How to Close a Chip Bag

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: October 21, 2021

Chips are some of the the most popular, tasty snacks out there, but they taste best when kept fresh and crunchy. While traditional methods, such as using a bag clip, clothespin, or rubber band work well, there are other ways to seal up your bag of chips to maintain its flavor and crispiness. You can even seal the bag of chips air-tight without using anything but the bag itself!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Sealing the Chip Bag with Clips

1
Attach a bag clip to the top of the chip bag. Fold the top of the bag of chips once and place the bag clip on the center of the fold. The clip should be far enough down the bag that the underside of it is touching the top of the bag of chips.^{[1]
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- You can pick up these bag clips at your local grocery store or order them online.
2
Wrap a rubber band around the entire bag to close it up. Roll up the top of the bag make the entire bag small enough for the rubber band to fit around. Then, stretch the rubber band around the bag vertically, so it's wrapped snugly around the whole thing.
- The rubber band should fit pretty tightly, so wrap it around the bag twice if needed. However, you should make sure it's not way too tight – in that case, it could crush the bag's contents and ruin your chips. Ideally, you should be able to fit your finger in between the rubber band and the bag.
- Make sure the rubber band isn’t stretched too thin when you wrap it around the bag, or it could break!
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3
Clip 2 clothespins on either side of the chip bag's opening. If you don’t have a bag clip or rubber band lying around, take a pair of clothespins and attach them to either end of the top of your bag of chips. Make sure to fold the opening down once before you put the clothespins on it. As with the bag clip, the clothespins should be far enough down the bag that the underside of them is touching the bag.^{[2]
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- There are some bag clips that are similar in size and shape to a clothespin. If you have that kind of bag clip, use 2 of them to seal up the bag.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Folding the Bag to Seal up the Chips

1
Flatten the top of the bag of chips to get rid of excess air. Lay the bag down on a flat surface and run both of your hands along the empty part of the bag to push out any extra air. Move any stray chips to the bottom of the bag.^{[3]
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- To really ensure there’s no extra air in the bag, use a rolling pin to squeeze it out.
2
Fold the top of the bag down 2-3 times. Have the empty end facing you and make sure the bag is upside down, with the nutrition facts label facing up. Make each fold 1 inch (2.5 cm) long to ensure that the folds are the same size and crease them well to keep them in place. Place your hands on opposite ends of the bag to fold evenly.
- You don’t need to do this more than 3 times.
Warning: If you cannot fold the top of the bag down at least 2 times, your bag is too full for this method and you’ll have to try something else.
3
Fold the top left and right sides of the bag towards the middle. Pick up the sides of the part of the bag that’s flattened and not currently filled with chips. The nutrition facts and the original folds should be facing away from you. Fold the top 2 corners away from the nutrition facts and towards the middle of the bag.
- For a bigger bag, the sides will meet in the middle. For a smaller bag, the sides will overlap a tiny bit.
4
Turn the top fold inside out so that it covers the front flaps. Press your thumbs on the folds from the left and right sides of the bag that you folded towards the middle of the bag. You should press your thumbs firmly on the part of the flaps that are closest to the middle of the chip bag. Then, take your index fingers and hook them under the original folds on the other side of the bag. Push the left and right side flaps into the bag and invert the original folds over top of them.^{[4]
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- When you’re finished, the original folds should be covering the flaps from the right and left side of the bag.
5
Flip the bag upside down to test if the fold holds. Do this over a clean table just to be safe. Hold the bag upside for about 5 seconds and shake it slightly to make sure the seal is secure.
- If the bag passes this test, that means the seal is not only secure, but air-tight as well. You’ll have fresh chips for days to come!

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Bendy Straws to Seal up the Bag

1
Cut one straw length-wise to open it up. Use scissors to cut just under the circular hinges of a bendy straw. You can throw out the top part of the straw once you do this. Then, take that same pair of scissors and slice open that same straw from end to end by making a vertical cut through it. Have 1 of the scissor blades inside the straw and the other blade outside the straw to cut through 1 side of the straw.^{[5]
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- For more control and to avoid damaging the straw, use the smallest pair of scissors you can find.
- If you don’t have bendy straws, simply cut the top 2 inches (5.1 cm) off the straw.
2
Roll the top of the bag over the uncut straw. Place the second straw so that it’s parallel to the top of the bag. Next, roll the bag tightly over the straw until it is completely wrapped in the bag.^{[6]
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- You should only have to roll the bag over the straw once.
Warning: If you roll the bag over the straw more than once, it could become too wide for the other straw to clamp it up.
3
Slide the cut straw over the folded package to clamp down the bag. Take the open side of the first straw and place it over the top of the bag. This way, the 2 straws will sandwich the top of the bag and create an air-tight seal.^{[7]
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- To open the bag, simply slide the cut straw off the top of the bag and unroll the bag itself to start snacking! Save the straws for once you’re done eating, as they’re still useful sealants.