Reuse Piping Bags Even the Disposable Kind

Do you reuse piping bags? I know it is a weird question but, I want to know. I started decorating cookies with those cute little bottles but, changed to piping bags because I had more control over my icing and the bottles made my icing separate fairly quickly. I soon realized that the bag were not cheap when you used 8-15 colorful bags per cookie platter. I soon decided to reuse  piping bags to save money and our lovely plant earth.

Reuse-Piping bags thebearfootbaker.comTo make things a little easier than trying to wash out all the icing from the bag, I use the plastic wrap method I learned from Karen’s Cookies here. It makes things so much easier.

How to reuse piping bags:

I understand this maybe something super simple but, if it will save you money and help reduce waste, I wanted to share it.

Reuse-Piping bags thebearfootbaker.comWith Karen’s method of adding icing to your bag, it makes cleaning time super fast. Just remove the icing pod and throw it in the trash and washing your bags with hot soapy water and rinse well.Reuse-Piping bags thebearfootbaker.comI use a baby bottle cleaner to wash them out since most of the icing is in the tip of the bag. Before I got the bottle cleaner, I would shove a dish cloth in there and maneuver it around with the end of wooden spoon or a butter knife. I sometimes poked holes in them and well, lets face it, you can’t reuse piping bags if they have a big hole in them.

Reuse-Piping bags thebearfootbaker.comThen, open them up and place them upside down on a towel and let them dry overnight. If you don’t let them dry completely, they will be really disgusting and develop a bad smell. We want them to be clean and dry especially after we went through all the trouble of washing them.

Now let’s crunch the numbers. I reuse piping bags at least 10 times each before they get tiny little holes in them. I don’t use the Wilton bags because they changed their design a year or so ago and I found bag after bag with holes before I ever used them. I got frustrated and sought out a different option. I found these 12-inch Ateco Disposable Decorating Bags at Karen’s Cookies. There are 200 bags in each box.

These bags are about 20 cents each if you only use them once but, if you reuse them 10 times they only cost 2 cents per use. I will be honest, most of the time I use them more than 10 times. I am much happier paying 2 cents per bag and helping keep waster out of the landfill.

Gail at One Tough Cookie recommended I try these and I can’t wait to order them today. She said they are tick like the Ateco. Thanks for sharing with us Gail! You are amazing 🙂

Now you know that I reuse piping bags and I would love to know what you to reduce, reuse and recycle with your decorating? Leave a comment to let everyone know.

Happy Creating,

 

Lisa