The Best Way Close Chip Bags Without Clips

The Best Chip Clips Aren’t Actually Clips

The inspiration for today’s post comes straight from the “build a better mousetrap” file. And it all started a few weeks ago, when I decided that I had had it up to here with “chip clips!” (No, seriously!)

I have been using various forms of chip clips to close up bags of chips, rice, pasta, beans, etc. in my pantry for nearly my whole life. Sometimes they were the actual fancy chip clips they sell at the grocery store, but most of the time I just ended up using a very un-fancy clothespin instead.

Related: This Is The One Cereal Box Hack You Never Knew You Needed

As I’m sure you’ve experienced for yourself, there are several drawbacks to using chip clips (or clothespins) to “seal” bags of food. Not only do they do a pretty poor job of keeping things fresh because they don’t form an airtight seal, but they’re usually cheaply made and easy to break.

And perhaps less important, though still irritating, is the fact that I’ve never come up with a good way to store chip clips and clothespins, so I could never find them when I need them.

Why Gripstics Are The Best Way To Seal Chip Bags

Well, all of that changed when I recently stumbled across a new product (or at least it was new to me) called a Gripstic. And to my surprise and delight, these brilliantly simple sealing sticks turned out be the “better mousetrap” I had been searching for!

Not only do they solve the problem of how to close a chip bag without a clip, but they seal bags tightly and are easy to store too.(They’re about the size of a drinking straw, so I store mine in a mason jar in my pantry.)

Gripstics are the best way to seal chip bags, and many other bagged foods (see below), that I’ve come across so far!

How To Use Grip Sticks

To use them, you start by folding down the top edge of an open bag. Slide the protruding guide under the fold of the bag, then keep sliding the stick across the bag until the entire width of the bag is wedged between the inner stick and the outer sleeve.

It’s a really quick action once you get the hang of it. To unseal the bag, you just slide the stick off in the opposite direction you slid it on.

What Can You Seal With Gripstics?

You can use Gripstics to seal:

• Chip bags and cracker bags
• Frozen foods like corn and peas
• Pantry items like flour, sugar, and chocolate chips
• Bags of candy
• Bags of cereal
• Bags of beans, rice, and pasta
• Bags of salad and other greens
• …and more!

Not only do I love how much easier and more effective they are, but I also feel good about being able to cut back on how many ziplock bags we use in the kitchen. Instead of putting a half-used bag of frozen corn into a ziplock bag before putting it back in the freezer, I just use a Gripstic instead!

They’re also extremely handy to have in the car during longer trips. Rather than allowing half-eaten bags of chips to go stale or potentially spill everywhere, I can seal them up with a Gripstic to keep them fresh!

Where Can I Buy Gripstics?

I got this 12-pack of Gripstics for about $24 on Amazon, which included:

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• (1) 13-inch stick
• (3) 11.25-inch sticks
• (3) 8.75-inch sticks
• (3) 7.25-inch sticks
• (2) 5-inch sticks

If you aren’t sure you want to commit to buying a dozen of them just yet, you can get a 3-pack on Amazon for around $8. The sticks in this set are 11.25 inches, 8.75 inches, and 7.25 inches, so you’ll be able to test them out on a variety of different types of bags.

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What are some ways you could use sealing sticks in your kitchen?