If you’ve ever struggled to get a cardboard box of cereal to stay closed, this hack is for you.
Becky McGhee, a mother of two from the U.K., recently shared the clever trick on her Facebook page. Since she first posted it, the clip has garnered over 119,000 shares and spawned countless imitations.
“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,” she posted alongside the tutorial.
McGhee told TODAY Food she saw a photo of a cereal box closed this way on some website so she decided to try it out herself.
“I thought I'd give it a go with the numerous cereal boxes we have and couldn't believe how simple it was,” she said.
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After successfully completing the trick, McGhee posted four photos of the neatly folded boxes on her Facebook profile and one of her friends asked for a video tutorial.
“It made me giggle, but my husband and I quickly did and added it to the post (thinking just my friend would see it!) Minutes later a friend asked me to set it to 'share' and from that moment without knowing it, I had accidentally made a video that's gone viral,” McGhee said.
While the hack looks tricky upon first glance, McGhee said it was quite simple to do and is really effective.
“It literally took seconds, looks really neat and will stop cereal going all soggy. Genius,” she said.
- To try it out for yourself, grab a box of cereal (or any other cardboard snack box that needs closing).
- Take both small side flaps and tuck them into the box.
- Then, take one long flap and tuck that into the box.
- Next, fold the two shorter sides of the box into a “V” shape and push them in.
- Finally, take the other long flap and tuck it into the box, making sure the flap is secured among the interior folds.
Commenters on McGhee’s post called the hack “life changing” and said it blew their minds. Others shared photos of their own attempts.
TODAY’s Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager were wowed by the video, too.
When Jenna saw McGhee’s video, she was shocked and knew she had to try it out at home.
“What! Are you joking?” she exclaimed while watching the now-viral clip.
Hoda then helped walk Jenna through the hack as she attempted to tightly close a box of Fiber One cereal.
Jenna said folding the “V” into the sides of the box was harder than it looks, but she managed to recreate the trick fairly well, which Hoda joked was “not terrible.”
“I wish Becky was here with that soothing voice to coach me through this,” Jenna said.
This trick might take a few tries, but it does work!