10 Ways to Use Your Reusable Produce Bags Outside the Supermarket

By now, you would have been familiar with the idea of reusable produce bags as the public is being mass educated about the danger plastics have on our ecosystem.

While it’s great that many of us are now bringing our own reusable bags, do you know there are actually many ways you can reuse these bags beside than just for grocery shopping?

So, let’s take a look at how you can use your reusable produce bags outside the supermarket:

1. Laundry Bag for Your Delicate Items

Ever find yourself with torn underwear from the harsh washing machine’s spinning cycle?

You can actually use reusable produce bag to wash your underwear or lingerie; especially the ones that are made from mesh. These cotton mesh produce bags, not only are more durable than most reusable produce bags, but because of its material, it lets your undergarment be thoroughly washed while protecting it at the same time.

2. Keeping your produce fresh and intact

If you have problems with leaving your produce out in the open (as it rots faster), reusable produce bag can be used to keep your produce fresh. Its breathable materials basically let your fruits and vegetables to “breathe” prolonging its shelf life while preserving it at the same time.

There is no need to unpack these produces anymore after every time you shop for groceries. You can store them away just like the way they are packed in.

Related Article: How to Store Whole, Cut, or Mashed Avocados?

3. Preservation of unripe produce

Bought a mango that is not ripe yet?

Worry not. Keep your unripe fruit in the reusable produce bag and let it sit in room temperature space for a few days. Unripe fruits often need storage that can regulate temperature without spoiling it prematurely.

Reusable produce bags just provide that as it regulates the temperature and also, preserve the condition of the fruit.

4. Laundry bag on the go

If you are a minimalist traveler, this is a great idea to save space in your luggage. As reusable produce bags are washable, you can always save some space after you have washed your laundry. This is primarily useful when you are a long-time traveler.

Alternatively, you can also use our canvas laundry bags that are specifically made for dirty clothes.

5. Storage for shoes

You know how leather shoes start to have crack lines when it’s left exposed after a certain time, in particular, the ones that you rarely use.

A great way to preserve these shoes is that you can store them in reusable produce bags. Those bags that are made from silk (repurposed second-hand fabric) are even better as it not only let the shoes breathe, but the bag protects the shoes’ material as well.

On the other hand, using a produce bag for your shoes during travel also guarantee that your clean clothes will not be ruined.

6. Say goodbye to your sandwich’s wrapper

Produce bags are usually washable, so why not use it as a lunch box? Or, more appropriately as the lunch sack. You can do away with zip-locked plastic bags and instead, use drawstring cotton mesh bags to bring lunch to work or school.

As a side suggestion, you can also bring appropriate-sized produce bag to your favorite food shop when you buy your sandwiches.

7. Organize your travel

Ever tried finding stuff in your travel luggage just to be disappointed that you don’t know where it is? You can always use produce bags to segregate your items. Jewelry can go in one produce bag, while toiletries into the other.

Packing will be an absolute breeze as this helps you with your packing list to ensure nothing important gets left behind. This also eliminates the ‘additional stress’ once you reach your destination as unpacking will never be a headache.

8. Storing China porcelains!

Most China porcelains cost up to thousands of dollars. Produce bags can be used when you need to store them away. It not only protects the plate but also preserves them.

Remember how dirty these plates can be when it has been left sitting in a cupboard for too long?

Rest assured this can be avoided, and as you can tie the produce bag, it makes it harder for roaches or bugs to lay eggs on your prized possessions.

9. Great for Your Bread

Whenever you pick up bread at the bakery, the loaf is always warm to the touch. Bakeries usually pack bread into plastic bags leaving the condensation circulating inside and making the bread damp.

In other cases, the bread is packed into a paper bag without proper sealing leaving them exposed to contamination.

Muslin or cotton bread bags are great to store bread as it allows the bread to “breathe” while avoiding condensation to pool inside the bag.

You may not prolong the shelf life of the bread, but at least you get to feel good about the bread, and that matters a lot.

10. Do away with plastic shopping bag at the convenience store

We don’t always shop for a lot of things at a time. Occasionally you might want to purchase a few items from local stores. Most reusable shopping bags are designed at a larger scale.

So, what happens when you just wanted to buy a packet of cheese and some cold meats?

Use those bags, of course. Not only it’s appropriate, but you also can tie your bag and carry it like normal shopping bag without the issue of holding it in your hands or putting it into a too-large shopping bag.

From the methods mentioned above to preserve items that we use in our daily life, we can not only reduce usage of disposable bags to the greater extent, but we can also reduce our unnecessary daily expenses by recycling older materials that are reusable and durable.

Using them will undoubtedly result in a reduction of a waste generation that impacts negatively on our environment. These few attempts of preservation can make us live better, convenient, and healthy lives.