{"id":333,"date":"2010-07-09T18:10:55","date_gmt":"2010-07-09T22:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bulletinbag.mivamerchant.net\/blog\/?p=333"},"modified":"2025-05-29T13:05:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T17:05:08","slug":"cleaning-personalized-reusable-grocery-bags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bulletinbag.com\/blog\/cleaning-personalized-reusable-grocery-bags\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Panic…Just Clean Your Reusable Grocery Bags"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recent study funded by the American Chemistry Council found that nearly every reusable bag examined for bacteria contained bugs, coliform bacteria (suggesting raw-meat or uncooked-food contamination) or E. coli. However, the study didn’t specify which strains of E. coli were found\u2014many of which are harmless. And don\u2019t forget that the American Chemistry Council represents plastic bag makers, and opposes a California Bill that would ban single-use plastic bags.\"reusable_bag\"<\/a>What is slightly more annoying (dare we say misleading?) about this study, and the buzz surrounding it, is that if you conduct a similar study of kitchens, refrigerators, sponges, or dish towels, we\u2019re sure you\u2019d find equally alarming results. Plus, with the abundance of over-packaged grocery store items, what are the chances that these germs are actually going come in contact with your food or your family? Regardless of the study\u2019s motives, it does stress an important reminder: clean your reusable grocery bags<\/a> regularly.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So how do you keep all the different bag materials clean? It really depends on what the bag is made of. Cotton reusable grocery bags<\/a> and many hemp reusable grocery bags<\/a> are machine washable and dryer safe\u2014making them the easiest to wash.\u00a0 If your personalized reusable bag<\/a> is screenprinted or dyed in any way, you should wash in cold water for the first few washings.\u00a0 Some polyester reusable grocery bags <\/a> can be machine washed, but we only recommend machine washing \u2018poly-canvas\u2019 bags.<\/p>\n

Nonwoven polypropylene reusable bags<\/a> and recycled PET reusable bags<\/a> are trickier to clean. Some people do wash these bags in a washing machine, but we don\u2019t recommend it.\u00a0\u00a0 If you feel you must machine wash these bags, use cold water only and definitely don\u2019t put them in the dryer.\u00a0 However, machine washing shortens the overall lifespan and can ruin them.<\/p>\n

We recommend hand washing your non woven polypropylene reusable bags<\/a> in a sink filled with warm, antibacterial soapy (preferably antibacterial) water.\u00a0 Let them air dry completely, both inside out AND right side out. This ensures all the seams, nooks, and crannies are dry and aren\u2019t retaining any moisture that can turn into mold.\u00a0 Non woven polypropylene bags<\/a> can also be sprayed down with an antibacterial spray cleaner, but remember to turn the bags inside out and carefully clean the inner seams.<\/p>\n

Nylon or poly-nylon reusable bags<\/a> should be hand washed in warm soapy water and hung to dry\u2014again, inside out and right side out to ensure all the moisture is gone on the inside.<\/p>\n

Laminated reusable bags<\/a> (either laminated polypropylene bags<\/a> or laminated recycled pet bags<\/a>) should be wiped down with a wet cloth or \u201cwashed\u201d with a disinfectant spray. Other non-fabric reusable shopping bags can also be cleaned this way.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unsure of how to wash a particular reusable shopping bag,<\/a> or if you\u2019re not sure what your bag is made of, contact us<\/a> and we can help!<\/p>\n

Finally, our best tip: sort and assign specific bags to specific tasks:<\/p>\n

MEAT: Choose a bag that\u2019s easily identifiable. For example, look for a specific personalized reusable shopping bag<\/a>, color or design that will remind you that this is your \u2018meat bag\u2019. Make sure it\u2019s made of machine washable material. Pull the bag from your pile and put the meat on top at checkout, then tell the cashier to use that bag for meat. Don\u2019t forget to wash it when you get home.<\/p>\n

PRODUCE:\u00a0 Use a reusable shopping bag<\/a> for produce to avoid plastic produce bags. Unload your fruits and veggies at checkout, then reload them into the same bag. Don\u2019t forget to wash your bag, and your produce,\u00a0 when you get home.<\/p>\n

PREPACKAGED FOODS:\u00a0 Once your meat and produce bags are separated, you\u2019ll know that the rest of your bags are only used for prepackaged foods and groceries.\u00a0 With layers & layers of packaging used these days, your food should be more than safe.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

HOW DO YOU CLEAN YOUR REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS? WE WANT TO KNOW!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent study funded by the American Chemistry Council found that nearly every reusable bag examined for bacteria contained bugs, coliform bacteria (suggesting raw-meat or uncooked-food contamination) or E. coli. However, the study didn’t specify which strains of E. coli were found\u2014many of which are harmless. And don\u2019t forget that the American Chemistry Council represents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12,130],"tags":[14],"yoast_head":"\nDon\u2019t Panic...Just Clean Your Reusable Grocery Bags - Bulletin Bag<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bulletinbag.com\/blog\/cleaning-personalized-reusable-grocery-bags\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don\u2019t Panic...Just Clean Your Reusable Grocery Bags - Bulletin Bag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A recent study funded by the American Chemistry Council found that nearly every reusable bag examined for bacteria contained bugs, coliform bacteria (suggesting raw-meat or uncooked-food contamination) or E. coli. 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