Washing your bags, and getting the smell out after meat
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The routine
- Rinse straight away. The longer raw meat juice sits in a bag, the harder the smell is to shift.
- Wash in warm soapy water, inside out. Turning the bag inside out is the step most people skip and it's the one that matters — you can reach the corners and the inside of the zip.
- Rinse thoroughly. Detergent residue in the seal will stop it closing properly.
- Air dry completely, open and upside down. Prop it over a bottle or a dish rack tine so air moves through it. A bag stored damp is how you get the smell in the first place.
Keep water away from the valve where you can, and never put the bag in the dishwasher — the heat will warp the zip and the valve.
Getting the smell out
Fish, chicken and anything marinated in garlic will leave a trace. In order of how hard you need to try:
- Bicarb soak. A tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in warm water, fill the bag, leave it a few hours, rinse. This handles most of it.
- White vinegar. One part vinegar to three parts water, same method. Better on fish specifically.
- Sunlight. Wash, then leave the bag open in direct sun for a few hours. Surprisingly effective and free.
- Bicarb paste on the seal. If the smell is concentrated at the zip, work a paste into it with an old toothbrush.
Be honest about retiring a bag
A bag that still smells of fish after a bicarb soak and a day in the sun has absorbed it. Use it for the same food again — keep one or two bags as your dedicated fish bags — or retire it. Don't put cheese in it.
Labelling helps here. See what pen to use.
How many washes will a bag take?
Our bags are built for 30–50+ uses. What ends a bag's life is usually a damaged valve or a stretched zip, not the washing. More on bag lifespan →