The Best Way to Wash Reusable Shopping Bags

Many people are becoming more aware of the negative impact that single-use plastic bags have on the environment and are choosing to switch to more sustainable alternatives. Reusable shopping bags can be made from a variety of materials, such as cotton, canvas, or recycled plastic, and can be used repeatedly. Recyclable bags are also a great option, as they can be easily recycled at the end of their life cycle. By using reusable and recyclable grocery bags, we can help reduce plastic waste and protect our planet.

You've no doubt become reliant on your stash of reusable grocery shopping bags. Reusable grocery bags are considered high-touch items, which means they're frequently touched by hands and other objects. A study published in 2020 shows that most shoppers admit that they never wash their reusable grocery bags. If someone never washes their reusable grocery bags, the bags can accumulate bacteria and germs from the food items they carry, which can cause foodborne illnesses. It is important to wash reusable grocery bags regularly to prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria and to keep them clean and hygienic for future use.

Learning the best way to wash reusable and recyclable shopping bags.

Cross-contamination happens when raw meats and produce touch pre-cooked foods and other items as they're placed side by side in already soiled bags. Clean your reusable bag every time you shop to further prevent cross-contamination. When shopping, protect items, and your bags, by double bagging groceries, especially the potentially leaky items, with plastic produce or meat bags. As an extra step at home, designate and label bags you'll use on a continuous basis only for meat, produce, dairy, dry goods, and cleaning supplies.

General Good Cleaning For Reusable and Recyclable bags Practices 

Shopping bags used for meats, produce, and precooked foods should be washed after every use when carrying food, just as you would launder a kitchen towel. Here are a few more general cleaning pointers:

• Do remove the bottom insert of your reusable bag before washing.
• Do clean inserts—which are usually cardboard, or cardboard covered with vinyl or fabric—with a disinfecting spray cleaner.
• Do turn each bag inside out before washing for better cleaning.
• Do pay special attention to the nooks and crannies around the seams when hand-washing a bag.
• Reusable bag being cleaned inside-out.

Cleaning Canvas and Fabric Reusable shopping Bags

You may find instruction labels on how to protect your natural canvas shopping bags. If your canvas bag doesn't have instructions, use the following cleaning methods:

• Wash it in hot water with your usual detergent. Hot water is necessary to kill E. coli and other bacteria on fabric.2
• Allow the canvas bag to air dry after reshaping it.
• Hand-wash in hot water and air dry a mesh, hand-knit, or crocheted grocery bag made of any material, including jute.
• Don't bring a canvas or cloth bag to the store until it is completely dry; a moist environment encourages the growth of mold and mildew.
• Don't put a canvas (or cotton) bag in the dryer if you don't want it to shrink.
• Canvas reusable bag hanging to line dry.

Cleaning Plastic (Polypropylene) Reusable Bags

For woven bags that are made of composite man-made fibers like polypropylene and recycled PET (a type of plastic resin), hand-wash or use the gentle cycle on your washer using warm water. Here are a few dos and don'ts:

• Disinfect the bag with Lysol or an antibacterial wipe if you don't have the time to put your bag into the wash.
• Air-dried polypropylene bags.
• If using chlorine bleach, be certain it is heavily diluted as pure bleach could weaken the fibers.
• Don't put polypropylene bags in the dryer because they could melt.

Cleaning Nylon Reusable Shopping Bags

Clean a reusable nylon bag (without insulation) either in the wash or by hand in warm water. Note the do's and don'ts:

• Use warm water and the gentle cycle (or hand wash) in the washing machine.
• Use warm and soapy water when washing by hand.
• Pay attention to cleaning the nooks, crannies, and crevices of the bag while washing by hand.
• Air-dried nylon bags.
• Don't put nylon bags in the dryer because high heat may cause the material to melt, become distorted, or weaken.
• Nylon reusable bag being washed by hand in soapy water.

Cleaning Insulated Reusable Shopping Bags

Insulated shopping bags or totes must be cleaned as frequently as any other reusable grocery bag. Since they're made from heavy-duty nylon with waterproof cooler bag liners—typically made of thin silver foil liners, PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate), or extra-durable heat-sealed PEVA—you'll need to spray and wipe them with disinfectant solutions. If your bag or tote has zippers, make sure to wipe down or spray those, too.

Overall, regular washing is an important part of maintaining the cleanliness and usefulness of your reusable and recyclable grocery bags.

TLPPACKAGING FOR SHOPPING BAGS