How to Make Sandbags to Contain Flooding
- 1). Acquire or make bags of a suitable material, such as plastic, burlap or plastic cloths. To make the bag, fold a 36-by-12-inch piece of heavy duty material in half to make it 18 inches by 12 inches and sew three sides with a sewing machine.
- 2). Use a scoop or small shovel to fill the bags half full with sand so that each weighs 35 to 50 pounds. You can also supplement the sand with soil or use a 10-to-1 ratio of sand and soil to cement mix.
- 3). Close the opening of the bag with string or duct tape just above the sand line.
- 4). Tuck the leftover material under the sandbag as you set it into place. Place the sandbags so that there are no gaps between them.
- 5). Sprinkle the bags with water, if you used cement mix.
