cheapest way to fill bean bag chair
Kristina Davis

If you need to fill or refill a bean bag chair, you are probably looking for the cheapest way to fill bean bag chair.

Rice or beans will work, but they will get expensive quickly compared to using things you may have around your house, such as shopping bags, organic material, or stuffed animals.

We’ll discuss the cheapest way to fill a bean bag chair.

When considering the cheapest way to fill a bean bag chair, you have several options. You can fill it with craft stuffing, shopping bags, organic material, beans, rice, packing peanuts, old clothes, pebbles, or soft toys.

Your choice depends on what you have readily available and how firm the bean bag needs to be. 

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Things to Consider While Filling Your Bean Bag Chair

bean bag

Follow these tips to select an alternative filling for your bean bag:

1. Chair’s Placement

Think about the chair’s placement. Choose fillings that won’t deteriorate as quickly once wet if the chair stays outside. Also, pick a material that can withstand heat.

2. Lightweight Filling

If your chair has to be moved around the house, choose a lightweight filling, such as sand.

3. Withstand Pressure

Always fill it with a material that can withstand pressure when you sit. Do not use any explosive materials for heat or pressure.

Please keep the bean bag chair away from fire when filling the bean bag chair with cotton.

4. Consider The Quality

When choosing filler material, it is also essential to consider the quality of the inside of the chair. Use a sealed bag for sand, for example, so the sand doesn’t leak.

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Otherwise, use an inner cover to keep the filling from getting damaged. This also applies to materials that aren’t waterproof.

Those are just a few options you have for the cheapest ways to fill a bean bag chair.

Consider what you have readily available when you’re thinking about what you want to fill it with.

Cheapest Way to Fill Bean Bag Chair – Best Options!

how to fill bean bag

Let us now learn the best and cheapest options to fill your bean bag without digging much into your pocket!

1. Craft Stuffing

Craft stores sell stuffing for quilts and pillows cheaply and in large amounts. People often use this cottony fabric for stuffed animals and decorative pillows.

The soft, pillowy texture makes it an excellent bean bag chair filler.

You can fluff it like a pillow or have a child toss it down the stairs as it gets flat.

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If you don’t want to spend money on stuffing, you can use other items to fill a bean bag chair.

Tip: Work on a tiled, wood, or linoleum floor so you can vacuum up the filling easily if it's spilled.

2. Shopping Bags

rice plastic bag

If you often get plastic shopping bags at the grocery store, you can use them to fill your bean bag chair.

They are soft, lightweight, and easy to fluff. You’ll have to collect many bags for a while because what looks like a lot of bags compacts down easily. 

You may want to ask other people to help you or give you what they have at home. Then ball them up when you think you’ve collected enough.

Try to hold a ball shape with the handle, even if it isn’t secure. When the bags are inside the bean bag, you don’t have to worry about the balls holding their shape.

Using shopping bags to fill your bean bag chair is a great way to clean your cupboards and recycle simultaneously. 

3. Natural Material

Some people prefer bean bags filled with natural materials, like pine needles, leaves, and green peas, while others do not.

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According to those in favor, it is nature’s cushion and can help massage tired muscles.

According to those opposed, organic materials break down in bags, creating a kind of in-bag compost.

They can also attract pests and make bean bags heavy. If none of these things concern you, natural materials may be a convenient option for filling your bean bag.

Outdoor bean bag chairs can be filled and refilled with raked leaves and pine needles in the fall.

4. Beans

You can still use beans to fill bean bag chairs. Start at a big store when you try to fill it with beans – it will take several bags to fill it.

It doesn’t matter what kind of beans you use to fill it up as long as they’re clean and dry. You can combine bean varieties or use whatever you have on hand.

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Consider combining beans with another filling method if you’d rather not spend a fortune on them. Beans and grocery bags work well.

The combination makes the bag heavier, so it doesn’t fly out from under you. The downside of beans is that they will sink to the bottom of the bag because they are heavier than other fillings.

5. Rice

use rice

If you’re looking for a bean bag filler you can buy locally, get a massive package of rice. It will make the bean bag look like a giant version of a rice heat pillow.

Beans and rice make a substantial, form-fitting filling for a bean bag chair.

Tip: For easier filling, use a box cutter to cut off the small end of a waste paper container to make a funnel.

6. Packing Peanuts

When you’re considering how to fill a bean bag chair for cheap, consider packing peanuts.

Unless you plan to buy a lot at the post office store, you will have to save up for this one.

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Until you’ve collected enough packing peanuts to fill a bean bag chair, store them in a large rubbish bag.

Those who don’t want to stalk their local post office to find boxes filled with packing peanuts can use plastic bags along with this one.

7. Old Clothes

use old clothes

Children outgrow clothes quickly, and we can’t donate them fast enough.

When your child’s closet has a big pile of outgrown clothes, ball each piece up and toss it into the bean bag chair.

Old clothes make bean bag chairs a bit lumpy; they’re more comfortable when you fluff them up.

Bean bag fans love this method because the clothes won’t fall out of the bag if it bursts a seam.

Don’t use this method if your kids like to have pillow wars with their bean bag chairs. It gets heavy, and they could seriously hurt someone.

8. Pebbles

You can also use small pebbles to fill a bean bag chair if you can buy or find enough. When choosing pebbles, make sure they are lightweight.

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It will help keep the bean bag chair within the weight limit. You can add padding or pillow stuffing to make it more comfortable.

Undo the safety zipper with a paper clip or corn cob holder.

9. Soft Toy Refills

If your kids have soft toys to get rid of, you can also use them as an alternative to bean bag fillers. If necessary, you can add extra padding to the bean bag to make it more comfortable.

You should vacuum the toys before placing them in the sack to ensure there aren’t any dust and insects inside.

Tip: Because soft toys aren't heavy, your bean bag chair might be lighter. Remember to remove any rigid gadgets from toys to prevent discomfort. 

10. Sawdust

use sawdust

Those with easy access to leftover sawdust or woodwork could use excess sawdust as a bean bag filler. Sawdust is very light, making it easy to move your bean bag around.

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Sawdust is a known carcinogen; long-term exposure can cause allergic reactions or other health problems. Use sawdust in a bean bag only if the bean bag cover is hard and solid.

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FAQs

Is There a Trick to Filling Bean Bags?

When buying a bean bag cover, buy an inside liner. An inside liner helps make it easier to fill the bag and makes it easy to swap out the outer covers.

It also makes it easier to clean the outside cover.

This is because you can take out the inside bag once it’s filled and place the outer shell in the washing machine or a tub, as long as it’s made of washable material.

Is It Cheaper to Buy or Make a Bean Bag?

If you’re crafty, making a bean bag can be a lot cheaper than buying a pre-made one, plus you can customize the bag to fit your decor and lifestyle with patterns found online.