9 Things Pet Owners Store in Dog Food Containers (That Has Nothing to Do With Dog Food)

The first time a customer told us she kept bird seed in her dog's food container, we assumed it was a novelty. Then a second one mentioned flour, a third said cat litter. We went back through every review our own customers have written and counted what shows up in them.

What buyers actually put inside

We read all 104 reviews of our own bins and tallied every non-kibble item a customer mentioned storing. No one prompted them to say it — they mentioned their other uses when they were praising the seal.

Why the same bin keeps absorbing these jobs

One reason keeps coming up in the reviews, and it is not the size. It is the clear window. Owners like being able to check the level without breaking the seal they just closed, and a pantry bag does not have one.

The second reason is quieter. When the lid shuts properly and stays shut, whatever is inside stops being an open bag that has to be re-rolled every time you scoop. That is a small thing that people notice.

What does not work well

We are not going to pretend every use is a good idea. Flour dust gets into the bellows folds, and a container used for pet litter should be washed thoroughly before it goes back to food. The bellows walls are rated for kibble and dry goods, not for standing water.

A review we read recently belonged to a buyer with a rabbit and a cat sharing the same sealed bin. She noted the seal does the same job on both. That is a reasonable use of a good seal, as long as you wash between them.

Photo: illustrative image generated for this article. Product names referenced are third-party trademarks of their owners.