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Woman’s Ingenious Life Hack Shows How We’ve All Been Closing a Cereal Box Wrong

Cereal Box Folding Hack

Did you know there’s a right way to close a cereal box? Becky Holden McGhee recently discovered that she had been sealing up her Crunchy Nut and Cheerios boxes all wrong. Rather than inserting the tab into the flap on the top of the box, she realized that by folding the sides inwards that she could save her family from torn packaging and stale cereal. And best of all, the method is easy to replicate, making it one of those little life hacks you’re happy to know.

Once McGhee figured out this cereal box tip, she knew she couldn’t keep it to herself. So, she did what anyone would do. She shared it on Facebook. “It’s only taken me 40 years,” McGhee wrote, “but now I know the correct way to close a cereal box. Genius. It takes seconds, no more dried up cereal and ugly torn boxes to greet me every morning.” The photos and the step-by-step video went viral and racked up over four million views as people tried it for themselves.

The folded boxes came out of a desire for a more organized kitchen. “I was up late on a Saturday night looking at kitchen units (mine are driving me mad, just not enough space),” McGhee tells My Modern Met, “and I saw a pic of a cereal box folded that way.” The next morning, she tried it for herself. “I couldn't believe how easy it was and taller boxes now fit in the cupboard!”

Want to try this hack for yourself? Scroll down to watch McGhee’s helpful step-by-step video.

Becky Holden McGhee shared an ingenious cereal box folding hack.

How to Seal a Cereal Box

By folding the sides inward, the box stays neat and the cereal stays fresh.

Life Hack for Folding Cereal Boxes

Life Hack for Folding Cereal Boxes

McGhee shows how to do this hack step by step:

Becky Holden McGhee: Website | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Becky Holden McGhee.

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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