The first step to raising healthy individuals is creating a clean living environment. Cleaning is often seen as a daunting task, but in reality, it can become quite practical with just a few small steps. When the thought of cleaning large spaces overwhelms us, we tend to neglect our immediate surroundings—our personal space. However, what’s closest to us is actually the easiest place to start! One of the key areas we often overlook is the cleanliness of our personal accessories and bags that we carry everywhere.
Reusable shopping bags, in particular, are among the personal items that get dirty the fastest, as they carry a wide variety of products. Since these bags are used repeatedly, there is a risk of cross-contamination from previously carried items to new ones. And if you're carrying fresh produce and other goods in the same bag—yikes! Because of these common mistakes, we want to highlight the importance of cleaning reusable bags in this article.
How often do you clean reusable grocery bags? And are you washing them properly? Such questions should concern us more, especially in light of new scientific data. Not so long ago, the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University in California joined forces and researched reusable grocery bags. This food-safety report says that our eco-friendly bags can also harbor a handful of harmful bacteria that can further endanger our health. Why should we and how should we clean reusable grocery bags to prevent any harm? Let’s find out today!
Food Cross-Contamination
The researchers learned during their survey that 97% of the respondents never washed their reusable grocery shopping bags. What was worse was that upon testing these bags, experts found E.coli contamination (in over 50% of the total tested bags).
When we pile foods upon foods in our reusable grocery bags, we entertain cross-contamination of foods. Moreover, we also entertain bacteria entering our food chain. If you use a canvas shopping tote bag for groceries, but you also take it to the gym, you risk even more health hazards to affect your family.
It is your answer in a nutshell: clean, reusable grocery bags as often and as carefully as you can. Some specialists say you should use more than one bag for food shopping and wash your bags at the end of the week. Yes, you should also wash poly shopping bags, not only cotton or canvas ones.
The most evident answer is to look at the manufacturer’s labels and wash accordingly. However, if you do not have tags to rely on, here are some general tips:
Cotton and canvas shopping grocery bags: wash them as you would wash other cotton shopping totes or canvas items, but make sure you use hot water and detergent – heat is necessary for the elimination of E.coli risks. If you want to remove food stains from your canvas food shopping bags, dirt, grime, fruit/vegetable stains, soda, etc. use white wine vinegar for a pre-wash session. Moreover, use oxygen-based stain removers and cleaning agents containing enzymes to have crispy white, clean, and correctly disinfected grocery bags. Dry them in fresh air or dryer.
Nonwoven polypropylene and recycled PET: wash them by hand in hot water with enzyme cleaning agents and detergent. You can also give them a spin in a gentle cleaning cycle, but use warm water as well. Never dry them in the dryer, as the heat harms the bags.
Insulated shopping bags: if you carry meats in them, wipe them with disinfectant wipes after every use. As a general rule, if you want to disinfect your grocery shopping bags, use a pine oil, white wine vinegar, or phenolic disinfectant.
Polyester bags: use warm water and liquid detergent to wash them manually. Use the gentlest cycle you have on the machine for a thorough wash and air dry them.
If you feel your grocery bags have an unpleasant odor to them, use the containers only when they are totally dry from the wash. Never store reusable bags – the dirty ones in particular – in your trunk, in the back of your car, or in-house drawers or cabinets. Never deposit them while moist either. Heat and humidity are the perfect environments for bacteria to thrive. Store your bags at home in a cool, dry place where air circulates freely.
If you use grocery shopping bags with inserts, clean them with a disinfectant spray. Make sure you also pay attention to seams, nooks, and fabric creases, as you do not want spilled juices, meat blood, or vegetable dirt to turn into toxic waste for bacteria to become monsters.
One piece of advice coming from experts is to use as many natural fibers as you can: hemp bags and jute grocery shopping bags have inherent properties that make them resilient to mold, mildew, and bacteria.
Never use chlorine bleach when you wash cotton or canvas shopping bags – it ruins the fibers.
Storing reusable bags in a cool, dry place and keep them clean is a practical and important hygiene measure. Reusable bags often come into contact with a variety of food items, including raw produce and packaged goods, which can leave behind moisture, food particles, or bacteria. When stored in warm or damp conditions, these contaminants can multiply quickly, increasing the risk of cross-contamination during future use.
To reduce this risk, reusable bags should be washed regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions—typically in warm or hot water—and thoroughly dried before being stored. Canvas or cloth bags are usually machine-washable, while some insulated or plastic-lined bags may require wiping with a disinfectant.
By keeping reusable bags clean and dry, you not only prolong their usefulness but also maintain food safety and protect your health.
If you prefer mesh grocery shopping bags, make sure you hand wash them in hot water and liquid detergent. Allow them to air dry.
If you shop for groceries weekly, wash the bags on a weekly basis, as we mentioned above; if you use them daily, launder them at least after 2-3 uses, if not after each use.
If you are interested in our products or have any questions, please feel free to contact us and we will reply you within 24 hours.
