Are OXO POP containers actually airtight?

Pick 0026 · OXO Good Grips POP container

Pressing the button expands a rubber ring outward against the container wall, which produces a seal good enough to keep flour dry in Florida humidity and to stop rats getting into feed in an unheated barn. One reviewer who describes that mechanism doubts it is airtight in the strict sense. AddToPick rates the containers worth buying for pantry storage rather than for vacuum grade preservation.

Product	OXO Good Grips POP container
Seal	Push button expands a gasket against the wall
Shape	Square, four corners, stacks with matching sizes
Capacity	4.4 Qt reported to take a 5 lb bag of flour or sugar
Care	Body top rack dishwasher safe, hand wash the lid
Skip if	You need vacuum grade preservation
AddToPick	Worth buying

What it is

The POP container is a clear square canister with a button in the centre of the lid. Pressing the button seals the container and pressing it again releases the lid, so the same hand that carries the container can open it.

The square shape is a storage decision rather than a style one. One reviewer notes the four corners remove the wasted space that round canisters leave on a shelf, and matching sizes stack on each other.

How it works

The button drives a gasket outward. One reviewer describes the mechanism directly: pressing the button expands a rubber ring against the inside of the container. That is a compression seal rather than a vacuum, which is why the same reviewer calls the airtight label into question while still rating the container five stars.

What the seal is demonstrably good enough for is reported repeatedly. Reviewers keep flour and sugar dry through Florida humidity, keep dry feed fresh in a barn that swings from hot and humid to freezing, and keep insects out of flour.

Lid care protects the seal. The container body is top rack dishwasher safe, and one reviewer recommends washing the lid by hand to preserve the gasket. Another reports washing everything in the dishwasher with the seal still tight, so this is not settled.

What reviewers report

AddToPick read the US five-star reviews in a file of roughly 15,800 characters. Non US reviews in the same file were excluded.

Named limitations from these five-star reviewers:

The seal performs in hard conditions. One reviewer stores horse mash and cookies in an unheated barn through hot humid summers and cold winters and reports the contents staying as fresh as a newly opened bag.
Pests are kept out. The same reviewer reports the containers being rat resistant in a barn, and other reviewers report flour staying insect free.
Humidity is handled. One reviewer in Florida reports sugar and flour staying dry.
Long term durability is reported. One reviewer has containers over five years old and describes them as holding up, and another reports reordering based on containers owned for years.
The plastic has no smell, which one reviewer names as important for dry food.
Coffee grounds do not cling to the walls through static, according to one reviewer filling reusable coffee pods.
Sizing is reported concretely. The 4.4 Qt is described as taking a five pound bag of flour or sugar, and the 6.0 Qt as holding about six pounds of cat food. Named limitations from these five-star reviewers:
One reviewer who explains the gasket mechanism states the container is probably not truly airtight in the strict sense.
The 6.0 Qt is too tall to stack according to one reviewer, who rearranged shelves to fit it.
One reviewer suggests the plastic may be slightly thin and says time will tell.
Lid washing is disputed. One reviewer says hand wash the lid to preserve the seal, another reports dishwashing everything with the seal staying tight.
Several reviewers describe the containers as expensive.

Who it is not for

Anyone needing a true airtight or vacuum seal. The mechanism is a gasket pressed outward, and a reviewer who understands it says so.
Anyone stacking the largest size. The 6.0 Qt is reported as too tall to stack, so shelf height decides which size works.
Anyone furnishing a whole pantry on a budget. Reviewers repeatedly describe the containers as expensive while continuing to buy them.
Anyone who will run the lid through a dishwasher without checking. One reviewer recommends hand washing the lid specifically to protect the seal.

Questions people ask

How does the push button seal work?

Pressing the button expands a rubber ring outward against the inside of the container. One reviewer who describes this mechanism notes it is a compression seal rather than a true vacuum.

Do the containers keep pests out?

One reviewer storing feed in a barn reports the containers being rat resistant, and other reviewers report flour staying insect free.

What size fits a 5 lb bag of flour?

The 4.4 Qt is reported as sized for a five pound bag of flour or sugar. The 6.0 Qt is reported as holding roughly six pounds of cat food.

Do they stack?

Matching sizes stack, and the square shape avoids the wasted space round canisters leave. One reviewer reports the 6.0 Qt being too tall to stack on a normal shelf.

Can the lid go in the dishwasher?

This is disputed. One reviewer recommends hand washing the lid to preserve the seal, while another reports dishwashing everything with the seal still holding.

Watch it in use

Where to buy

View this on Amazon

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Pick 0026 · Last updated 2026-08-31 · Reviewed by AddToPick