“It’s Only Taken Me 40 Years”: Woman Is Left Stunned Upon Finding Out How To Close A Cereal Box The Right Way

Interview

You know how you wake up at 6 in the morning sharp, trying to make sense of this whole universe, only to remember there’s a crisp new Reese’s Puffs box waiting on the kitchen counter? Your day just got a tiny bit better, but it may get ruined in a sec after you find the puffs all stale in a mushy cardboard box. You can never be ready to see such a thing.

So when one woman found the answer to her ugly torn boxes, she had to share it and save everyone from dried-out cereal misery. “It’s only taken me 40 years, but I now know the correct way to close a cereal box,” wrote Becky Holden McGhee on her Facebook. Her step-by-step video of box sealing in action has gone viral with 3 million views. More people joined in to share their own folding techniques for what seems like new, happier cereal breakfasts to come.

Becky from Blackpool, UK couldn’t believe it took her so long to find out there’s a right way to seal a cereal box

"It's Only Taken Me 40 Years": Woman Is Left Stunned Upon Finding Out How To Close A Cereal Box The Right Way

Image credits: Becky Holden McGhee

"It's Only Taken Me 40 Years": Woman Is Left Stunned Upon Finding Out How To Close A Cereal Box The Right Way

Image credits: Becky Holden McGhee

"It's Only Taken Me 40 Years": Woman Is Left Stunned Upon Finding Out How To Close A Cereal Box The Right Way

Image credits: Becky Holden McGhee

"It's Only Taken Me 40 Years": Woman Is Left Stunned Upon Finding Out How To Close A Cereal Box The Right Way

Image credits: Becky Holden McGhee

"It's Only Taken Me 40 Years": Woman Is Left Stunned Upon Finding Out How To Close A Cereal Box The Right Way

Image credits: Becky Holden McGhee

Bored Panda contacted Becky, the mom of two from Blackpool, UK behind the viral video, who is still overwhelmed with all the stir her box-folding video has created. “It was accidental, I never in a million years thought it would be viewed 3 million times!” Becky said she feels “incredibly lucky, all the comments and feedback has been really kind or funny.”

One of the reasons why the cereal box-sealing hack blew up so fast has to do with how basic it is. Becky told us she couldn’t believe she did not know this, 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.” It turns out, the folding “literally takes seconds, looks really neat, and will stop cereal going all soggy.”

And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it

"It's Only Taken Me 40 Years": Woman Is Left Stunned Upon Finding Out How To Close A Cereal Box The Right Way

Becky’s video has now been viewed 3 million times, proving simple tricks can blow up the internet

At first, Becky posted some pictures of the hack online and her friend asked for a video tutorial. “It made me giggle, but my husband and I quickly did and added it to the post!” Sooner than she knew it, people were sharing Becky’s video, commenting, and joining in with their own techniques for a neat cereal box sealing.

Everyone got excited about the hack and others have been doing it for a long time

"It's Only Taken Me 40 Years": Woman Is Left Stunned Upon Finding Out How To Close A Cereal Box The Right Way

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

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What do you think ?

POST

ZombieGirl 4 years ago

...just roll the bag down into the box and close the box like normal...or get airtight cereal containers lol. Her solution is no different than closing it the normal way

74points

William Teach 4 years ago

Exactly. It doesn't matter how you close the box, it's how you close the bag to keep the cereal fresh. The best hack is to take the back out an roll it down and seal it as you eat more.

50points

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Scratch 4 years ago

Yeah, the title on this article implies that this ridiculous folding thing is what was intended all along by the box designers.

7points

Caroline 4 years ago

You have to admit it looks much tidier than a plastic bag and doesn't require an extra box, so for one, I think this is clever.

6points

Keith Ledbetter 4 years ago

Exactly. This may help with storage space, but it does absolutely nothing to help keep the cereal fresh. But, you know the world today...if it's on the internet, it must be true!

3points

tuzdayschild 4 years ago

I'm fairly sure rolling the plastic down is a given. This is just a neat and tight closure technique for the box itself.

0points

Robert Thornburrow 4 years ago

I feel for the poor designer that designed cereal boxes. The tabs in the centre of the flaps are designed to hold the top of the box closed. As to keeping the cereal fresh, open the bag carefully and roll the empty part down, or better still put a clip on it. Some people just seem to want to reinvent the wheel - oooh, I wonder if an octogon would be better. (faceplam).

43points

Demi Zwaan 4 years ago

The one she's using has a very clear slit on one side and, I don't know what it's called in English, but that doohickey on the other side fits right in the slit when you close it and voila. No weird nonsense folding techniques necessary.

36points

Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 4 years ago

tab and slot in English. Tab being the part that sticks out, and slot being the slit

22points

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Tabitha L 4 years ago

I like that you didn't know "tab", but you did know doohickey. Doohickey is a much more versatile word.

12points

Drew 4 years ago (edited)

Exactly! People really are losing their minds in lockdown. Why go through the effort of this idiotic folding method when you can just close the box with the tab provided? If you don't like a ripped cereal box, don't open the box like a friggin animal!!

3points

Donna O 4 years ago

I agree, and I will definitely be adding "doohickey" to my mental thesaurus. Can't wait to find an excuse to use it!

0points

Sue Sanders 4 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Asz Thetic 4 years ago

I just did it on a box of honey bunches of oats (american)

0points

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POST

ZombieGirl 4 years ago

...just roll the bag down into the box and close the box like normal...or get airtight cereal containers lol. Her solution is no different than closing it the normal way

74points

William Teach 4 years ago

Exactly. It doesn't matter how you close the box, it's how you close the bag to keep the cereal fresh. The best hack is to take the back out an roll it down and seal it as you eat more.

50points

Load More Replies...

Scratch 4 years ago

Yeah, the title on this article implies that this ridiculous folding thing is what was intended all along by the box designers.

7points

Caroline 4 years ago

You have to admit it looks much tidier than a plastic bag and doesn't require an extra box, so for one, I think this is clever.

6points

Keith Ledbetter 4 years ago

Exactly. This may help with storage space, but it does absolutely nothing to help keep the cereal fresh. But, you know the world today...if it's on the internet, it must be true!

3points