

Can you imagine how much space you would have in your closet if your clothes weren’t being sandwiched by your winter puffers? TAILI’s hangable vacuum-sealed bags have over 3,000 reviews on Amazon, with customers praising everything from the quality material, to their ability to hang up five garments in one bag. “I don’t need to fold my seasonal clothes [anymore],” writes one customer, “just hang, zip, vacuum, done!”

“These work great!” writes one reviewer of these travel-sized vacuum storage bags. “So does the vacuum pump [...] can store five [women’s] jackets or four big, [men’s] jackets in ONE bag. The long bags also fit my dress.” 

We love people like you. If you’re ready to go all-in on your vacuum bags, order up a variety pack from Amazon or Wayfair that will give you the toughest, most durable bags in a variety of sizes. Wayfair’s kit comes with 12 bags, ranging from their “Jumbo Size” (100 x 80 centimeters) bags to their smaller size (60 x 40 centimeters) which is perfect for storing wooly socks and hats. 

Amazon’s Hibag kit also packs tons of variety—including those hangable bags—into its 14-bag set, amassing a 4.5-star rating and over 23,000 reviews. “Oh my goodness, these things are a lifesaver!!” writes one fan. “I’m prepping to move cross-country with just a small tow-behind trailer, so space is at a premium. These bags allowed me to pack clothes, towels, bedding and pillows in such a small amount of space it’s ridiculous.” Imagine what it could do for your closet, mate.

 Now, enjoy pirouetting around all that new space. 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story.