The Overlooked Trick To Prevent Blankets From Taking Up Extra Living Room Space

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

It's hard to resist a good living room throw. Before you know it, you've accumulated quite the collection of cozy blankets that you don't have anywhere to store. If piles of fabric are taking over the couches and chairs in your living room, it might be time to donate some of your blanket collection — or find other ways to store them. If you're ready to ditch baskets and bins, the versatile solution for storing blankets in a small space is an ottoman, right?

Well, there's actually another option that doesn't require investing in new furniture. It's something you may already be using in your home: hangable vacuum-sealed garment bags. They're useful for far more than delicate wool sweaters and bulky winter coats. You can use them to shrink your blankets to a fraction of their original size, making it easy to store them in your linen closet or under your sofa.

Hangable vacuum-sealed garment bags differ from plain ol' large vacuum-sealed bags. As the name implies, these nifty storage bags feature a built-in hanger with loops and a hook. Where they're similar is that they can both be vacuum-compressed, whether they're holding clothing or your overgrown collection of cozy throws. This all-too-often overlooked hack is a smart way to store blankets without baskets or shelves while protecting them from dust, high humidity, and pests like clothes moths, carpet beetles, and rodents. By hanging your blankets, you free up far more space than most other storage solutions — like the aforementioned ottoman.

To employ this blanket storage trick in your home, pick up a few large or extra-large hangable vacuum-sealed garment bags. How many bags you need depends on how many throws and blankets you're storing. The Container Store sells Hanging Garment Vacuum Bags for a bit over $12 each. They measure 28 inches wide by 41 inches long. You can buy a two-pack of MagicBag X-Large Hanging Vacuum Storage Bags for about $18 at Walmart. At 27½ inches wide by 57 inches tall, they're slightly narrower and quite a bit longer than The Container Store's bags.

Once you've acquired these the space-saving storage items you need for your closet, place a few neatly folded blankets into them. You don't need to hang the plastic-encased blankets on hangers — just place the folded throws inside the sealable bag. One large or extra-large bag might hold a couple of throw blankets or one bulky comforter.

Seal the bag and use your vacuum cleaner to suck out the air through the valve. You should be left with a blanket that's significantly reduced in size and much easier to store. Use the built-in hook to hang the bags in a closet near your living room, keeping them out of sight and out of mind until you need them. Alternatively, you could store the vacuum-compressed bags on a shelf or under a bed, just as you would any other slimline storage solution.