Dance bag hacks!  Which one will you try?

Dancers, do you ever look into your dance bag and think it needs some help?  Your shoes are all jumbled together, there’s a layer of hair elastics and bobby pins at the bottom, and random leg warmers surface when you’re digging around, trying to find your phone.  (And then there’s that smell … that special “eau de sweaty socks and hairspray” that makes your mom cough and run the other direction.)

Here’s your chance to hack that dance bag and actually enjoy carrying it around!  No more wasting time trying to find stuff; no more scaring away your mom.  Try any or all of these tricks to make your dance bag the freshest new thing around:

• Does your bag have compartments?  
  • If the answer is yes, label those compartments for specific items: clothes go here, snacks in this one, hair products over there, phone stored safely.
  • If the answer is no, ask mom or dad to help you find a travel “carry-on” bag to use instead.  The bag will have several sections, perfect for separating your things and making it easier to find them.  
• Get organized with your hair products!  Use a carabiner to hold extra hair elastics, and store your bobby pins in an empty mint tin (like the one for Altoids).  You can even add a magnet to the tin to help your bobby pins stay put.
• For any pair of shoes you wear often (and especially pointe shoes) use a mesh drawstring bag to store those shoes between classes.  Tie it to the outside of your dance bag to allow the shoes time to air out.
• Keep your dance bag from getting smelly by giving it a good old-fashioned wipedown a couple times a month, using a disinfecting wipe or damp microfiber cloth.  Toss in a dryer sheet or two afterward, and replace it once a week—it will help absorb odors.

Have you found a different dance bag hack that works really well?  Spread the word!  We can’t wait to see everyone’s clean and organized dance bags around the studio.