The Right Way to Clean and Reuse Single-Use Plastic Bags
Single-use plastic is a plague on Earth that the most environmentally conscious of us are trying in vain to get rid of. No matter how careful you are with your reusable bag and buying things in recyclable and compostable packaging, you will end up going to the grocery store for groceries, which means you will be liable for at least one more single-use plastic. bag.
There are many ways to reuse plastic bags outside of the kitchen , but plastic is annoyingly useful for certain types of food storage, and that’s basically what I keep mine for. Usually, reusing a sack is as simple as shaking it out and putting it in the “extra sacks” drawer along with its siblings, but every once in a while I run into a situation that requires the actual cleaning. Washing and drying plastic bags can seem like a daunting task, but with the right technique, it’s pretty easy – and a great way to get the most out of them. Here’s how to do it.
How to clean a plastic bag for reuse
Start by turning the bag inside out over one of your hands, as if you were picking up dog poop. This exposes any nasty things hanging inside so you can easily wash them off with soap and warm running water. Try to get as much surface as possible; if you’re washing a square bag, pull the corners out with your finger to get them out as well. I usually only use my hands, but a sponge or soft brush can help get rid of more stubborn residue. Keep the bag inside out and rinse off all soap.
Drying bags properly is a bit tricky because you need to keep them inside out, but if you can do that, they will dry faster than you think. I usually hang freshly washed bags on pot handles or tall glasses in the dryer so they (mostly) keep their shape while drying. You can also just hang them on the dryer, but don’t put anything on them so they get enough air.
Remember, just because a plastic bag is for single use doesn’t mean you have to use it once and throw it away. While you’re washing, rinsing and drying your bags inside out, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is for even the most fragile of them to become squeaky clean, meaning you can use them over and over again.