Ziploc--The Other Plastic Bag: Recycle This!

May 21, 2008 12:00 PM

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This is one of those tips that will make significant others look at you askew. But it's all for the greater good, and you're used to it anyway, right?

Ziploc bags are so handy, yet so wasteful. Use 'em once and throw 'em away, right? Wrong! Why not simply wash' em? You probably don't want to do this if the storage bag was holding raw meat or fish, but if it was only holding crackers or even cheese, try this:

Let your used storage bags accumulate until you have a few. Then take the bags, turn them inside out, being careful to get the corners pulled all the way out. Fill a dishpan or pot in your sink with hot, sudsy water and dip each bag in turn, wiping it clean with a sponge and rinsing it. Then it's time to hang them on your clothesline or drying rack. Turn them rightside in again--especially if you're even thinking about hanging them outside somewhere very dirty --and clip them up by one corner. Did we mention this is also one of those tips that will make your neighbors look at you askew? No matter.

It may seem a lot of trouble to go just to reuse something meant to be used just once--but the material these bags are made of will be around forever, so if you must posess these bags, the least you can do is double or triple their intended usage.

When the Ziploc bags are too beat up to use for food storage anymore, keep one or two set aside as pastry bags and sauce bags: just put whatever sauce or dough you need to distribute into a bag, snip the corner off, et voila! Instant pastry bag. Use other reject bags for travel, keeping your toiletries, wet small clothing items, and electronics all apart from each other.

May 24, 2008 Larry Cravetz wrote:
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I really enjoyed your discussion of methods to properly (and safely) reuse these bags, something I have been doing myself for years! I just reused them (after a good cleaning) until they just fell apart. Using them as pastry bag never occurred to me ! Thanks!

July 3, 2008 Sheri wrote:
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I’ve been washing and reusing reclosable plastic storage bags for years, but instead of hanging them outside (where they would get dusty and I would probably forget about them) with a clothespin that pinches off an area that would remain undried, I have a different method.  I keep a crock on my kitchen counter next to my stove that contains all of my wooden spoons, handles down and the spoon ends flaring out like an arrangement of flowers.  Then, whenever I wash my bags I just turn each one upside down and hang it over a spoon.  Any water that drips provides enough moisture to keep the counter clean without using any additional water from the tap.  I never “forget” about them and have to wash them again.  And the warm air next to the stove dries them quickly and cleanly.

July 12, 2008 Hope O wrote:
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I try to avoid those bags whenever possible by carefully removing the liners of dry cereal boxes.  They are especially strong and I use a clothespin to keep them ‘locked’.

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