Work-camping in Colorado for the past several months, we’ve amassed a substantial number of brown paper grocery bags. Colorado is a state that disallows plastic bags. If we forget to take our own bags to the store, we spend a dime and purchase a grocery bag to carry home our purchases. With so many bags piling up in our RV, it’s time to find some tips and tricks for using brown paper grocery bags! Here are some of my favorites…
Ways to reuse brown paper grocery bags
• Pantry organization. Paper grocery bags can be repurposed as storage bins or organizers. Fold down the top of the bag to the desired size. Then use the bag to corral items in your RV pantry, closet, or office supplies drawer.
• Gift wrap. Reuse brown paper bags as eco-friendly gift wrap. The neutral color of the bags provides a perfect blank canvas for creativity—decorate them with stamps, markers, or ribbons to give your gifts a rustic, yet chic, look.
• Cool cookies. Fresh-baked cookies will retain their crispness if you cool them on a paper bag instead of a wire rack.
• Book covers. Protect and personalize your books by using brown paper bags as book covers. This is a great way to keep your RV cookbooks in good condition. (Don’t forget to label each book.)
• Fire starters. For your next campfire, use a paper bag as kindling. Simply fill it with small twigs or dry leaves to create a simple and effective fire starter.
• Rehydrate breads. Place rolls or bread inside a paper bag and fold the bag closed. Run a bit of water over the bag and put the bag in your RV oven set at low heat. The breads will refreshen within ten minutes.
• Drain grease. Stop using paper towels or napkins to drain bacon. Instead, use a folded paper bag. It will absorb the grease just as well and can be used later as a fire starter.
• Luminaries. Cut designs in the sides of a paper bag. Here’s one idea. Put sand inside the bag to weigh it down. Then set a battery-operated tea candle atop the sand and use as an outdoor luminary.
• Mushroom keeper. Store fresh mushrooms inside a brown paper bag. Place the bag in your RV refrigerator. The mushrooms will last much longer.
• Boot helper. Roll up paper bags and stand them inside your tall boots. The bags will help the boots retain their shape.
• Onion preserver. If you keep onions inside a paper bag in your fridge, they can last 2 to 3 months without sprouting. (Same goes for garlic.)
• Kitty box liner. Use paper bags to line the cat’s litter box before adding the kitty litter. The bag will help control odor and help with absorption.
• Windshield protector. Remove the bottom of a paper bag. Cut all along one side of the bag to form one continuous piece. Then place the resulting paper on your motorhome’s windshield under the wiper blades. This will protect from snow/ice accumulation.
• Ripen fruit. You can hasten the ripening of tomatoes, peaches, or other fruits by placing them inside a paper bag.
• Place mats. Cut out the back and front sides of a grocery paper bag. Let kid-campers use scissors to “fringe” the edges. Provide markers and encourage your little ones to draw camping pictures on the mats. (This activity will keep little hands busy while you cook!)
How about you?
Do you reuse brown paper grocery bags? Tell us how in the comments below.
##RVDT2480
Hey, those are all great ideas! Thanks!!
Paper recycling. Use the paper grocery bag to store recyclable paper, then recycle the whole thing.
Not so sure about windshield protector. If you don’t get the wet paper off before it starts to dry you could end up with a stuck-on paper mache.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 We rarely have paper bags. When we do, we save them to put atop the wood when we have a fire in our fireplace at home. The burning bag helps the chimney draw the smoke until the fire itself gets hot enough. We use the plastic grocery bags to clean up after dog #3 poops. Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
I’m so old that I remember doing most of these before the advent of plastic bags. Long before reuse, reduce, recycle.
We use them to help pack our rig, and again when we leave. We use them to put clothes, food, and other supplies in.
Covered many schoolbooks with brown paper bags.
Gift Wrap, cool cookies, book covers, all things we did back in the 40s, 50s and 60s. All my schoolbooks were covered that way. I have always used to make patterns for hobby work and wife for sewing / quilt patterns.