With the rather large selection of resealable plastic bags currently residing on supermarket shelves, it can be a little confusing at times to know exactly what you should buy. Of course, many people go with the regular tried-and-proven brands, but even at that, there are always other choices to make such as the size of the bag, and how big of a pack you should purchase.

Before getting into specifics, and as I have already mentioned well known brands, I did want to make one small suggestion. Depending on what you are using your plastic resealable bags for, it may not always be necessary to buy the most expensive brand available. My two daughters regularly take sandwiches for lunch and though it is important that they are non-toxic (obviously!) and that they close at the top, they do not need the more expensive ‘zipper’ bags, but a simple resealable bag that just flaps over and seals is perfect for what they need, and it is a lot cheaper. However, I also like to buy my meat fresh from a local butcher a few weeks at a time and then freeze it.  I buy the most expensive and the thickest reclosable plastic bags for that, as they are much better to use in the freezer than the thinner sandwich bags. On the other hand, if I am going to use some bags to sort and organize when I declutter my house, I do not need expensive freezer bags.  So, don’t be ‘brand loyal’, but buy what you need. If something cheaper will do the job, then buy that and save yourself some money in the meantime.

Always try to have a stock of different sized resealable bags on hand. If you don’t, you will find your big (expensive) resealable plastic bag you use for freezing meat in, ending up in the garage, with a few bolts stored in it. Providing enough variety in the sizes of plastic resealable bags will mean that people will be able to decide and choose the right sized bag.  Again ,this will be a saving for you in the long run because people will (or should) choose the smaller bags for storing smaller items, while reserving the bigger resealable plastic bags for what they are truly needed for.

A somewhat related point: Evaluate the size of the plastic resealable bag you need, carefully. Use the right sized bag, as you do not want to put something away with a lot of extra space. Think “saving”.  Don’t just grab the first bag you see, but be deliberate in your choices.

Many times regular plastic bags (not resealable plastic bags) can be used in replacement.  They are quite a bit cheaper, and in a lot of cases you can just wrap an elastic band around the plastic bag rather than having to use a resealable plastic bag. Your little boy’s rock collection, for example, does not really need to go into a resealable plastic bag. The leftover apple sauce can also just as easily go into the freezer in a normal plastic bag, tied at the top.  Save your resealable bags for when they are really needed.

Although I may have stated this before, it does not hurt to remind you again. If you are going to be freezing food in resealable plastic bags, make sure that the bag is actually okay for that. In other words, look for words such as “suitable to be used in a freezer” or “suitable for freezing food” on the package. To use a resealable plastic bag in a freezer it must be quite a bit thicker than many of the smaller bags. Also, if you are going to be freezing liquids, such as sauces, soups or juices, you need to ensure that you use high quality zipper resealable bags for this as otherwise the liquid may leak out of the bag prior to becoming frozen, and make a mess in your freezer or refrigerator.

One final tip: If you use resealable plastic bags quite a lot, you should look into buying bulk amounts as they really do turn out to be quite a bit cheaper this way. Generally, they will keep for a long time before deteriorating, so if it is feasible and you can find build resealable bags, I would recommend you buy them.  It is much cheaper, and you will be less likely to run out of resealable plastic bags right when you need them.

You are doing the environment a favor by using resealable plastic bags, especially as many can be used several times providing they have not been used to store food in. In fact, there are even special drying racks available for people who are concerned about recycling and reusing their plastic bags. When it is time to dispose of them, try to make sure they are recycled properly by disposing of them in the proper location.

There are many different types of resealable plastic bags, ranging from the thicker plastic, expensive zipper type  bags to the small, lightweight resealable bags with a flap.  Different styles of reclosable plastic bags are better suited for different purposes and even different industries. While there are no hard and fast rules regarding what type of resealable bags you should choose for which purpose, there are some guidelines that may help you make better choices, and help you to save money in the long run also by not using a more expensive resealable plastic bag when a cheaper variety would suffice.

Resealable Grip Bag:  These bags have a plastic ‘grip’ running along the top of the bag, where one side fits snugly into the other side. They are some of the more common types of resealable plastic bags when it comes to using them for food, for example. They are great for storing leftovers, as they seal well enough not to let anything out and they are also suitable for storing food in that there are no adhesives involved. Usually the plastic used is of fairly good quality, as they are made to be used again and again, or to be resealed time and again. They are opened easily, without needing to use tape or scissors, and they are closed up securely again just as simply.

The medical sector also makes use of this type of bag quite a lot. Have you ever bought sterilized gauze, or cotton, for example? Or sterile cotton buds? Often they come in this type of sealable bag.

