Earth Day is upon us April 22 — the 45th anniversary this year, in fact — so it’s time to reinvigorate the Plastic Bag Washing Club.
I’ve found that I’m not alone in my kitchen recycling behavior that has me washing out sturdy zipper-top plastic bags when I use them. Although I try not to use these bags too often, when I do use one, I wash it and let it dry in my kitchen garden window. On a busy cooking day, or when I am using up a lot of leftovers, I might have 4-5 bags drying at any given time. I find that I can use a bag many, many times over if I simply wash it out after use and leave it to dry.
Long ago my husband had me convinced it was quirky behavior, but it turns out there are LOTS of fellow bag-washers. So many, in fact, that I have created the Plastic Bag Washing Club, 2015 edition. This follows the 2011 club when I first confessed my behavior and invited others to let me know if I was truly a freakshow, or if it is was more common than it seemed.
Call for members: If you are in the Plastic Bag Washing Club, please let me know so we all don’t feel so odd. Send me a photo (D Reinhold at charter dot net) of your plastic bags drying in your kitchen (or whevever you dry them), and I will post it, and make you an honorary member of the…
Plastic Bag Washing Club 2015
Plastic Bag Washing Club 2011
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Kim from Rusticgardenbistro.com [8] in Orange County, Calif. perches hers atop her stack of handwashables drying in the sink. That’s a lotta pots and pans! Dinner must have been great!
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Lori from Beachtrading.com [10] in Long Beach, Calif. also favors the dish stacking method of drying. She just finished washing up after making a pot of Crock-Pot chili. I’m sensing a colander theme here.
Rashmi at Yumkid.com [12]is in the club! Little kids in the house…lotta sippy cups. (Where’s your colander, girl?)
Kate from Katewoods [14] in Australia has a little bucket full of tape and pens and “stuff” beside the sink, and drapes bags to dry them. She even saves plastic wrap (Glad Wrap).
Betsy from BetsyLombard.com [16]in Nevada City, Calif. simply dries them in the corner. Nuthin’ fancy needed! But…look below for her extra tweak…
Now this, my friends, is a delux plastic bag holder, open at both ends with elastic at the top and the bottom, sort of like an air sock. Bags at the ready! Betsy’s husband’s Tennessee grandmother made it for her, and they call it…get this…a “pecker warmer.” I’ll wait for a second while you absorb that. Are you laughing? Because I am sophomoric, I will suggest an alternative alliterative name — how about “wienie warmer?”
Join the club!
Don’t forget: If you are like us and wash and reuse your plastic bags, please shoot s snapshot of your system. Send me a photo (DReinhold@charter.net) of your plastic bags drying in your kitchen (or whevever you dry them), and I will post it, and make you an honorary member of the Plastic Bag Washing Club!