Do zip lock food bag ever expire?

[kenny1999]

There is a super sale here that I never saw this cheap, so I am thinking about getting them a lot and a lot, but I hope this is not too stupid, will it ever expire? I won't consume them quickly, but it's basically kind of plastic right, that shouldn't expire or degrade at least in my lifetime right?

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Just store them in a cool, dry place and they will pretty much last forever.

 

[Andy M.]

Just store them in a cool, dry place and they will pretty much last forever.

Yes, this.

 

[roadfix]

 

[karadekoolaid]

Plastic bags last forever. They´re not food, they´re plastic!

 

[taxlady]

That list that says plastic bags last 20 years, that's out in the weather and blowing around on rough surfaces. That tells how durable they are. In a cool, dry place which isn't exposed to UV rays from the Sun, it's going to be a lot longer.

 

[taxlady]

Plastic bags last forever. They´re not food, they´re plastic!

But, some non-food items do expire. Have you ever had a tube or bottle of glue that dried up? Tape that won't stick, ball point pens or markers that dried up?

 

[karadekoolaid]

Sure - absolutely agree, but we´re talking plastic bags and I don´t think there will be a problem if kenny buys them now and used them in five years´time.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

That list that says plastic bags last 20 years, that's out in the weather and blowing around on rough surfaces. That tells how durable they are. In a cool, dry place which isn't exposed to UV rays from the Sun, it's going to be a lot longer.

Am I the only one who noticed that the list itself is in a plastic bag?

 

[pepperhead212]

Though not Ziplocs, I bought some other plastic bags in the late 80s that are still good now! They were 2 types of plastic bags that I pack bread in, for freezing, and the long one was for baguettes, the other for the usual loaves I make, and I got a thousand of each for around $12 a case, from a restaurant supply shop. I still have a lot of the long ones, only a couple hundred of the loaf bags. I also got some odd sized Ziploc type around the same time, in large amounts, and never had any of them degrade at all. So even if there's a date on them, you don't have to worry about it, as long as you keep them out of light.

 

[dragnlaw]

But, some non-food items do expire. Have you ever had a tube or bottle of glue that dried up? Tape that won't stick, ball point pens or markers that dried up?

???
Contents can dry but the actual tube or bottle, back of the tape, pens and markers don't.

Not the same thing.

 

[kenny1999]

Though not Ziplocs, I bought some other plastic bags in the late 80s that are still good now! They were 2 types of plastic bags that I pack bread in, for freezing, and the long one was for baguettes, the other for the usual loaves I make, and I got a thousand of each for around $12 a case, from a restaurant supply shop. I still have a lot of the long ones, only a couple hundred of the loaf bags. I also got some odd sized Ziploc type around the same time, in large amounts, and never had any of them degrade at all. So even if there's a date on them, you don't have to worry about it, as long as you keep them out of light.

Are you talking about plastic "case" rather than plastic "bag"??

Since plastic "bag" is usually soft and not easily cleaned well so I will not still use a plastic "bag" bought in the late 80s. But case is fine, they are rigid, and could be cleaned and rinsed very thoroughly.

 

[taxlady]

???
Contents can dry but the actual tube or bottle, back of the tape, pens and markers don't.

Not the same thing.

No, it's not the same thing as plastic bags. But, those are all non-food items. That was what I was pointing out, since the post I was replying to said that the bags would last forever because they aren't food. It's not just food that expires from age.

 

[GotGarlic]

Are you talking about plastic "case" rather than plastic "bag"??

Since plastic "bag" is usually soft and not easily cleaned well so I will not still use a plastic "bag" bought in the late 80s. But case is fine, they are rigid, and could be cleaned and rinsed very thoroughly.

I think he bought a case of plastic bags - a large amount.

 

[dragnlaw]

..... They were 2 types of plastic bags that I pack bread in, for freezing, and the long one was for baguettes, the other for the usual loaves I make, and I got a thousand of each for around $12 a case, from a restaurant supply shop. ....

You were asking about "bags" right? He was answering about "bags".

I would not worry kenny - they'll be good.

 

[kenny1999]

I think he bought a case of plastic bags - a large amount.

I mean, no matter how durable we know about plastic bag, but a "bag" bought in late 80s (now 30+ years) shouldn't still be used and cleaned repeatedly to store food right? "Case" has no problem because it is rigid and I am still using RIGID plastic box bought in late 90s they are still perfect.

 

[dragnlaw]

kenny, no matter the age of a plastic bag - it is the use that dictates how long it will last.

Many places in North America are banning the use of plastic grocery bags and other such stuff.

As bad as they are for the environment, small plastic storage bags were not really meant to be re-used - they are considered disposable.

If you constantly wash and re-use sooner or later the plastic will be punctured and the "zip" won't zip anymore.

 

[kenny1999]

kenny, no matter the age of a plastic bag - it is the use that dictates how long it will last.

Many places in North America are banning the use of plastic grocery bags and other such stuff.

As bad as they are for the environment, small plastic storage bags were not really meant to be re-used - they are considered disposable.

If you constantly wash and re-use sooner or later the plastic will be punctured and the "zip" won't zip anymore.

A plastic grocery bag of course, can be used forever, but a zip lock bag for contacting the food directly should be used for too many times for hygiene reason.

I definitely reuse zip loc bags for storing food but won't go too many times

 

[roadfix]

The heavy duty ZipLok freezer bags, we recycle and reuse them. The thin sandwich bags, rarely recycled for reuse.

 

[taxlady]

A zipper bag that was bought in the 1980s and never used will be fine. Unless the bags have been contaminated with something, there is no reason to wash them before the first use. Once they are being washed and reused, they won't be good for food storage for very many uses.