You will also often find manuals, disks, computer manuals for example that come along with a new laptop, sealed in this type of plastic resealable bag.

Sliding or Zip Bag: These type of resealable plastic bags have a slide or zip that slides across the top of the bag, effectively sealing it. They work on exactly the same principle as a zipper, you slide it one way to open and another to close the bag.

These type of bags are used to store food, and are especially used for freezer bags, for example. However, they are probably more popularly used for documents–you will see these type of closures frequently used on plastic folders as well, for example. Typically, this type of bag is perfect for using within the travel and educational sectors. You will often find advertisements or promotional material that is handed out at trade fairs protected in this type of bag.

Sealed Plastic Bag: These plastic resealable bags are much simpler in design. They use a specific type of glue, either permanent glue directly applied to the plastic or a form of tape, that can be reused.  A common example of this type of resealable plastic bag is the one that encloses most CDs. It is one of the most common resealable plastic bag types used in the retail industry, with many products being sold in this type of bag. Another common use for this type of resealable plastic bag these days is to use for mailing letters or brochures out. They are very secure, mail cannot come out of this type of envelope, and it is possible to print directly on the envelope or leave a transparent rectangle for the address to show through.

There are many pro’s to advertising with resealable plastic bags, some of which we will explore in this post. Remember, there are many different types of plastic resealable bags, including zipper style bags, bags with a plastic seam that goes together, and bags that have a flap which can be opened and closed at will.  Many different companies and businesses, when branding their goods or services, are now taking advantage of advertising via the resealable plastic bag.

Professionalism: There can be no question about it, printed resealable plastic bags do look very professional.  No matter what style, there is something about the fact that the printing is done on a resealable bag rather than a normal throw-away plastic bag, that makes the product, and thus your company stand out as being a bit more professional and willing to go a little further in providing quality products. Advertising can tell a lot about a company, and using resealable bags as opposed to regular plastic bags, can make a difference!

Branding: With a lot of companies concerned about branding these days, what better way to get your product or service out in front of the public eye than by using resealable plastic bags.  Resealable bags will be used over and over again. They will be used to store things, and they will be kept in regular use long after the normal plastic bag has found its way to the garbage can. If you want consumers to be constantly reminded about your company, your products or your service, print all of your details and your logo on a resealable plastic bag and you will have continual advertising and exposure.

Providing a service, being useful:  Everyone feels much more kindly towards companies who provide a service, who help, who are friendly, whose items are useful–yes, especially those companies who have been thoughtful enough to provide their customers with reclosable plastic bags. You are doing your customers a service by providing them with something useful, just as you are doing yourself a service by supplying others with useful items that can be used over and over again.

Inexpensive Advertising: Businesses spend thousands of dollars on advertising. If you want recognition, if you want to become known, you have to be ‘out there’ where people can see you. Advertising costs money. But, doing something as simple as providing your business details and logo on a plastic resealable bag will give you hours and hours of advertising. And, you will be advertising to people who are feeling kindly towards you because you are doing them a favour in providing them with free (for them at least) resealable plastic bags!

Some simple quick tips:

If you are planning to advertise in this method, make sure that the print on the resealable bag is large enough to read from a distance. Perhaps not all the text needs to be that large, but if you want to advertise you need to make sure that the bag is distinguishable.  Your logo and the main slogan should be big, bold and easy to see from a distance.

Remember to print on both sides of the bag. It generally does not cost that much more to do so, and the simple fact is–you never know which side of the resealable plastic bag is going to be in plain view. Print on both sides!

If you are going to use this method for branding or advertising, make sure that your resealable plastic bag is useable and strong enough to hold the product. If you want to be remembered fondly, for supplying people with resealable plastic bags, you need to ensure that they do not break, open at the bottom of the bag or spit at the seams.  If you are going this route, please spend the little extra to ensure you have a sturdy bag that can be reused over and over again!

From time to time there have been some concerns as to how hygienic resealable plastic bags are. There are concerns as to whether or not the bags themselves are sterile enough to put food in. Also, people wonder how well they keep food, and whether or not they are able to keep food fresh for specific lengths of time.

As these are real concerns that people have, it is good to address these, and sort out the myths from the facts, regarding how hygienic the resealable plastic bag is.

Most regular plastic resealable bags that are bought in supermarkets, for example, are not sterile. They do have to adhere to certain standards during manufacture, however, and have to adhere to specific guidelines regarding toxins in the polyethylene used, etc.  This means that they are generally quite safe for placing food items in, and in most cases also for shorter term frozen storage (although, be sure to get a heavier gauge bag if you want to freeze items in it.) Think in terms of their being as clean and free from bacteria as your kitchen storage containers, for example. While they are not sterile (thus not usually good for preserving food in, long term) they are fine for normal food storage.

