Will these reusable shopping / tote bags survive a trip through the washing machine?

I would say they will be fine in the wash and simply dry them on low.

I wash them frequently, then let them air dry.

They should be fine just use cold water if possible. I use cold water for mine and they never melt.

What kind of material/fabric are they? I’ve got some that are a sort of woven plastic fibre. They wash well. Definitely not for the dryer. I’ve got others that are more of a pressed plastic. Those I rinse out in the sink or with a hose outside.

We’ve been using reusable bags for a couple of decades. Most of them hold up quite well.

They wouldn’t be much good as an alternative to paper bags if the couldn’t survive a washing. Either hang dry the plastic ones or send them through the drier without heat.

They’re probably nylon, just don’t put them in the dryer.

I usually just wipe all surface with a soapy sponge, rinse and hang to dry.

The irony of this question is that reusable grocery bags use at a minimum an amount material that could make over a dozen plastic bags, the energy it would take to make over 80 plastic bags and now you are using clean water, electricity and natural gas or at the least chemicals that required energy to make to clean the reusable bags.

reusable grocery bags use at a minimum an amount material that could make over a dozen plastic bags, the energy it would take to make over 80 plastic bags and now you are using clean water, electricity and natural gas

Feel free to back that up with some facts if you believe it’s true.

@Call_Me_Jay Sorry I closed out the tab already so you will have to Google it yourself. Easy to find.

@Cruiser LOL no, I’m not here to do your homework. You made the claim. Back it up.

Or not. It’s OK to be wrong if you made an honest effort and admit it.

@Cruiser

Spoken like someone who only focuses on the short term.

Here

@elbanditoroso If the bags you have are made of fabric similar to what is used on umbrellas, then yes, you can wash it. Allow them to air dry.

I have 2 very sturdy bags I bought from LL Bean many years ago now. I haven’t taken a shopping bag from the grocery store in more than 5 years, and my bags are not even close to being broken in. They’re still like new.

I read the article linked by @ARE_you_kidding_me. It’s informative. I think that since mine are so old, they have saved a lot of plastic from turning into rubbish to litter the land or ocean somewhere. When you live in Hawaii, you know that plastic litter is an emormous problem. If one is land locked, s/he can look the other way and pretend it’s not an issue. Eventually, s/he’ll have to face the truth, though. The litter will drown her/him, too.

Aldi has the best model, just don’t use bags. We use the cart and place our groceries directly into the vehicle, then use a storage tote to bring them inside.

@ARE_you_kidding_me I shop almost exclusively at Costco, and it’s the same. I like it a lot.

Sams club is the same way. When we get plastic bags we reuse them for our waste baskets.

@Cruiser , most of my reusable bags have been used in the range of 200 to 1000 times. An 80 bag equivalency doesn’t mean much when reusable bags can be used for decades. My oldest ones were from stores in Germany. I have had them just under 45 years old – this summer it will be 45 years since I got them. I have string bags that are in the 30 – 40 years-of-use range as well.

@Hawaii_Jake , I pick up those LLBean/Lands End boat totes at thrift shops. I usually grab them on half-price days so I can get them for $1 Canadian. They are fabulous for transporting canned goods. I also use them for lugging my gear to the pool.

I have a few reusable bags. They’re all canvas, rather than plastic, and they’ve seen hundreds of uses and still are in fine shape. Bought them at a local mom ‘n’ pop grocer for a couple bucks each. The store’s owner prefers people to use reusable bags, as it saves him money as well.

@BellaB Those bags sound more like Army duffel bags to have lasted that long. I get my reusables at trade shows and lucky to get 10 maybe 20 uses max before the handles break. I still insist on all produce and meat are first in plastic bags and recycle them with my garbage service. I used to take them back to the grocery as they have a recycle can at the entrance but I was told by an employee there not to do that as they said the store simply tosses them in the dumpster.

Maybe you’re just buying shitty bags. Might be time to consider a new source.

I’ve had some reusable bags for nearly 40 years. I use them regularly, and I wash them about every 2 – 3 months or so.

I can’t refute a claim that these bags took 10X the materials/80X the energy to produce. I think the claim sounds absurd, but I lack the data to argue otherwise. I have read that reusable bags are generally manufactured from pre- and post-consumer recyclable materials; this, alone, negates or at least reduces the argument’s veracity.

Let’s say that I’ve used my shopping bags (2 times per week) x (52 weeks per year) x (40 years) = 4,160 uses. I think I’ve done a fairly good job of saving resources and reducing waste.

@Darth_Algar Nothing beats free. They last a year and I get a new supply for free each year at the same trade show. Some I have had for years. My fav is a bag of patchwork vinyl made from discarded and recycled advertising banners. Handmade built like a tank.

@Cruiser , many of ours are old trade show bags. I can tell pretty quickly which ones are the good ones and which ones will be crap. The crap ones are used to transport donations to thrift shops etc and leave the house that way. I keep the good ones and they go into regular rotation. One of my current favourites is a giant Williams Sonoma shopping bag my friend got when she bought her food processor there. It’s enormous with super-long handles. I can carry 4 12 packs of toilet paper in it.

Well @BellaB You hit on the best part of these resusable bags is that you can carry 3–4 plastic bags worth of groceries in each which means a lot less trips from the car to the kitchen.

@Cruiser

Well you get what you pay for.

@Darth_Algar I like free! ;)

Sure, just don’t expect quality.

@Darth_Algar You apparently did not read all my answers as I have a bag made from recycled vinyl banners that I could tote concrete blocks around with. It will outlive me.

@Cruiser

First you were complaining about how shitty your trade show bags are. Now, apparently, you think they’re awesome. Not my fault if you can’t make up your mind.

@Darth_Algar I was talking about the vast majority of re-usable free or the garden variety bags you buy for a buck or two at the grocery that do fail in short order. I apologize I did not factor in my hand made Rolls Royce of grocery bags that could carry a small car and not break