Quick Tip Tuesday: A Bag for Rags

Every year I try to focus on things big and small in relation to our home and organizing solutions.  A few years ago I started a series of "Quick Tips", and I always love those posts because they allow me to share really quick things that can be done to make day-to-day life a smidge easier.  The solutions are intended to be simple enough that anyone can do them in a few minutes or less.

As much as I love those posts, sometimes our projects and what we have going on in our home can quickly take over the blog.  And then I forget that there needs to be a better balance of big and small for us all.  As a result, this year I am excited to use Tuesdays as a way to celebrate those smaller ideas that typically have big results.  Say hello to Quick Tip Tuesday!

As I was setting up a temporary kitchen in our guest room to utilize during our renovation, I realized that one of my favorite kitchen solutions has never actually been shared here on the blog.  The horror right?!

As we made an effort to use less paper towels and chemicals in the kitchen, we began using more rags. For the longest time I would toss the rags into a small vase tucked away under the sink.  This solution worked OK, yet it would only be a matter of a day or two before the smell would start and I wasn't a huge fan of lugging a ceramic vase up and down the stairs each laundry day.

Then one day I spotted a wet bag while with one of my girlfriends and her baby.  I had no idea that these fabulous things existed, where were they when my boys were babes?  I asked her all about them, and she let me know that typically they are used in diaper bags to hold wet diapers, wipes, spit up clothes, etc... They also work great at the beach or pool for wet swimming gear.  It made me start singing, "Always the last to know..."

Then the lightbulb went off.  I wanted one of these fabulous bags under my sink to hold all of our dirty and wet rags until laundry day!

I am not sure if all wet bags are created equal, but I purchased this one in the large size (no longer available in pink) and not only does it hold a boat load of dirty rags, it also seems to absorb and lock in the smells! 

So the tip is, hang one of these delightful bags on the inside of your cabinet door, just under the kitchen sink.  After cleaning or washing dishes, toss the damp/wet rag into the bag until washing day arrives.  I used Spring Clip Command Strips to hang the bag, but you could also sew a small loop on the back and use hooks.

Each week, I take the bag full of dirty rags down to my laundry room, and toss the bag right into the wash with them!  I have been doing this forever now and it really has been one of those super quick and easy solutions that make my daily life much more simple! 

Are y'all excited for more Quick Tip Tuesdays? 

Psssst!  I just looked up my Amazon order and I started using the wet bag at the end of 2012!  As you can see in the photos, the bag has held up wonderfully over the years.