We've been using trash bags all wrong, according to a TikToker

She says you're meant to put it on 'like a hat'

woman changing the bag in the bin
(Image credit: Getty)

There's no denying it, taking out the trash takes the crown as the least pleasant household chore. We'd rather do piles of laundry or even clean the bathroom than venture outside and deal with the smelly trash. 

Whatever your feelings towards the task, TikToker Hannah Ian says that we've all been using trash bags wrong this whole time. The professional organizer, who runs a company called Stored Safely with her friend Lydia, shared a hack that reveals that many of us are unwittingly replacing the trash bag inside out.

@storedsimply

Did you know this!? #lifehack #organizationhacks

♬ Taste It - Ikson

In the viral clip above, Hannah tells the camera that she's been using trash bags 'wrong' her entire life. She starts by doing what everyone usually does when changing the trash bag - fluffing it up to get air into it.

'The seam is inside out,' says Hannah, bringing the bag to the camera. 'I didn't know that. Apparently, you put it on like a hat.' 

Hannah then demonstrates by opening up the top of the bag slightly and putting it on over the rim of the trash can. So it's technically 'upside down' for those of us that usually shake out the bag and put the bag in that way.

bin full of food

(Image credit: Getty)

She then pushes the bag inside her best kitchen bin, and the whole process seems a lot more relaxed and, above all, quieter than the traditional air-fluffing way. The video certainly got people talking - it has now had over 650,000 likes and received almost 10,000 comments from other TikTok users.

'I tried this today and it was so much easier to put on,' one wrote.

'Why are these directions not on the box???' another asked.

'But shaking it is half the fun,' said a third.

bins being taken out

(Image credit: Getty)

It looks easier, but as some said in the comments, there's something satisfying about loudly shaking open a new trash bag in a dramatic flourish. When it comes to cleaning the kitchen, taking the trash out is just one of those things that can't be avoided. 

If it stops your cat from running off terrified by the noise, then it's worth a go. Will you be trying this hack at home?

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Millie joined Real Homes in early 2021 as a homes news writer. When she isn't writing about trends, makeovers and houseplant care, she spends her free time making tweaks to her rented flat in North London. Her next project is a very basic armchair reupholstering job to help create a cosy reading nook in her living room. She loves browsing antique centres, tending to her small front garden, and is never without some fresh flowers at home.