If there's one piece of furniture every kid want in his or her own room, its a bean bag. These tend to see a lot of use as kids have their friends over to play video games or for a sleepover. As the beads within a bean bag become compressed over long periods of time, the bag begins to lose its original form. The flattened beads also make for a less comfortable seating. Fortunately, there are alternatives to going out and buying a new one. You can refill most bean bags using cheap polystyrene filling to restore their original comfort level and aesthetic appeal.
Before you get started with the process, you will need to drain the existing beads from the bag. If you have one that features a zipper, this should be simple enough. Get a garbage bag, open the zipper, and tilt the bean bag so that the beads start transferring over. If you're dealing with one that lacks a zipper, you will have to make a small cut in an inconspicuous area to give an outlet for the existing beads to drain from. Getting the beads out might take a little time depending on what sort of volume you're dealing with and the size of the outlet (which will be small if you're cover lacks a zipper). When you've finished, consider taking the Styrofoam beads to a specialty recycling center that can process this synthetic material. If you can keep even a little Styrofoam out of our landfills, it will be well worth it.
Giant Bean Bag
With the cover now empty, its time to refill it with a brand new bag of filling material. You can find polystyrene beads at local craft stores and even online. Expect to pay around for a reasonably sized bag. Depending on the size of your bean bag, you may need to buy two or more bags of the filling material. If you want to experiment with other types of filling, you can go right ahead. For instance, you may prefer the feel of shredded foam over the beads. Alternatives may prove a bit more expensive.
With the filling material on hand, begin slowly feeding the beads into the cover. If you're using the foam shredding, you will have to stuff the bean bag by hand. Check your progress every now and then to ensure you don't over inflate. When finished, zip or stitch the cover back up and the bag is restored to its former glory! Remember to keep the filling on hand for future use!