You’ve been using garbage bags all wrong, according to one TikTok user who shared a video of the “right way” to place a plastic trash bag inside of its can.
A video that was shared to the platform on Feb. 7, 2021, claimed to reveal the correct methodology of using a trash bag, dubbing it “inside out mode.” TikTok user ch0zi, an arts and crafts seller, claimed that garbage bags are “backward” when they come out of the box. In order to use one properly, a person need simply to place the bag on top of the can “like a little hat” and press down — no need to flip and shake a bag out. This allows for the seam of the bag to be on the can's inside rather than the outside. At the time of writing, the video had been liked more than 3.3 million times.
To get to the bottom of this claim, Snopes contacted Glad Products, an American company that specializes in the manufacturing and production of garbage bags owned by the Clorox Company. Company spokesperson Chris Neel said this claim is false —placing bags in a trash can as instructed in the video is not the recommended use.
“Placing the seams on the inside, versus outside, does not do anything to increase the strength [or] durability of a bag,” said Neel. “Also, we have quite a few bags that feature scents or odor elimination technology, and those elements are incorporated specifically into the inside of the bag, so reversing the bag actually lessens those elements from activating.”
Suffice it to say that the advice in the TikTok video was largely rubbish.