How many reusable bags is too many?

I have about three or four big bags (bigger than bag for life, and mostly made of canvas). These are enough for a weekly shop and double up for other uses as needed (DD carrying supplies for school for example). Then about a dozen or so plastic bags from Ocado deliveries. These are good for lining the bathroom bins, ad hoc shoes bags, good to shove in suitcase for dirty laundry and even as a doggie poo bag in a pinch!
I don't have room for anymore and I don't need any more.

@SummerSplashing I have found my people!

I don’t like bags for life, they are sort of stiff and crumpled at the same time. Plus I don’t want to go around advertising where I may have shopped in the past. The only exception to this principle is my National Gallery exhibition plastic bags from Monet, Titian and something with jewels ( worn down beyond recognition), because they are/ were beautiful.

But our household came early to bring your own bag, because we lived in France and they didn’t give out carrier bags by ( I think) 2008. They did sell bags at the till, but they were all printed with touristy scenes and were regarded with contempt by the till girls , so we had to go native and source proper reusable bags. We have three large cool bags, three or four plastic woven vegetable bags which are huge, and I had a happy weekend making a LOT from shower curtains ( tropical leaves and Spanish tiles) . We also have some fabric ones made from curtain remnants which are nice because they remind me of the houses the curtains hung in.

They all live in the car, or on standby in the garage. If it was up to DH he would probably attempt to put the shopping under his arm, I do not think men really get bags…..

@margotsdevil

simply because it's THE only option!

😂😂

Well if you are - so am I 😂

My ds gets the look if he dares to even think about questioning my reasoning on needing a bag for every eventuality.

My kallax unit draw of bags is a thing of beauty.

😂😂😂😂 I did assume I would not be the only one to recognise this scenario

@cookiebee That is the single best description of the eternal struggle that I have ever read. Bravo.

we definitely have too many bags for life, but the great thing is they fold nicely inside just one bag for life, though I can’t seem to stop them gradually multiplying, though they have bag offspring a lot less than those unneutured plastic bags we had years ago. We had a tall kitchen cupboard growing up, it was filled to the brim with plastic bags, lots stuffed inside just one, creating plastic boulders that would all tumble out whenever you opened the door. As you bent down to pick them all up, more would tumble on your head, you would stuff them back in, creating a sort of wall of these wedged balls, then several loose bags would make a break for it, dancing out around your feet, all would be stuffed back in as you tried to close the door with your arse and one arm in the cupboard holding them back, whichever one of us was trying to sort this out would use some pretty foul language, never sorted the bloody cupboard out though.

So bags for life store neatly, it’s my Tupperware cupboard that causes the issues now, I fling them in straight out of the dishwasher, the lid and box go their separate ways and every time I go looking for Tupperware I swear I’m gonna sort it out soon as I throw it about looking for a matching box and lid, which all fall out around my feet!

Max of 15. X

I actually prefer the cotton or nylon ones because they can go in the washing machine. The jute ones can't even be wiped easily and the plastic ones take ages to individually spray and wipe so I try to just use the fabric ones and any other kinds DH brings home are gradually given away.

I don't wash them after every use though, but they also don't get very dirty on the inside (we don't buy meat or fish as we're veggie, and I have smaller produce bags for the odd bit of loose veg since most of it is packaged these days anyway). I mostly feel like the outside gets germy if they have to be put down on the ground at any point, which I don't then want going into my kitchen or touching other things in my handbag.

There was mention of the dangers of 'juices' from uncooked meats such as chicken soaking into cotton bags. Also buying fruit and vegetable loose from markets and all the earth and other detritus attached to them. Having a plethora of cotton tote bags colour coded like chopping boards are would appear to be a solution.

I am another with bags within bags in my under the stairs cupboard. Some are 'For Best' and other for everyday. I have some of those lovely Waitrose bags and more than a few grey hairs too.

@WoollyRosebud Did the article mention whether the germs subsequently harmed people, or whether they were a harmless part of the humdrum microbial fabric of everyday life?

100 is a lot. I have about half that to cover a similar set of uses. Could you be ruthless and limit yourself to one drawer, then use the freed up drawer for something more fun?

I once had a cotton tote bag which I had a bottle of Coke leak in there (didn’t put lid on securely) and washed it on 30c. It shrunk by a third. Obviously the cotton wasn’t pre washed. It was a bag from a charity

I read an article a while ago about cotton tote bags and the germs they carry. People use and reuse them for their shopping putting meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, etc in but never wash the bags between uses. I am sure MNetters aren't like that and probably wash all their reusable bags daily on the hottest machine setting possible after several hours soaking in bleach.

That's the one, they have cardboard in to give them the rigid shape, we still have our one and DH uses it for his muddy trainers as it went very tatty and bit holey from all the use. I wish I had bought more at the time

I actually very rarely use plastic bags for shopping. I've used cloth ones for years. Never had plastic bags when I was a child. Didn't use them then, don't need them now.

We live in a slightly grey haired Home Counties town and I’m forever impressed at the vintage Waitrose bags used by local shoppers. They seemed to have done a set of dark green bags that stand up by themselves in your trolley that were very popular at one point.

We have about 15 of the green plastic Waitrose kind and one or two stiff fabric supermarket bags. They live in the car. 100 is too many. I’m a bit selective about my bags for life and I get a bit twitchy if I’m given a free tote bag and start plotting how I’ll give it away.

Food banks are always super grateful for Bags for Life if you need somewhere to donate them to.

I fell out with someone over this. They put the gift bag I'd just given them straight into recycling. Not liking the clutter I of course immediately retrieved the thing.

My favourite ever bag was a green jute big square Waitrose one, which I had for years, they don't sell them now though unfortunately

I don't use the plastic ones, I use those Seasalt Jute bags which I buy in the sale, I have quite a few, some in each car and some at home, probably about 10 - 15 of them, they pack better than the bags for life and are better if I am on foot

My neighbour displays his scruffy old bags in his porch windows (lowers the tone I think)