Okay, so I am going to admit something to you, and you’ll probably judge me, but here goes: I wash my ziploc bags and re-use them. I know they are meant to be a one-time use sort of thing, but it just kills me when I haven’t really used them for anything gross {like meat or cream sauce–those go into the trash–they aren’t worth it to me}, to just throw them out. So, I squeeze a couple of drops of soap into them and wash them with hot water. Then, I place them over a tall mason jar on the counter to dry for awhile.
I don’t always use them for food again, but they totally come in handy for other things, and they are guilt-free when I need them. When I travel, and need to put my toiletries into a ziploc, I grab one of the washed ones. If I am heading out to collect pine cones, leaves, etc. for a crafty something, something, I grab a washed used bag. I throw the used ones into my beach bag and then throw my wet swimsuit into it so it doesn’t get my whole bag sopping wet. I seriously use them all of the time.
So, am I a cheapskate weirdo, or do some of you do this too? Please tell me there is safety in numbers on this one…
~Mavis
Melissa says
You are not alone. I to wash and save the zip bags, The only ones that go into the trash are the ones that have gotten holes in them or the really gross ones.
Melissa
linda says
I have washed my used ones for years & hang them to dry on my indoor clothes line! Use & reuse…for picking berries, grapes, for toiletries when traveling & packing batteries when boating, etc. etc. glad to know there are other frugal gals out there!
Rosaleen says
Yup, do this all of the time. I also reuse liner bags from crackers or cereal, and consider the zip bags from Splenda-type sweeteners pure gold. Taking this a step further, I wash mylar snack bags, as from chips, etc., to use for my dehydrated backpacking meals. These bags are lighter and more puncture/moisture/air-resistant than standard plastic bags. They easily can be sealed with a clothes iron and stand up to very hot, even boiling, water. Leave some head space, add hot water to a cooked and dehydrated meal, stir, wait a bit, and eat from the bag. You could try this for some of your traveling, not just backpacking, if you like.
Diana says
Love this tip on reusing mylar bags! Thanks for sharing it.
Gardenpat says
I’ve also reused those cleaned out chip bags with my Foodsaver and vacuumed and sealed the next things I want to store in them! Works like a champ!
Anita Burns says
I guess we’re both cheapskates, then. I wash both the sandwich bags and the gallon bags. We wash plates, cutlery, and glasses and reuse them don’t we? It’s not just the saved money, it’s cutting down on the massive landfill we create with non-biodegradable trash. I wash my bags, turn the inside out and let them dry, then fold and put in a drawer for reuse.
Janet says
I have two in my dish rack that I washed this morning. I wash them when I have any dishes to hand wash. I fill them with water to check for holes and then wash them. I double-wrap all meat (with plastic wrap and then a produce bag) so I do re-use them for any food item needed. I figure the bags are clean enough. I learned to wash them from my mom.
MarinaRose says
My family also reuses ALL of our plastic zip-lock bags. We only toss them out when they get any holes.
And it’s a super easy process to hand-wash the bags….simple turn them inside-out (so that you don’t miss any excess food), give them a good scrubbing, then let them air dry.
This is one way to stay frugal that is very sensible.
-MarinaRose
Pauline says
I’m in on the bag washing… And I share your distinctions, Mavis, about what is or isn’t worth washing for re-use. Since all my freezer bags get labelled (and re-labelled, and RE-labelled…), I know with certainty that a few of them have been with me since 2010. Usually they “die” because of picking up small dings from other stuff in the chest freezer. In my book this is NOT “cheap” — this is rational frugality
Gina says
You are not alone! I also wash and re-use my foil (eek) – when I have covered non-meat items like baked potatoes, a plate of cookies, etc.
My granny used to iron her wrapping paper (from the back) and reuse that also.
Waste not, want not! 🙂
Deborah says
My family has been passing the same gift bags, gift boxes, ribbons & bows back and forth for years now. 🙂
Brooke says
I always save wrapping paper, boxes, etc. and every year my family makes fun of me for it. I don’t care, I hate seeing things that can be reused go in the trash
Laura says
We gave us seasonal gift wrap a couple of years ago, and now use paper bags from the grocery store, cute shopping bags we get from stores, and newspaper. We also skip ribbon, and the free-wrapped gifts all still look lovely under the tree! Comments from friends and family have been 100% positive as well (We use Asian newspaper for gifts we are giving away – just looks a little ‘dressier’).
