This $.99 IKEA FRAKTA Bag Isn't Just For Shopping: 10 Clever Ways To Use It At Home

When you think of the Swedish store IKEA, two things probably come to mind: meatballs and the brand's iconic blue FRAKTA bag. This simple shopping bag retails for 99 cents and offers multiple clever uses in your home. It might be great for hauling away some planters or dishes from the IKEA store, but think beyond that. Your FRAKTA can work in a pinch around the home, be it in the laundry room, garden, or mudroom. With a pair of scissors and a sewing machine, you can transform this IKEA staple into other useful items for around the home. Indeed, it might be one of the tools and supplies every DIYer needs for one thing or another.

Introduced more than 30 years ago, the ubiquitous IKEA FRAKTA bag now comes in a variety of sizes and styles. The FRAKTA bags are made from polypropylene, a tough, dense thermoplastic known for its stress resistance and use in rice bags. Due to its toughness, polypropylene can easily withstand heavy loads without cracking or tearing, making it perfect for hauling everything home on your IKEA trip. It's also a sustainable choice, as each FRAKTA features a minimum of 60% recycled materials. Once you get that bag home and unloaded, don't simply shove it in the closet until your next IKEA trip. From holding unwanted items to transforming into holiday decor, there's plenty of untapped potential and life thanks to the creative uses for a FRAKTA bag. Here are 11 ideas that you have to try.

If you have a FRAKTA bag you aren't using, turn it into an apron for protecting your clothes during your painting or gardening sessions. With the FRAKTA lying flat, cut the handles off, then trim along the bag's seams to create one large piece of plastic. Shape this into an apron by following one of the many free patterns online. Last, you'll add your FRAKTA handles as the neck loop and apron strings. Depending on the size needed, you may need to sew two FRAKTA bags together for this project.

Whether your laundry is down in the basement or you just have too much to carry by hand, a FRAKTA can be a surprisingly handy laundry bag. Its roomy capacity, durable handles, and ability to expand without breaking let you haul towels, sheets, and clothing from the laundry room to your dresser. It can also serve as a makeshift hamper in a small space or a dorm. It's large enough to catch your dirty towels and clothing until you have time to run your laundry, then it folds down flat when not in use.

Are you trying to do your part for the planet by regularly recycling in your home? The FRAKTA bags are great for collecting recyclable materials like metal, glass, and cardboard. Set up one in your kitchen or garage, then toss in your empties throughout the week. When it's full, you can place it in your car's trunk or take it out to your curbside recycling cans. If anything drips inside the bag, the material is easy to wipe clean, then store it away until it's ready for the next round.

Repotting houseplants can be a messy endeavor, especially if you live in an apartment without outdoor space. If you're not a gardening guru, you might not have a potting mat, but the IKEA FRAKTA works great for easily repotting your favorite plants. Lay the bag flat, and you should have room to scoop soil to repot without spilling on your rugs or floors. After you're done, shake out any excess soil and give the material a quick rinse. It also makes a good way to carry your new plants home from the nursery.

Double up on FRAKTA bags, and you've got a great way to organize random things in your garage or mudroom. You can hang them on the wall, ideally on a sturdy slat, via a hook or nail for support. Now you have instant wall storage to organize sports equipment like soccer balls and tennis rackets, or to corral your kids' things at the end of a school day. Label each one clearly with a marker so you know the bags' contents at a glance, keeping everything tidy.

Using grow bags for tomatoes and other plants can help ensure healthy plants by improving drainage, reducing the risk of becoming root-bound, and making it easy to move or resettle them as needed. If you wonder about gardening without a backyard, there's a solution. An IKEA FRAKTA is a durable, affordable solution, perfect for growing vegetables or herbs on your balcony or patio. The plastic is the same material as used in some products' food packaging, but if you're concerned, you can always line the inside of FRAKTA with burlap.

Have yourself a merry little sustainable holiday with a DIY stocking made out of a FRAKTA bag. If you have basic sewing skills, you can cut the plastic material into two halves of a stocking (check for patterns online), then sew the pieces together. If you like, you can use the handles as a cuff around the top or loops for hanging, or set them aside for another craft project. The bags are large enough to easily craft a larger stocking, and you won't have to worry about it tearing or stretching, unlike traditional ones.

Picnic blankets are great, but if they don't have a waterproof bottom, you might find yourself sitting soggy. The FRAKTA bag is a solution you might not have thought of, as its tarp-like bottom is perfect for picnics. Some versions of this hack use tea towels, but you can also use fabric scraps. Gather enough bags for your blanket (a good standard size is 5 x 5) and cut them into squares. Sew together, and top with the fabric of your choice, and now you have a soft, yet waterproof blanket for picnics and outdoor concerts.

When moving to a new home, it often makes sense to remove your hanging clothes from the closet and directly transfer them to a closet at the new property. You could buy a special garment bag or try a simple plastic wrap hack for packing clothes, but IKEA's FRAKTA Storage Bag for Cart can do double duty. Just slide it sideways over the clothes, then zip it closed. Once you've finished transferring the clothes to their new location, use your FRAKTA to haul other bulky items, like pillows or large planters.

For sewers with a little more skill, or beginners who want a challenge, you can turn a FRAKTA into one or more sleek zippered pouches for pencils or other small items. You will only need to cut off the handles of your bag(s), then create two rectangles of your desired size. Sew the two rectangular pieces together on the sides and bottom, then add a zipper. If desired, you can use the handle around the pencil pouch as an accent or even apply it as a carrying loop for hanging on a storage hook.