What’s lurking in your reusable bag?
Now that reusable shopping bags are all the rage (finally) I thought a quick blurb about their not so great side may be useful. While good for the environment by eliminating plastic bags from the landfill and the waste of energy to produce them (we won’t discuss issues like the fabrics they are made from), they can be hazardous to your health!
I try to wash mine every week or so. The reason I started doing this is that sometimes they double as a diaper bag and who knows what gets tossed into them. I didn’t think that dirty diaper and supper went together very well.
I was just reading the October issue of Canadian Living, and low and behold, a column written by Toni Petter, titled “Keep ‘em Clean”. What she said was that a recent study found high levels of bacteria, yeast and mould in reusable bags, which could lead to food poisoning.
Here are tips from Health Canada to help you keep your bags and bins “gross”-free:
- Hand wash cloth bags frequently with hot, soapy water, especially after bringing home fresh produce and meat in them. (I machine wash mine and air dry them and they have been fine thus far)
- Wipe out plastic bins with hot water and a natural cleaner or biodegradable soap
- Think of your reusable bags and bins as food preparation surfaces [I thought this was a good point]. Keep raw or frozen meat and fish in separate bags from produce.
- If you’ve used your bags or bins for nonfood items [like me], wash thoroughly before using for groceries.
Thanks Canadian Living and Health Canada for thinking of these things! …and for adding another thing to do on my chore list 
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