Most brands of garbage bags come with a few strips of twisty-ties. Nobody I’ve ever known has actually used them for their intended purpose, though. It’s faster, easier, and more probably more effective at keeping the bag closed to just tie it in a knot.
Are the people I’ve known anomalies? Do any of you guys actually use twisty-ties on garbage bags? If not, haven’t the folds at Glad, et al., done market research and realized that they’re wasting money by including the ties?
Yeah, I know this is mundane and pointless, but it is a poll, so I put it here.
I use them. I can’t for the life of me tie the thing in a knot.
When putting the bags out, I seem to recall that most people around here do use them. But since I’m not in the habit of closely examining other people’s garbage, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll check next garbage day.
No, but they make dandy cat toys. Duffy just loves them. Toss a twisty tie to him and he chases it around the house for days, or until he looses it… whichever comes first.
Perhaps it’s technique? I used to try to simply bunch up the whole top of the bag, as if I were going to put a twist-tie on it, and then try to tie it into an overhand knot. Almost impossible even on a half-filled bag.
Proper technique is to grab two fistfulls of plastic at opposite sides of the top, twist them into skinny rabbit ears, and then tie them together. This way, one can tie all but the most bloated bag. The twist-ties become pointless once this method is mastered.
It was a grand revelation to me when I first saw somebody tie a bag like this (in my first job at a fast foot restaurant, a place that generates much garbage).
Damn! I was going to post something to this effect in response to Tusculan, but I just couldn’t think of a way to explain it. You explained it perfectly.
In my current state of sleeplessness/inebriation/boredom, I even went to the trouble of creating a crude illustration of the concept to try to get my point across.
I had been struggling with tying bags the old way for years until my wife enlightened me.
Oh, and I forget to mention : I did have several crappy jobs in my teen years and tied hundreds, maybe even thousands, of bags the old-fashioned way, so this technique was a total revelation for me! I just wish someone would have told me about it when I was 16.
My SO insists on using the twisty ties. I prefer to just tie the bag in a knot. I use the left over ties for keeping stored extension cords rolled up (and other types of cords).
I always buy the garbage bags that have the handles that tie together (13 gallon). For larger garbage bags I use the drawstring kind. I haven’t used twist ties in years.
My father SAVES the twisty ties from bread bags and uses them for EVERYTHING. I can’t spend too much time in his kitchen or I get the overwhelming urge to throw them in the garbage.
I use drawstring garbage bags. And I pitch those silly little bread bag flat clippy thingys, too. I just hold the bread bag at the top, spin the bread, and then fold the bag down around the bread to keep it closed. Anyone else do that?
The twisty ties do not get used for the garbage. Because they could possibly be useful in the future, they are dumped into the “Baggie/ Tinfoil/ Bamboo skewer” drawer where they steadily accumulate. Occasionally one gets thrown into service to close a freezer bag full of bagels. Based on the rate of twist tie accumulation, I have calculated that I will no longer be able close the “Baggie/ Tinfoil/ Bamboo skewer” drawer in February 2007, my kitchen will become impassable in June 2023, and roughly 400 years from now the combined weight of all the unused twist ties will cause a black hole to spontaneously appear and devour the earth…
Since I pretty much fill the kitchen/house trash bag to the top, the twist ties are the only way to secure it for me (not enough slack remaining to do the grab and twist of the bag sides).
With lawn bags, where with heavy yard waste you reach the bag’s weight limit before it’s capacity limit, I do grab the (plentiful) slack of the trash bag ‘sides’ and tie them into a knot.
Juanita Tech said, "--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Kalhoun
I just hold the bread bag at the top, spin the bread, and then fold the bag down around the bread to keep it closed. Anyone else do that?
Kalhoun, my son does this and it drives me batty!
Yeah, but don’t you ever worry that you’re going to bury one of those twisty thingys in your sammich and stab yourself in the gums with the wire? It’s a constant concern of mine.
When I buy my garbage bags in the supermarket as compared to the “mom-and-pop” convenience store, I always without fail get the drawstring bags of both indoor and outdoor type. I use the white ones for indoors (kitchen garbage can and bedroom wastebasket). For the little bathroom garbage can I just use those plastic grocery bags. When it’s time, I pull the drawstring and tie knots on the kitchen and bedroom bags, then tie the bathroom bag together. All three of these go into a big green drawstring Hefty, which is drawn closed, knotted and carried to the dumpster. Now…
When I’m forgetful as I make my supermarket shopping list, I end up buying garbage bags at the aforementioned little store on the way home from someplace. This store doesn’t sell the drawstring bags at all, dammmit, so I’m stuck with the twisty-tie kinds for both the smaller indoor and big outdoor bags. Yes, I use the twisty ties in that case. I’ve always done that because I can’t think of any other way to close up the garbage bags for the trip down three flights of stairs and around to the back of the building to be heaved over and into the dumpster. (Gee, can you tell I just hate taking out the garbage?)
I like the drawstring garbage bags MUCH better and truthfully I rarely forget to put them on my supermarket list when I’m low on garbage bags. So, fortunately it’s rare that I have to deal with twisty-tie bags.
Now as to bread – I use both twisty-ties and those awful plastic clippy things, whichever the bread came with – until I’ve finished off most of the loaf of bread and there’s room enough to wrap the plastic around the remainder so the bread will “sit right” in the fridge despite this wrapping.
minor7flat5, neutron star: thanks for the explanation. I’ll try it next time. I’m loathe, though, to start experimenting with garbage bags for fear something goes wrong and I’ll have to clean the mess up. But since you guys made me feel so stupid not being able to tie a bag the manly way, I’ll face my fears (sound of knees trembling).
Good picture, BTW. It looks like that is exactly what I did wrong as well.
Originally posted by Kalhoun
Yeah, but don’t you ever worry that you’re going to bury one of those twisty thingys in your sammich and stab yourself in the gums with the wire? It’s a constant concern of mine.
Juanita Tech said,
Well, I wasn’t before…
Oops! Sorry. Didn’t mean to harsh your mellow.
I use the twisty ties that come with the bags, especially in the summer. I only put out full garbage bags, so we usually go 3-4 weeks without putting one out on the curb. In the summer the garage where we keep our garbage can is hot and some things can start to smell before we put it out. Twisty ties seal the bags better than tying so if there is an odor, we don’t notice it. Of course if they start to smell real bad they go out no matter how full they are. I use minor7flat5’s tying method when the occasion calls for it though.
