We use lots of sandwich bags in our house. I use them to freeze homemade bread, to take food with us when we’re on the go, to freeze leftovers, to hold crayons or markers and to store craft supplies. I just use them a lot. And that can get really expensive if you throw them away every time you use them. It seems that the good sturdy kind can cost as much as your child’s college fund if you use them as often as I do. So I stopped throwing them away and started re-using them. That’s a pretty easy concept if all you’re doing is storing crayons but when it comes to food it can get a little tricky.
Once or twice a year I buy a box of gallon size Ziploc bags and a box of quart size Ziploc bags. And that purchase will last me several months. The seams in the Ziploc bags are about the toughest I’ve found so that’s why I’ve stuck to that brand. And I wait till I find them for a bargain before purchasing them.
When I’ve emptied a bag of it’s contents, maybe a batch of sticky cinnamon rolls or leftover hot dogs, I turn it inside out and put it over the tines on the top rack of my dishwasher. Then I just wash it when I do a regular load of dishes. When the washing and drying cycle is done I pull out the bag. It’s usually still wet because water gets trapped in the bends and folds of the bag. So I’ve rigged a string, like a clothesline, over my kitchen sink and I clip them on there with a clothespin so they can drip dry. Then they get folded and stuffed back into their box for another use.
And once I got the kids on board (HEY! Don’t throw that in the garbage!) I started to save lots of money.
11 comments:
We had to wash and dry them by hand when we were kids. We had to save the bags until they had holes in them.
Confession: I remember poking holes in the bags while doing dishes and then holding them up to show my mom how bad they leaked - just so I wouldn't have to wash and dry so many. LOL
I bought sturdy reusable bags online that velcro close. I think they're easier to wash than traditional zip bags (you can run them through the dishwasher too). Certainly saves money not throwing them away each time! It's also much better for the environment to reuse anything as much as you can!
As long as they are not gooey I just wash by hand and drip dry over a glass. works for me and I reuse my bags until they have had it.
This is too funny! I thought I was the only left that actually reused "disposable" storage bags! Yep, we do the same, wash & hang to dry. I usually hang mine in the cupboard door to drip dry. Hmmm.....I'll need to ask my kids about poking holes in the bags because they DO show me when they have holes! That comment, Lynn, gave me a good laugh.
I've also found the zip lock brand to be the sturdiest. A box of gallon sized and 2 boxes of quart size last us about year.
Mrs.B
my mom did this when I was a kid and in turn I do it as an adult. My husband thought I was crazy for the longest time doing it but now he just goes along with it since he see's it does save us money. I actually made some cute little reusable snack bags for the boy's snacks, dont know if you sew but they are handy and much prettier than ziplock!
never realized they were idshwasher safe. gonna have to try that cause i just use them to freeze meat and i hate throwing them away but wasn't comfortable re-using after having meat in them.
I have tried to do this as you describe, but every time, without fail, my bags are ripped off the tines and more often than not make it down to the heating element and burn. YUCK!
I stretch them over the most tines they will go over without breaking, and they still fall off. Do I just have a dishwasher that isn't frugal-friendly?!
I guess I could just be handwashing them... it didn't kill me as a kid, it won't kill me now to hand-wash stuff.
I read some where you needed to be careful of those getting hot something about them and cancer causing things like the plastic cups and bowls.
not sure if it is true or not.
I love it! I learned this years ago when reading The Tightwad Gazette, and my husband thinks it is so funny that I do this, but I also use Ziploc bags for everything, especially in a cooler when camping and when freezing food. The ONLY bags that I throw away are ones that held raw meat, even if I had wrapped the meat in plastic wrap first for the freezer. What I do, however, is make sure to use my "older" Ziploc bags when storing raw meat. All other bags get washed and reused for a long time.
Thank you so much for your posts, they're inspirational, informational, and a joy to read!
Thank You for this info!!!
I too have found the real zip lock bags to be the sturdiest. The worst for reuse to me are the glide lock style. They seem to break easily. I either drape the wet bags on the utensils in the utensil crock on the counter or hang them by a clothes pin like you do. When I go to freeze meat if i am not using the foodsaver I put the meat first in one of the reused clean bags then into another used or new one. Then throw out the one the meat was in after is is done with. Thanks for any hint you can pass along! Your site is always interesting. Sarah
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