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Bean bag chairs – you must admit, we all love them. We love how comfortable, convenient, well-constructed and even how colourful that they are.
But there are just seven words that can give us all nightmares… And those seven words are “How do I fill my bean bag?”
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE 7 SIMPLE STEPS TO FOLLOW
If you have already purchased a Bliss Bean Bag, you will need to undo the locking mechanism that is build into our zippers.
Well, today we are going to teach you that bean bag filling does not have to be that difficult, messy, time-consuming process that may be making you anxious. If you follow our simple steps in this article, you may even have fun filling your bean bag with a friend.
7 Simple Steps for Filling a Bean Bag
1. Find a corner of a room (or even a bathtub) so if any spillage happens it is contained and easy to clean in one small area.
2. Have someone help you with the opening of the bean bag itself. If this is not possible, then instead you can use “bull clips” to hold the bean bag open, by clipping the bean bag to the end of a table, desk or breakfast bench. (The image below simply shows the bean bag clipped to an oven handle)
3. Cut the corner of the 100-litre bean bag filling and pour it into the bean bag like you are pouring a giant jug of water. Beans are light, so they will move fast.
4. Once you notice that your bean bag is filling up quite quickly and the filling is approaching the opening of the bag, close it up.
5. Shake the bean bag (make sure it’s still closed!). This ensures that all the corners of the bean bag are filled, before you top the bean bag up for the last time.
Please note – you may need to repeat this step on larger bean bags.
You can also open the bean bag up (when not completely filled) to push the fabric out, allowing a lot more room for the beans to fit.
6. Open the bean bag again so you can continue filling it – do so by pouring the last lot of bean filling very slowly, all the way to the top.
7. Close the bean bag, sit back, relax and enjoy 😊
What About a Funnel to fill a bean bag?
One thing I have not mentioned as yet is a funnel – that is, the type of tube that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom.
This will assist you with steps #3 and #6, as it will help you guide the filling into the bean bag.
And below are different funnels that can work well for filling a bean bag if the opening isn’t very large:
• Plastic Funnel – This is a common funnel that you can buy from basically any kitchen shop, or even discount stores such as Red Dot or even car supply stores . However, chances are that you probably already have one laying around your house, in your kitchen or garage. If you choose to use this type of funnel, cutting the narrow end off with a knife will help you fill your bean bag more quickly.
• DIY Funnel – You can make a funnel yourself out of things as simple as leftover rubbish laying around your household. Examples include:
– Plastic bottles – Try cutting a plastic bottle in half, on a slightly slanted angle. Remove the lid, turn the bottle upside down and use it as a funnel to fill your bean bag.
– Plastic cups – Cut a slit all the way down one side of a plastic cup and cut off the entire bottom. Roll the cup into the shape of a funnel (it will look kind of like an icy-pole wrapper), tape it up so it doesn’t leak, and you’ve made yourself a funnel.
– Cardboard, paper or aluminium foil – Use a piece of scrap paper or soft, bendable cardboard, and wrap it into a funnel shape. Tape it together. For extra strength, grab yourself a sheet of aluminium foil (make sure this is clean, not used) that is slightly longer than the funnel you just created. Wrap this around the paper/cardboard and tape both ends together.
Other Simple Tips for filling a bean bag
To ensure the procedure of filling of your bean bag goes as quickly and easily as possible, there are some other handy hints I can give you.
Please make sure you prepare yourself for the procedure, just by doing the 6 simple strategies before, during and after filling your bean bag.
• Remove all air-movement from the room – The reason I have advised you to fill your bean bag in the corner of a room, or even in a bathtub, is that this is an indoors area, meaning it is away from any breeze. Any sort of air-movement may cause the beads to blow around – which is pretty much exactly what you want to avoid. As such, also make sure you shut the doors to the room, and turn off any fans, air-conditioners, or anything else that will cause the bean bag filling to blow away.
