Wait, what? I use a collection of free tote bags from conferences as grocery bags, and I do keep them in the car, and I’ve never washed them.
The food is either in boxes (like cereal or crackers) or in those green plastic bags (fruit and veggies) or wrapped up in plastic and paper (deli meats, seafood). Every now and then a stray apple falls out of its plastic bag, but other than that raw food is not touching the bag. And every now and then I do use these bags for other uses, like for clothing or books. This sounds totally ridiculous to me. No one in my family has gotten sick yet, and I have no intention of washing them with bleach and hot water after every use. (But then again, I’m one of those people who don’t thoroughly wash their fruits and vegetables with soap and I’m still eating turkey a week after Thanksgiving).