Unpopular opinion: my reusable grocery bags have been a lie for years

I was hauling my bags into the store last week and noticed this weird smell coming from the bottom of one. Took a closer look and realized there was mold growing in the seams... from all the raw chicken juice and produce dirt that I never washed out. I've been using these same bags for like 5 years and never once thought to sanitize them. Now I'm wondering how many other people are walking around with bacteria hotels in their trunks. Any tips on actually keeping these things clean without falling apart?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_holly6d ago

Oh man, did you just describe my entire trunk without my permission? I had a similar wake up call when I moved my bags to grab something and a puddle of mystery liquid sloshed out onto my floor mats. I'm pretty sure I've created a whole ecosystem in there, like a little science experiment I never signed up for. I started just tossing the bags in the washing machine on cold with my towels and it works okay, but now I have a grape-scented bag that still smells faintly of raw chicken. So I guess the lesson is we're all just living in a slightly grosser version of a cooking show.

xena_brown506d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly I think you're overthinking it. I've used the same bags for years and just give them a quick rinse with hot water every few months, they hold up fine as long as you don't soak them.