Pam says
When my kids were little, I saved the Sunday Comics throughout the year to use as Christmas wrap. Neither one ever commented about why we had Charlie Brown on our Christmas gifts instead of snowmen…………:)
Jeannette says
I’ve been washing my ziploc backs for years. As long as a bag hasn’t contained meat, cheese or something extra gooey, I’ll reuse them for food stuff. It saves money and is better for the environments – doing this just makes sense to me. Plus it is less effort for me to remember to wash them than remember to buy more.
Vickie @ Vickie's kitchen and garden says
I just washed six of my bags this morning. I used to put them on glasses too now I hang them on My fruit hanger with clothes pins
cindy says
I do that all the time. such a waste to use them only once.
Anita says
I too have been doing this for years. I learned this from my grandma and it was always the joke that this is why my grandma and pap had money. 😉 I also reuse the cereal bags as wax paper.
Deborah says
Hadn’t thought of using the cereal bags as wax paper. Cool! 🙂
Deborah says
Count me in. And if I’ve decided the baggy is no longer appropriate for food etc, I put an R (for Re-purpose) in the top corner of the writing area. We use these for odds and ends that don’t require full on sanitation.
Foil gets washed and reused whenever possible, but I’m not willing to work at it if it’s particularly messy. 😉
Pam E-P says
Not only do I do this, but I asked my father-in-law to make me a dryer for them. He used a block of wood and 6 dowels. It’s awesome!
Jill says
I’ve been reusing them for years. Like you I don’t reuse the ones that have had meat or cheese, etc in them. I recently realized how wasteful I’d been all these years by not reusing perfectly good bags from loafs of bread or hamburger/hot dog buns I’d purchased. These bags work great for when I make my own breads – just the perfect size. I also use them when we have left over pizza instead of dirtying up my ziploc bags.
Barb says
Absolutely! I’ve been reusing ziplock and bread wrappers and perfectly good glass food jars for about 30 years, and I wish I had a tally of how much money I’ve saved. (Think about how much less stuff is in my local landfill!)
Angela D. says
Ugh! My Grandma always washed the Ziploc bags and I struggled to dry them with the dish towel. I’m sure I complained every time! Now, I wash my bags, too! I don’t usually hand dry them, though… I hang them upside down on my paper towel stick. I would love the chance to do dishes with my Grandma again, and I wouldn’t even complain if we had to wash and dry a whole box of those bags!
Heather H says
I do it too! My mother washed and reused her bags as well. I thought everybody did, until we were at a friend’s home a couple of years ago and she just threw them away! I was kinda shocked. I seriously asked if I could have them to take home. I believe she saves them now too! My kids will take a cleaned bag and put game pieces in them.
Michelle Wright says
It’s too over the top for me. One time and buh-bye, I toss them right out and have no quilt about it.
I know you have a busy schedule, as do I, and I just think it is a major hassle to wash them and wait for them to dry. I don’t like looking at them on the counter. I did try it and, hey, part of being your own person is being able to do it your own way. If you feel good about it that is all that matters. I feel super cheap when I do it and don’t like the mess.
Addie says
To me it is a food safety issue (I’ve googled this–it isn’t a great idea) and a waste of water to properly sanitize them. I try to avoid using zip locks at all by getting resuseable snack bags and containers. When I do they go in the trash. I do however religiously use produce bags from the grocery store to scoop the dog poo from our yard and even use bread bags for this purpose.
Liz says
I have always reused my ziplock bags. About 8-9 years ago, I purchased a bag/bottle drying rack from a company in Canada for about $15 and use it at least 3 times a week. I use the bags until they pop a leak, then put them in a different location to use for dry goods.
I hadn’t thought of the mylar idea. I will try it.
Love your blog, Mavis. Just wish I had your energy.
Diana says
Guilty! I reuse zip plastic bags; multiple times if they’ve only held bread products. Like others say, I don’t reuse them if they’ve held meat or fatty/oily foods.
I also buy the lightweight plastic sheeting at the fabric store (apx $1/yd) and cut into squares for reusable sandwich wraps. I wash them on hot in the washing machine and then hang them up to dry. Eventually one gets a bit ragged, so I cut it down in size to be used to wrap smaller items.
