My city recently approved a plastic bag ban, which won't change much for me, as I've been using reusable grocery bags for years. Wait. I've been using reusable grocery bags for...years. And when was the last time I washed them? Uh...
This is what went through my head recently, just before I opened the trunk of my car, cleared out all the reusable bags, turned them inside out and threw them into the washing machine. I've always been pretty good about regularly washing canvas and nylon bags, but for some reason I was leery about washing the stiffer insulated and oilcloth-type bags. It was an unfounded fear: washed in cold water and dried in the sun, they emerged a little more crinkly but basically fine.
It's going to become a regular habit now. Reusable bags can become sites of bacterial cross-contamination when vegetables, fruits or other food eaten raw are placed in bags that previously held raw meat. A study released a couple years ago gave scary figures on the bacteria levels of reusable bags, but ultimately concluded that shoppers just need to keep their bags clean. Machine- or hand-washing bags "reduced bacteria levels to almost nothing," they reported.
Read more:
• What's in your shopping bag? Bacteria. (But, hey, it's natural!) at LA Times• Bacteria May Grow In Reusable Grocery Bags, But Don't Fret at NPR
Are you in the habit of washing your reusable bags regularly?
Related: Local Plastic Bag Bans: How's It Going?
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As soon as I finally use my reusable grocery bags, I'll be sure to wash them!
ok I have washed cheap reusable ones that you buy for like a buck at the store or get free, usually made from recycled plastics and that sort of lose their strength and rigidness. How are you washing them to keep them from not losing all of that? For now I hang them upside down on the clothes line and hose them off and let the sun sanitize them.
An outbreak of norovirus was linked to a reusable grocery bag, or the food stored in it, that was kept in a bathroom.
*Cringe alert! I'm going to describe the likely germ transmission* The bag acted a fomite (a contaminated surface or object that can transmit germs) because it was within range of the aerosolized feces and vomitus of the sick person. Norovirus is a really nasty bug, and what we've learned is that there is a....radius o' fun, to be flippant...surrounding the toilet, bed, or area where a person is physically ill. So wash those hands, those surfaces, those BAGS, and store the bags away from sick folks. Noro will ruin your day!
Here's the news story: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/05/09/norovirus-outbreak-caused-by-snacks-in-a-grocery-bag/
@resaur - noro will ruin your WEEK.
I did a little post about this a little while ago!
http://movesfast.blogspot.ca/2012/05/quick-hit-dirty-reusable-grocery-bag.html
Seems like a can of Lysol might be the only way to clean the recycled plastic bags. Washing them apparently shortens their life.
I have a few canvas bags though and I prefer to use them. Seems like I need to just pare down my bags to easily washed ones.
i refuse to buy those 99 cent bags at whole foods anymore. their bright colors and modern graphics always catch my eye... but once they go thru the washer, they're toast. i stick to heavy canvas that can withstand many years of the washer/dryer cycle.
I just use the cloth ones from the Kroger. I always wash the ones that I put the meat in - they go in the washer right after they are emptied. One thing I have learned is not to wash them with the bath towels. They really collect all the fuzzies and hair. Then I have to de-lint them after they dry or prepare to be really embarrassed and gross out the poor cashier the next time I shop. The veggies and dry goods ones I just occassionally wash. I try to put meat in the same bags each grocery trip so that I will always know which bags to be careful with (if something comes up during the putting away and I don't throw them in the washer right away).
I have one style of bag for meat - I wash those after every use. My other bags I probably wash once a month or so. With all the other places that nasty bacteria exists I'm not all too worried about my grocery bags.
I've said this before but everyone please do NOT buy those nasty 99 cent bags. They're making oil companies rich yet again while we should be buying / passing down cotton and nylon tote bags. Your grandma's grandma probably had those cute cotton totes and if you invest in one you can pass it on to your great granddaughters. The 99 cent ones? They've been found to contain bacteria and lead and will probably break down much sooner.
I make my own out of leftover fabric and just toss them in the washer whenever. I have lots of them.
So I have been making my own bags out of my old t-shirts with an awesome no-sew method!! They work great, obviously go through the washer fine, and very cool because well they are my shirts with epic graphics. You can even go to the thrift store get extra large shirts made of heavy duty cotton and make it out of those for larger sized bags.