• Prepare your area before filling your bean bag – Make sure the corner of the room or the bathtub where you have chosen to fill your bean bag is clean. A good idea is to vacuum the area first, thus ensuring the area is free from dirt or dust. This way, if you do spill any of the bean bag filling, it will remain clean so you can reuse them. If you’re using the bathtub, don’t forget to put the plug in the drain hole to save any bean bag filling from disappearing down the drain.
• Make sure there are only two people in the room – It definitely helps if you have another person to assist you in filling a bean bag, although we have already given you some advice on how to cope with what can otherwise be a slightly difficult situation when it comes to filling a bean bag yourself.
However, if there is a person willing to assist you, make sure they are an intelligent adult. Please keep all babies, children and pets out of the room when you are filling your bean bag.
NOTE: If any of the beans blow away, there is a possibility that the filling can obstruct the nose or lungs of your child or pet or cause them to suffocate if they decide it’s a good idea to start eating them… because, you know, beans look tasty and kids and dogs like to eat things they shouldn’t.
• Allocate a storage place for your leftover beans – If you have any leftover bean bag filling, a good place to put them is in some sort of sack or bag. An easy suggestion is a pillowcase that you have washed and turned inside-out (just check it over thoroughly first to make sure it has no holes in it). For safety reasons, make sure this is then stored in a place where your children or pets cannot get a hold of it.
• Clean up afterwards – Just as you should ensure that there are only two people in the room for safety’s sake whilst you are filling your bean bag, you should also ensure you clean up after yourself properly afterwards.
If you have spilt only a small amount of bean bag filling, a good way to clean up is to use is a bagless vacuum cleaner that has already been emptied – that way, once you have finished vacuuming up any beans that have escaped you can place those beans aside in your allocated storage place to reuse again in future.
However, if you have spilt large amounts of bean bag filling, do not use a vacuum cleaner to clean up as it may overheat – perhaps try using a scoop utensil such as a dustpan and brush instead.
You can simply scoop the bean bag filling up and place it straight aside into your allocated storage place.
Whatever you choose to use, just make sure you clean up every single one of the runaway beans from the floor as we now know how they can be very dangerous to your children and pets if they decide to put them in places they shouldn’t, such as their mouth or their nose.
After all this is completed, don’t worry! – Once you close your bean bag, you can forget all your concerns – one of Bliss Bean Bags main focuses when we make our bean bags is safety.
Our bean bags are made with safety zippers.
This means that they always need a safety trigger to be raised for them to be opened and closed, which normally requires the use of a paper clip – so your child or pet is never going to be able to get inside.
This way you do not have to worry – there will never be any accidental spilling of bean bag filling! Instead, relax, enjoy and let your entire family have the time of their life on the bean bag.
Where Should I Buy My Bean Bag Filling?
One of the main questions you may still be left wondering is – where do I buy that 100-litre bean bag filling?
For all the information you need on just exactly what the bean bag filling known as expanded polystyrene (EPS) beans are, why we recommend this over other forms of bean bag fillings, and the places we recommend that you can buy this bean bag filling (both in-store or online), please refer to our article “Where to Buy Bean Bag Filling”.
Or, if you want to get thrifty, see our article on “Alternative Bean Bag Filling” for DIY options other than the typical bean bag filling.
Conclusion
My intention from today’s article was for you to have gained a lot of handy hints to help you learn how to fill a bean bag, and hopefully this has helped forget any worries that you may have had in terms of this procedure.
Instead of what you may have initially thought was going to be a complicated and messy process, one that was going to take up a lot of your time, well, now you know how easy filling a bean bag really can be. If you do happen to need help getting rid of an older bean bag, this may help.
I do hope this information has made you excited over the prospect of gaining a comfortable, convenient, well-constructed piece of furniture.
After all, with the assistance of a friend (or some bull clips), perhaps a funnel if you need further help with guiding the filling into the bean bag whilst you are pouring it in, a vacuum cleaner or scoop utensil, and a safe spot to allocate the leftover bean bag filling, the procedure can be completed in a short time span and afterwards you can simply kick back, relax and enjoy your brand new, filled-to-the-brim bean bag.