Declutter Your Kitchen (And The Back Of Your Car) With A Smarter Way To Store Reusable Grocery Bags

Reusable grocery bags: so good for the environment, but so fundamentally annoying. They work a treat in terms of carrying our groceries securely home and are stronger than wasteful plastic or paper disposable bags, but they can be exceedingly unwieldy to store. Hang them, and they flare out like a stubborn petticoat. Try to nest them, and the handles become a jumbled mess. This is to say nothing of the fact that we often hide them so well that we forget to bring them to the store in the first place! When we covered how to store reusable grocery bags in creative ways, one method really stood out: storing our grocery bags by folding them into tidy bundles secured by the handle.

As seen on various social media reels, all you have to do is lay the bag flat and fold it into thirds the long way. Then, fold it up in the opposite direction towards the handle, making a compact square parcel. You then wrap the handles of the bag around the square, making one handheld package that's effortless to store inside another bag and throw in the back of your car. It saves on space and clutter — and ensures that your bags are always on hand when you need them. 

Internet users report particular success with this folding trick because it requires no special skills or tools and takes mere moments. Nobody likes tons of bags floating around your utility closet, laundry room, entryway, or car's trunk. When you compress the bags into square bundles instead, you can stash a few in your glove box, center console, or in any corner of a home closet, turning your reusable bag woes into a non-issue.

Bringing dirty reusable bags to checkout at Trader Joe's is a faux pas, but this is an etiquette — and hygiene! — issue that should be observed no matter where you shop. Don't make the mistake of folding up stinky, soiled bags, as moisture and bacteria can accumulate further in the dark folds of the material, compounding the nastiness. Furthermore, you don't want to be stashing your edible groceries in dirty bags! Do yourself a favor and launder or spot-clean dirty bags before folding them, making sure they are totally dry. Whoever is bagging your groceries deserves to be greeted by fresh, clean bags, even if that somebody is you.

Although your folded grocery bags will tuck nicely into your trunk, we can't help but recommend that you keep some in a more accessible spot up front. There's nothing more frustrating than going into a store and doing all your shopping only to realize that you left your bags behind! Having the tidiest reusable bag stash in the world does you no good if you hide them so well that you can't remember to bring them with you, so pick a visible spot. 

While we're at it, keep in mind Costco's shopping bag rule, as well as the fact that other retailers might want to check your bags when entering or exiting a shop. With a little extra work, you'll find that your frustrations regarding reusable bags can become a thing of the past and that you have plenty of room in your storage space for actual storage because your bags need not take up much room whatsoever.