Washing Zip Top Bags...too extreme?

I hate buying zip top bags.  They're so expensive (even the cheapo brands).  I have no clue how I ended up with a Ziploc brand one because I refuse to spend that much, but here it is!  I'm going to show you something I've recently started.  It might seem a bit extreme to some, but I just can't throw them out when they've only had frozen dinner rolls in them!  I'll show you how I do it.  After posting this, I thought....hmmmmm, do people really need a pictorial on how to wash bags?  LOL!  Oh, well.  I like step by step pictures, so maybe you'll indulge me!

In a sink that has just been scrubbed with Schmomet,

add one drop of dish soap to as hot of water as you can stand.

Do you know how hard it is to capture one drop on camera?  LOL!

 Unless you are planning on washing some dishes, only fill the sink about

a 1/4 of the way.  Now would be a good time to do all the empty bags you have.

First, clean out any excess food that is still in the bag.  Dump in trash.

Then submerge your bag in the hot water

I let it soak for a minute, then I fold a paper towel into quarters.

I have this thing where I'm worried if I use a sponge or rag, I'll

be introducing more germs than were in there in the first place.

Clean the outside, then invert, being sure to push your fingertip 

into the corners so they poke out all the way.  UPDATE:
Okay, after you wash 16 bags in one night, you get a little tired
of using a paper towel.  I caved and used a sponge and have
continued doing it that way ever since.

When I'm done with that, I run some hot water into 

the bag and rinse the inside out outside.

Wipe the outside of the bag with a clean dish towel.  Turn over

and get the back.  I don't mind using a clean dish towel for the

outside.  That doesn't creep me out because food doesn't go there.

But for the inside, I use a paper towel.
UPDATE:  I now use a clean dish towel for the inside, too.
Too much work (and added expense) to keep using paper towels.
Besides, it collides with my "lessening our reliance our paper products" philosophy!

Because it's not completely dry (you'll see a little fog in there), I

hang mine up to dry.  I do this by putting it over something that will

keep the bag open and let air circulate.  My oil bottle works well for this.

I just have to make sure there's no oil on/around the cap, so I wipe

it down really well before I do this.  I know...this probably has more

germs than the towel does, but I'm weird.  What can I say?  LOL!

In about 15-20 minutes, your bag is totally dry and you can 

put it away with the rest of your bags.

Or, if you have a lot to dry, you can make a 'bag'mas tree like this!

And don't throw out that paper towel!  You can use it

to wipe your counters when you're done!

Notes:

I know this may sound extreme to some, but I figure I'm spending less than a cent to clean the bag, while saving approximately 20c for ZipLoc brand (that I never buy anymore) and 8.7c per my usual brand, Dollar General.  And if you do several bags at once, you're only spending a penny for all of them to get clean.  

I don't wash the little old-fashioned folding kind.  I get them for about 1/2 cent apiece, so that's not really worth it to me.  They'd fall apart, I'm fairly certain.

I have not used this process for bags that have contained meat.  I'm kinda leery about that.  I'm just not sure if I can get them safely clean.  I've read that some people add a bit of bleach to the water.  I may try one out just to see how it works.  I'm just picturing a lot of grease and bacteria smearing going on, lol!

I also read today that several people wash theirs in the clothes washer with their hot load.  Ummmmm, excuse me.  I'm wondering if they realize that they're probably introducing way more germs than the meat had in it!  I mean, really....sweaty work out wear, UNDERWEAR, socks, even a t-shirt...body oil, perspiration, bacteria....Ewwwww!  I implore you, do not do this.  It's just gross, lol! 

I know some people could argue that it's not worth their time to do this, but honestly, it takes just a minute.  And besides, it's not all about the money.  This is also a good practice because it reduces the amount of non biodegradable items in landfills.  I'm not an over-the-top recycler, but every little bit helps.

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