Yes and yes. I've had no problem with air leakage. They were especially useful when I lived by you in Gilbert. With no basement, storage was shelving in the garage. They kept critters out, such as spiders and those awful hoards of brown striped crickets that were everywhere, absolutely covering the sidewalks and getting in the houses during the summer... major YUCK!!!

I have some and I don't think there has been any leakage. But do you know what I found? The items that I put in the space bags I NEVER used. I man, NEVER. We moved into this house in 2007 and there are still space bags on the shelf in one closet. So it might be that you can o without a lot of the things that might end up in a space bag.

Now, if storage is really, Really a problem . . . like, if you don't have room to store a second set of sheets for each bed, or the spare towels, then I think they might be a good solution, if a little bit of a hassle to use regularly. I think the best use is for winter linens that you know you'll use seasonally, but don't need to get into regularly.

what brand do you guys have? are they suctioned out by a vacuum?
mostly I want them for comforters I have that I'd use if someone stayed over night here. That's not real likely to happen - but then, it did a few yrs back when my nephew spent about 3 days here. I was so unprepared to have anyone here... didn't have a spare pillow, or blanket (it was winter and I had no heat in that room). My sister has given me several comforters and I bought a few at GW (those were for my dog; hers were barely used and beautiful). My girl is gone now and I've washed up those I bought for her (to pad her landing when jumping off the bed). I don't have a spare bed so figured if I could store them w/o using much room I could use most to pad the floor for someone.

I had thought I'd buy an air mattress - but, I already have these so rather than put money out for a mattress I might never use I'd rather just store the comforters.

I used them and they kept contents clean, but the air did seep back in so the weren't as compact as in the beginning.

that was my experience also. I have found 2 or 3 empty ones while sorting thru things. I'm gonna go ahead and wipe 'em down (dusty) and put my clean blankets in them - they'll at least (hopefully) stay clean til next winter when I need them.

The clothes come out really wrinkled. I HATE ironing!

Yesterday, while rearranging my yarn stash, I opened a large space bag of unused skeins of acrylic yarn and the smell almost knocked me out. Very chemical odor; I remembered that this happened a couple of years ago with other yarn, a donation from the same person, also in a space bag. Then and now, I set the yarn in baskets out in the sun and got rid of the smell pretty well. Any residue will wash away, but just wanted to let you know of my experience. I don't know how it would be with natural fibers......

that would be a problem for me... I've washed these things up already and want them kept clean - and not stinky. I have to go to a laundromat and it's not easy for me to do that.

scents like that can be very bad for me too. In those I have used (tho they got air flow) didn't leave a scent like that on the items.

I have problems in the detergent aisle at the store. I have to walk quickly and grab what I need and get out of it quickly. Last wk and yesterday I've had lots of problems because they were tarring/asphalting my road. I have a problem even in a tire shop or at a perfume counter.

We use the 2 gallon zip-lock type kitchen storage bags for the boat. Just fold the clothes and put them in then push all the air out of the clothes and bag - squash them down and seal them gradually as we get the air out. Works great and is easy and inexpensive.

I do the same thing when we travel - a set of clothes for a day in each bag makes it easy to organize things and for a car trip means there is no need to bring in a whole suitcase, just what is needed.

My husband just got 2 for our linen closet, and I was really impressed by how they shrunk down quilts and pillows.

y-g, what brand are they? are they still shrunk? how long have they been that way?

I use them, they work. Great for seasonal items. I it agree that is a pain to load and unload them, you won't be getting that stuff out back weekly. I think they smell a little plastic-ish, but not bad. never noticed any stickiness. I think all mine are space bag brand.

I cant load my stuff (mostly comforters and blankets) in them evenly enough to get nice flat packs like the ads show. Mine end up lumpy and hard to stack. I have had a couple I wasn't careful enough with and got little holes and leaks.

jenny - i doubt I'd need them real flat like the ads (tho that'd be nice). I have a good sized wooden chest I can put them in. They won't be seen until needed. I just wanna squish them as much as possible to give me more space.

can you tape up those holes?

I tried to use packing tape on the holes but I don't think it worked. Partly because I was too impatient to do a good job, and partly because it's hard to be sure there's not more than 1 leak. They are definitely worth a try, especially for items that are full of air like sweaters and comforters, beach towels. Maybe not worth the effort for sheets.

would a vinyl patch work better on it? I used those on an air mattress... also put air in it and put it in water. it'll bubble where there are leaks. circle them w/a marker. then dry off (don't rub off the marks) and patch.
maybe air dry it

I got a few to store extra pillows for guests, they take up so much room in the closet! And with the vacuum bags (got them at Walmart I believe, and they brought the storage size down to 1/4 what the size of regular pillows took before.

I only had one bag come back to almost normal size, but the other bags did great.

I got the kind that you use a vacuum to pull the air out.

"I got the kind that you use a vacuum to pull the air out."

that's what I need. mine I have to push the air out. I think I'm gonna try vacuuming it out mostly anyway and see if it helps much.

I agree with Jakabedy - I used the bag for stuff I never used again. As a matter of fact, I just put the four love seat slipcovers I had in these bags out for Purple Heart. Mine were the vacuum-out-the-air kind. Mine did leak.

Steph - I have asthma reactions to the very same things you mentioned! We get unscented products because of this. I cannot have ammonia or any heavy-duty cleaners. Gasoline or diesel exhausts and old-fashioned oil paints and stains also did me in. I stained a garden bench last Sunday, though, and it did me no harm. I think they finally got the worst chemicals out of stains. As for perfume, I get a tickle in my lungs that makes me cough uncontrollably. We had to stop going to the opera because of it. With opera tickets, you sit next to the same people each time because you all bought season tickets. One of the ladies near us must have had really offensive perfume, I just could not take it. It is no fun to spend the night strategically working to prevent myself from coughing.

With your sensitivities, do you have an asthmatic reaction? Headaches?

I don't know if it's an asthmatic reaction (I'd have to look that up - and will). I don't usually get headaches either. I did get one at the movies the other yr (I only go about once a yr) from cologne worn by some guy sitting in front of me. My gf traded seats w/me but I could still smell it. I was so glad to get out of there. I wasn't sure I'd make it to the end of the movie.

That even started happening with a perfume I used to wear - White Diamonds. I wore it for yrs, switched to something else and then when someone else wore WD it caused me breathing problems.

I have them and love the hanging ones as I pile our winter coats on the hangers and the make my already over packed hall closet bearable. I ordered alot and did have a few that had holes or gaping issues but they compress really well when they hold air. My sister ordered at the same time through QVC and they sent her more to make up for the bad ones after she called to complain.:)