What with Target finally “going green” with reusable shopping bags (and taking a tip from consignment and resale shopkeepers who’ve been giving a nickel “rebate” for years!) and CVS getting a dollar cash and four trips in out of you to give you a dollar store credit (weird, I know. Think it’ll fly?)  and people in Priuses (Priusi?) glaring at your empty arms as they tote their eco*conscious bags into Publix, now might be the time to ask:

Is your bag CLEAN?

Sure, you pile your purchases in your own bag, whether that’s a chic print bag or a political statement. Day after day, week after week, you’re doing your bit.

But are you making yourself…and the cashier who handles your used bag…sick?

A reuseable bag manufacturer’s blog mentions this, but I had to hunt high-and-low for the poop on getting rid of the grunge in well-traveled, well-used reusable bags.

Here’s what I found, beyond the obvious nylon bags which you can wash like your windbreaker:

• Made from recycled plastic bottles?  Hand wash or sponge wash in cold water, hang to dry
• Made from hemp? Spot clean only. May solve a fashion problem, but doesn’t address health issues
• Made from old outdoor ad banners? Simply toss in washing machine (after all if they hung above a carbon-spewing highway, they should survive your washing machine.)
• Those bags you get at NARTS Conferences (And that many shops use as part of their advertising programs)? You can wash them, but no drier. They don’t end up so pretty, but they’re tough as nails…I’ve used one several times a week to tote Products for the Professional Resaler to the post office for over 4 years.

And some tips: Keep separate bags for meats and fish and don’t store bags between uses in some dark airless place (so much for my glove compartment.)