For those making shopping bags
 

Most of us have cloth shopping bags. I do. Here is something we should all read. It's short, very concise, just takes a minute or two.

http://www.utexas.edu/law/colloquium...%20Illness.pdf

Thanks for the link. Wash those cloth bags and also putting the meat into a zip lock bag before putting it into the cloth bag might also help. Zip lock bags can be washed and reused many times. Recycle when they are worn out.

I guess this would be an argument for homemade cloth bags rather than the ones you can get at the stores for $.99. I don't know how those wash. Has anyone tried?

My daughter sent me a set of 5 made from a fabric that seems very close to parachute nylon. They roll up into a carrying case the size of my wallet. Very handy and they wash just fine. They can carry about 30 pounds or more each. I know she bought them from a gift catalog.

i don't buy those anymore as they kept tearing out with heavy things like cans and bottles of detergent. i buy the vinyl insulated bags for dairy and meat..washable. and scored a bunch of huge plastic totebags at GNC few years ago for .75 cents each...they were clearancing them out and switching to the smaller cloth bags. they are heavy reinforced plastic like ripstop nylon. fabric bias binding and i just put them in the washer on gentle, hang outside to drip dry if i get anything spilled in them. great info on the link...i had never even thought about these issues. but meat juices were an issue & i would throw damaged bags away. was glad to find vinyl insulated bags to use instead. my old, & clean, cloth bags are great for sorting projects into and i take them with me to the fabric shops. great for fabric shopping binges :)) !!

Turn your fabric, reusable, (homemade) grocery bags inside out; wash in hot water; add a bit of clorox or alcohol-based mouthwash for disinfecting power. Still the best idea.

Jan in VA

I'd heard of the problem of veggies and meat contaminating the bags. I don't know how the bags for 99cents wash, but saw a report that ones from China had LEAD in the printing/design. You don't want lead near your food, either.

Ya can't win! I stopped taking bags from the store because I had such a huge collection. I really like carrying my own. Europeans have been doing it for years. I wonder what their illness rates have been because of that? Never really heard, but maybe it isn't reported. I use the Cheops they sell and I haven't washed them, but I'll re-think that now. I like the idea of making your own and just washing them on a regular basis.

I have washed the cheap ones. They come out softer but not a problem. Haven't gotten around to making any when you can buy them $1.

I use Lysol Concentrate on some items I wash. I think it would do a great job on cloth grocery bags and not bleach out the fabric. You use so little, it would be much more economical than using mouth wash.