KAte says
You can totally recycle them too! When they’re getting worn down I toss them in the plastic bag recycle bin and they go out that way. I don’t reuse cereal liners or chip or bread bags, but I do recycle all of them.
Pam says
I do it too, my prepacked smoothy packs seem a waste not to wash and dry and reuse
several times
Ellen in Clackamas says
totally reuse them until they are falling apart. They just move down the list of what goes into them. Love the idea of the mylar. I’m going camping in a couple of weeks and plan on using this to pack oatmeal and noodles (not together!).
Catherine Foster says
I’m with you all on washing and re-using ziplock bags and foil. And I’ve got one more. When I dry my lettuce on paper towels (after the salad spinner, which doesn’t get them dry enough), I dry and reuse the paper towels. I got this from reading a wonderful book, “Having Our Say,” about two 100-year-old black women in Harlem who gave their life wisdom.
Kate says
I’d forgotten about Having Our Say. It was a wonderful book!
Rita says
I have always washed them out unless it was something gross. I actually just learned last year that you “weren’t supposed to”.
Pam P. says
I too wash them out and reuse them. My favorite use is for icky items that need to go in the trash but you don’t want to “smell” until you take the trash out… you know, those potatoes that got pushed back behind the giant pickle jar and sat too long! Ewww! Also as you said, there are a million other uses. My only restriction, I don’t keep old chicken bags.
Heidi Ho says
No judging here, I do the very same thing… I learned it from my Grandma!! 🙂
Val Laing says
Ziploc bags difficult to find in the UK and our brands are so inferior. Managed to buy some on the Web and, including postage, work out quite expensive (but worth it).
So pleased to find this post about re-using them, will he doing it also.
Have only just found your blog and am spending many happy hours reading back posts, thank you.
Jennifer says
I wash and reuse too. I keep a lot of homemade muffins/breads/waffles in the freezer. So when those are empty, I actually just roll them up and put them right back in the door of the freezer for keeping. Then I don’t have to wash them every time they are emptied. I only put back into the bag what was generally there before: fruit, or breads, or shredded cheese, etc.
I do reuse bags that have had cheese, meats, etc, in them. No different from cleaning off any other residue I figure. To free up counter space, you could wrap a long rubber band around the bottom of an upper-cabinet door and clothes pin the bags to that for drying. I just turn one corner of the zip-part inside out to keep the opening open, and let them rest on the counter. No need for anything else to perch them on.
Cereal bags can be cut completely open and used as a surface to do crafts or messy activities on, like playing with play-dough, paints, etc.
I wonder if the salad spinner idea would work with a relatively thin cloth napkin?
Donna says
I always wash my freezer bags if they haven’t had meat in them. Have two bags drying now. I put meat into sandwich bags and then put those into the freezer bags. This way I think my freezer bags have a longer life. I throw away the meat sandwich bags. To be honest, I haven’t washed all my sandwich bags – only freezer bags. May have to rethink this.
Karin C says
I do the same. Do you remember when milk came in bags? My mom cut the top off of them ,washed them and they were used for almost anything, great for freezing, held our sandwiches for lunches, mom found a use for them. I have a food saver sealer and wash those , I use soap and H2O and I have a spray bottle with a mild bleach solution and spray my bags with that and squish it around and rinse and use jars to place them over to dry . My husband and son are hunters and we seal all our meat in the sealer bags and we process into sausages and that gets sealed too.
Margo says
I have been reusing my bags for years. I also rinse and put in my freezer door. The cold should kill any germs or bacteria. I only toss if used for raw meat. Recycle bank informed me about recycling them with my grocery bags, so now when they are “done” they are recycled. Our landfills certainly don’t need more trash.
Meg C says
I think it’s weird when people don’t wash & re-use their plastic bags. lol
Like most if you, if it had meat in it or something very greasy, I don’t re-use it but most times I do. We rarely need to buy plastic bags as a result.
We have largely switched to glass storage & my son’s lunch bags sre fabric that are washable/reusable.
I find it terribly disturbing that plastic is designed (chemically) to last firever (literally) but somehow human society finds it acceptable to use plastic products specifically for single use. 🙁
(Don’t get me started on those keurig-type cups for coffee/tea!)
Keep on wahing/reusing those plastic bags !
PS if I could not use them at all, I would get rid of them completely but I am human & sometimes convenience wins over environmental concerns. 🙁
Mavis says
I hear you about convenience, so doing this helps me feel like I’m doing my part!