If you do have need of sterile reclosable plastic bags, it is possible to buy them. However, these are specialized items usually manufactured to be used in the medical industry, or used with scientific research experiments, for example, in situations where there needs to be a sterile environment in order to successfully conclude research.    There are numerous patented thermoplastic bags that are made from a heat sealable material. In most cases the bag itself is able to be sterilized, and these types of bags are often used, for example, in emergency rooms or operating theatres in hospitals.  As you can imagine, a plastic resealable bag such as this is considerably more expensive than the regular resealable bags, and in reality for normal home usage there is not much need for them.

When preserving food items, such as fruits, jams, pickles or relishes, it is preferable that you use the proper glass preserving jars as opposed to using resealable plastic bags.  However, for most regular food storage the normal resealable bag that can be bought in supermarkets or at the local store is definitely hygienic enough to use on a daily basis.

Some people, an effort to save money, have been known to wash and reuse these resealable plastic bags. While it may be fine to do this when storing some items,  it really is not recommended that you do so if you want to use them for food storage.  While the resealable plastic bag may be clean, once used it would no longer be considered hygienic enough to use for further food storage, no matter how well you washed it out.  Plastic containers can be washed and reused (and can stand much higher water temperatures than resealable plastic bags), but reclosable plastic bags should not.

Around 1954, the first patented resealable plastic bags made it onto the market, although it was not until much later–around the late 1980′s that these became popular in most households. Since that time, they have become as much a household staple as plastic wrap and oven paper. The simple reason for their popularity is their usefulness.  Few items can be used for as many different things as the humble resealable plastic bag. They are used by all members of the household regularly, and for a variety of different reasons.

Here are a few of the main everyday uses for resealable bags–although if you are like most people you will, no doubt, be able to come up with quite a few more uses that are peculiar to you or your family.

Storage:  Without a doubt, they are very handy when it comes to storing items. While it is fine to store items in plastic storage boxes or cases, or containers, the great thing about plastic bags is that they are compact and can often squeeze into smaller, tight spaces where a larger container or box would never fit. They are also great for sorting items that are then stored inside a larger container.

Popular items that are often stored in plastic resealable bags include things such as: jewelry, sewing supplies, medicines, screws or nails, school supplies, art supplies, craft supplies–to name but a few.

Categorizing items: They are also great to use when it comes to categorizing items. For example, perhaps you are a sewing enthusiast and you use these type of bags to keep buttons of similar sizes sorted and categorized so that you can quickly find what you need.  Handymen use reclosable plastic bags to store different sized screws, nails and other items. They are also great for storing wires, connectors and other miscellaneous items.  When items are stored and categorized in resealable plastic bags, it is very easy to find exactly what you need.

Keeping broken item parts together: Have you ever accidently dropped something, and seen pieces of the item scatter all over the floor?  Well, plastic resealable bags are great for storing broken items in. You can keep all the parts secure and together, so that when the time comes to have the item repaired, everything is there.

Refrigerating Items: Now, into the kitchen. Most people have a few items at least stored in their refrigerator, in plastic resealable bags.  If you want to actually place food in the freezer, you should buy the thicker type bags as these hold up better under freezing conditions.  Resealable plastic bags are great, though, for storing leftovers or food that needs to be frozen. They are compact and you can squeeze them into smaller spaces if you are running low on refrigerator space.

School Lunches: For years, children have been taking their packed lunches to school in resealable plastic bags. A quite common size of bag is a perfect fit for a slice of bread or two.  They are lightweight and easy to carry, and they have also been demonstrated to keep food fresh for quite some time.

Useful for damaged packaging:  Have you ever purchased something, only to find when you arrive home that the packaging is damaged, perhaps it got damaged on the way home when it was put together with other items in a shopping bag or basket.  Rather than storing it in a separate container, oftentimes it is sufficient just to slip the entire package into a resealable plastic bag. There, it will remain fresh as it is sealed off from the air, and any escaping material will be kept from leaking out over your shelves or cupboards.

The same holds true for small bottles of cream or shampoo, or liquid soap. Often when travelling or preparing for vacation you need to take toiletries with you–but you are hesitant to lug the huge ‘family-size’ bottle of shampoo and conditioner around with you.  If you do transfer items to a smaller container, it is usually wise to encase that in a resealable plastic bag just in case there are any leaks while travelling.

These are merely a few ways that resealable plastic bags are used on a daily basis.  As you can see, they are a very useful item to keep on hand, that can be used in many different ways. Every home should definitely have a selection of different sized bags on hand.