One Super Smart Reason Not to Throw Out Those Mesh Produce Bags

updated May 1, 2019
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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Repurposing your household items doesn’t just reduce waste — it saves money, too. That’s the good news. The great news is: You don’t have to be super crafty to reap the benefits of creative reuse. If you think you’ve got the chops (read: literally five minutes) for a super quick, easy, and clever home project, we’ve got just the kitchen DIY for you.

Next time you grab a bunch of avocados, onions, potatoes, or lemons in bulk, don’t be so quick to throw the accompanying bag out. The mesh net produce bags from those veggie hauls might come in surprisingly handy in the kitchen next time you need to clean a burnt pot or scorched pan. Instead of replacing your germy scrubby sponges, you can just make a new one on the fly …

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Leanne Stapf, vice president of operations for The Cleaning Authority, has an ingenious tip for scrubbers everywhere: Use the mesh bags to make a DIY pot scrubber that rivals any store-bought option. “Just clip the edges off the bag, bunch it together so it looks like a bow-tie, and secure it with a twist-tie,” Stapf told our friends at Apartment Therapy.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Feeling extra ambitious? You can also weave thread or dental floss through the mesh bag and tie it at the ends. Or, if you happen to have a few of the bags on hand (say, after a Costco haul) roll three of them like donuts, knot another outside bag, stuff it with the others, then knot the other end.

Whether you’re simply spot cleaning pans, going to town washing your pots, or cleaning your bathroom tile or bathtub, you can put your new scrubber to work in any scenario you would otherwise use a scrubbing pad.

Happy cleaning!

This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: One Good Reason Not to Throw Out Those Mesh Produce Bags