Diane says
Absolutely I wash every ZipLoc back that isn’t too gross! It takes fresh water to make plastic bags, and the resealable freezer bags we typically use are not cheap. Obviously, you’ve got LOTS of company, Mavis!
Deborah says
I wash mine and re-use them. No meat ones or as you said gross ones. But I do re-use them. It’s not cheap,mits being frugal! That’s MY story. LOL you aren’t alone.
Carla Priest says
Yes, yes, yes! I am so glad you posted this 🙂 I have washed and reused my Ziploc Baggies for years. The only ones I do not reuse are ones used to marinating meat. I too find it odd that more people don’t reuse baggies a what a waste!
PattyB says
I do baggies and foil. If it touches meat then it gets tosses. My husband thinks I’m nuts(hoarder).
Sherry in Sumner says
Gosh, yes, I wash and reuse most of my plastic bags. Those suckers are too expensive to toss, unless, of course, I’ve marinated meat or chicken in it. I also reuse most tin foil too; it’s a good a second time to line a pan for nachos, wrapping French dip sandwiches, etc. We’re not cheap, we’re frugal and very smart!
molly jo says
Mavis as you can see you are safe with us! many of us that had moms and grandmas reuse them now do it ourselves. It is a good GREEN thing to do and I am proud to be on this list of smart frugal peeps!!
Jen Y says
I used to wash mine faithfully when we still had a growing family with lots of debt. i tapered off as my nest emptied out. But I don’t use them as much as I used to & I do still wash & reuse those that store salad greens, breads, ice, ect.
A tip, I turn mine wrong side out to dry the inside better, then flip them back around to finish drying.
Carole says
RE-USE. Ask cleaned. “OUTER BAG” = “DOUBLE LAYER BAGS. PREVENT YUCKY. FREEZER BURN TASTE”.
Daniel says
I do not wash the bags but they are tough little buggers, and I totally hate tossing them, especially the larger heavier mil ones. Reuse/recycle……I’m with you Sister!!
Ann Lia says
Haha! Glad to know I am not alone in my frugality. Once, years ago my friend was over and saw several ziploc bags drying on my big aloe plant that is in my kitchen window and said, “I know times are hard – but come on!” Hahaha! I also reuse tin foil (if is hasn’t had wet or mushy food on it) and I have been known to use dog and chicken food bags as garbage bags!
Tracie H says
Me too! Me too! When my SIL married into the family, and she saw me do it the first time, she made the comment that she would never do that! I think it took less than a year to convert her!
Lori says
I have been doing this for years!!! Wash and re-use as many times as I can.
I also will re-use a paper towel…
If I just washed my hands in the kitchen sink and I do not have a dish towel handy I will dry my hands with a paper towel and then open it up and let it dry and then will re-use. It will get used when I clean my mirrors or sliding glass door with my homemade cleaner of white vinegar and water.
Ruthie says
I do this too! My husband thinks I am crazy. But if it was holding something just to make sure it didn’t leak then I just feel bad tossing it out.
Pam says
Yep I wash em too! I got small dowel and cut it 1/3rds and placed in small cup. An instant bag drying stand
Yvonne says
I wash ’em too. And with my re-purposed boot dryer they thoroughly dry out in no time.
Karen says
I do not purchase paper towels, but I use paper grocery bags to line the crisper drawers in the fridge I change them weekly and put my compost in them. I also cut them flat and use them to line the guinea pig enclosure and dump that in my compost. We by bathtowels and when they get shreddy or holes they become dog towels and cleaning rags until they completely wear out. I run the ceiling fan in my bedroom 24-7 and I hang my wet freshly washed clothes on plastic hangers on the curtain rod (tee-shirts and tops)with the window slightly cracked . They dry pretty fast and my room always smells like fresh clean laundry. Benefits- no air freshners needed and when the clothes are dry I just move them to the closet saving folding as well as cooling the room. I also hang my bath towel from the bed post and it drys very fast and can be used more than one time.and smells fresh. (I put it back in the bathroom when dry
Laurie says
I gave up washing the bags because of drying time & not enough space to dry them. Then I figured out that if I took the bag & rolled it up in the dish towel & then turned it inside out & repeated it was dry & ready to put away. No plastic bags sitting around the kitchen!