close the cereal box the right way
Penelope Wilson
Penelope Wilson
May 19, 2020 ·  2 min read

“It’s Only Taken Me 40 Years”: Woman Reveals How to Close a Cereal Box the Right Way

My grandmother used to say, “The day we stop learning is the day we stop living”, and this new cereal box hack is proof, learning never stops. This reminds me of the day I found out that the little hoop in a soda can could also be a straw holder. I’d always thought it was just some hoop to slip my finger through while cracking the can open. These may just be simple hacks people came up with by chance or critical thinking, but they are still awesome and exciting to learn. From this day onward, I know how my cereal boxes are going to look. I’ve learned to close a cereal box the right way!

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This hack was revealed by a Facebook user named Becky Holden McGhee.  No one knows if all cereal manufacturers had Becky’s hack in mind when creating the flaps on the boxes, but her interlocking-pyramid style of sealing the box after it’s opened is a stroke of genius [1]. This method would certainly keep your cereals drier and fresher for longer periods. 

Read: 100-Year-Old Life Hacks That Are Surprisingly Useful Today

Cereal box origami

McGhee posted photos of her sealing process on Facebook when she was ready to share her innovation with the world: “Had to share this!!! It’s only taken me 40 years, but I now 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 mom-of-two from Blackpool, UK, later modified her caption: “I’ve now added a little video on how to do it. Happy folding! You know I want to see pics!**”

Breakfast lovers didn’t waste any time swarming all over the new hack as McGhee’s 45-second video hit 4.3 million views on Facebook in a week. The trick is the simplest thing you could day all day, and even your kids would have no trouble picking it up.

So, your cereal box has four flaps on top. To start your pyramid, completely fold in the two smaller ones and a long one. Squeeze the tops of the two long sides together and then fold in the fourth and final flap. You’ll have yourself an air-tight cereal box that doesn’t look as tacky as what we’ve been doing all these years.

McGhee said she’s still stunned at how she came up with the innovative idea [2]. The comments and feedback from thousands of people have been super-encouraging and outrageously funny. It’s amazing how something as simple as how to properly close a cereal box could make people feel like real-life MacGyvers.

It was accidental, I never in a million years thought it would be viewed 3 million times!” She explains that she was just thinking about it and “the next morning, I thought I’d give it a go with the numerous cereal boxes we have and couldn’t believe how simple it was. The folding literally takes seconds, looks really neat, and will stop cereal going all soggy.”

Here’s a step-by-step guide

Image Credit: Becky Holden McGhee