Disgustingly Filthy

[ThinWomansBrain]

I spilt something on a canvas bag - decided to clean this and a pile of other soft rucksacks, laptop bags, etc.
Chucked them all in the bath with some pre-wash soaker, and they're now in the washing machine. The colour of the water in the bath was revolting - and I'd been carrying these bags around with me - YUK
They didn't look dory - but obviously carting round in city grime, etc.
I occasionally throw lightweight totes in with the washing - but how does everyone else keep this kind of stuff clean? - and how often?

Not enabled voting - definitely BU carting them round dirty

I wash my canvas shopping bags, mine and the dc’s rucksacks, clean shoes after each use and wipe purses, leather handbags etc. I likely things to look nice, last as long as possible but most importantly, I like to take pride in my appearance. It's how I was brought up to look clean and polished and to take care of the things I have. There's nothing wrong with that.

I shove my reusable bags in the wash a fair bit and hand bags I do hand wash the liners (kids forever stuffing random crap like rocks, sticks, snack wrapers in there so it gets funky!) i wash back packs after the beach because they feel weird from the salt. Bags see it all yet no one really cleans them.

Merryweather80

I agree I think if we want to start valuing Domestic , Household , Childcare , Nursing it doesn’t help if women themselves reject participating as men have been known to. We should place value in caring , cleaning etc and have it as valid as say working in finance until men have evolved rejecting it won’t achieve this. It’s not invisible work it matters that things are clean and looked after be it a bag , a child, a dog , a house , desk whether its a man woman or child cleaning it . It’s work and it is a skill of knowledge to look after things with care and experience . Nothing impresses me more than a child who knows how to fix something or keep something organised. It’s a life skill like knowing how to cook or sew. I am working on a web series with a lady of the older generation and she has so much wisdom and technique . We have gay neighbours and their garden makes me swoon its so beautiful . Stop undervaluing the domestic contribution I say how does it help if women just join in putting it down

@Merryweather80

I wash my canvas shopping bags, mine and the dc’s rucksacks, clean shoes after each use and wipe purses, leather handbags etc. I likely things to look nice, last as long as possible but most importantly, I like to take pride in my appearance. It's how I was brought up to look clean and polished and to take care of the things I have. There's nothing wrong with that.

That’s fine if it’s how you want to spend your time. It’s also fine if you don’t.

How dirty do they even get? Shopping bags get taken from the car to the supermarket and back again. Then into the house and back to the car. They barely see daylight.

I have a little cloth Cath Kidston bag that my daughter bought for me, which I use for transporting lunch and other things to work , every day (I work in a school). My drink leaked , so I had to wash the stain out but if it hadn’t been for that, it probably wouldn’t have been washed! It’s in use all the time, and has all my things in it ready for the next day and after the weekends, so it never gets thought about.
I don’t think a grubby bag is going to bring about the downfall of civilisation, to be honest.
But it did look better when It was cleaned!😊

@blueshoes

Life's too short. Sorry.

So many more important things to care about. The dragging up comment person obviously doesn't have enough going on!

Oh great, something else I'd never thought to worry about until coming on MN

Can I just interject for those doubting that bag cleanliness can shorten lives, I'm a doctor and 'bag minge' was listed as a secondary cause of death on all 4 of the death certificates I wrote yesterday.

HTH

wow - so glad that I'm now safe from bag minge
just London pollution I need to worry about

I was looking at my Asda bags the other day and thinking; "blimey they are a bit gross." Wasn't sure what to do with them.
I've got a bunch of canvas bags I've collected over the years that I use for shopping and I sling them into the washing machine from time to time along with my baby bag and changing mat. They come up lovely. I haven't really used a handbag for a while but I wipe those down with a baby wipe.
I guess they're just one of those little things at slip through the cleaning crack.

@Darlingx

Merryweather80

I agree I think if we want to start valuing Domestic , Household , Childcare , Nursing it doesn’t help if women themselves reject participating as men have been known to. We should place value in caring , cleaning etc and have it as valid as say working in finance until men have evolved rejecting it won’t achieve this. It’s not invisible work it matters that things are clean and looked after be it a bag , a child, a dog , a house , desk whether its a man woman or child cleaning it . It’s work and it is a skill of knowledge to look after things with care and experience . Nothing impresses me more than a child who knows how to fix something or keep something organised. It’s a life skill like knowing how to cook or sew. I am working on a web series with a lady of the older generation and she has so much wisdom and technique . We have gay neighbours and their garden makes me swoon its so beautiful . Stop undervaluing the domestic contribution I say how does it help if women just join in putting it down

I agree that having skills to repair things and to be organised is useful, and also cooking. I have zero desire to clean or look after other people, and some people go overboard on this because they have no self-worth in other areas of their lives. The problem comes in when women shame each other for not obediently doing all the wife work society has lumbered them with. If other women want to spend all day cleaning then that's fine by me, but I couldn't care less about it.

How do you clean a backpack? Doesn't the waterproofing come off if you machine wash it?
And what about handbags, how do you clean the inside....with a cloth?

@Thewiseoneincognito 😂😂😂 I've got a minging bag but since I've just started a new business and put all my money into it I can't afford a new bag yet, however I still need one and this is suede so annoyingly can't wash it. Tried a hand wash but my god it's ground in. Anyway, point is I couldn't give a shit what you or anyone else thinks.... low self esteem 😂😂😂😂 probably the opposite, so confident I don't care, it's just a bag.

I judge myself by my behaviour towards others and how I think I make them feel. That's how I judge others too. I highly recommend if you are short sighted going about without glasses on. Minor grubbiness magically disappears . Obviously does not apply to driving etc!

Damn right I reject participating in sewing,and mending and no I don’t value cleaning. Women don’t need that gendered responsibility and by Christ people have rightly challenged it. Dress domestic duties up in flowery florid language all you want doesn’t mean women should have do it and feel empowered for doing so.

We keep our house clean because we want to, and it feels calm and safe when it’s all in order. Cannot say I derive pleasure from it s such. Sure it’s satisfying when it’s all in order but valued, nah

The cult of mrs houswewifey hinch is appalling it’s like a fembot that cleans

Finally is no one going to laugh at the appalling stereotype of the gay couple who keep a lovely garden. Can I ask why was it necessary to say they’re bay unless you’re (stereotypically) linking being gay to being house proud. Being gay doesn’t equal having a sparking house, it’s not a given. It is however a tired trope gay = keep a nice house,nice garden

I don't understand how all these people judging other people's bags find time to wash their own bags what with all the time they spend judging. They must hardly get a spare minute from judging.

@Thewiseoneincognito

I often look at people carrying filthy bags and wonder if they’re aware how scruffy they look or if they even care, probably low self esteem.

Ever been at the supermarket and someone pulls out a purse that looks like they dug it up from landfill? Gross. The same with mobile phone covers.

Let’s not even start on shoes either, some people were dragged up.

I think the one with low self esteem is the one judging other people's bags.

I often look at people carrying filthy bags and wonder if they’re aware how scruffy they look or if they even care, probably low self esteem

Or…

it just doesn’t matter to them and their self esteem doesn’t require validation via a shiny bag ?