How to Wash a Backpack
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At Tortuga, our mission is to make travel easier. Our advice and recommendations are based on years of travel experience. We only recommend products that we use on our own travels.
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Over the course of the past decade, I’ve traveled more or less constantly. My backpack is more than a piece of luggage: it’s the home I wear every place I go. Accordingly, I want my bag to look and work its best through mile after mile, flight after flight, and adventure after adventure. It took me a few trips, however, to learn how to wash a backpack.
Looking good requires cleaning. Working well requires maintenance. A lack of maintenance can cause your bag to break down as zippers get mucked up, leftover dirt and foodstuffs leave a mess on your clothes, and other issues crop up.
How your bag looks can even impact the quality of your travels. I’ve witnessed how customs agents treat a traveler with a dirty bag versus a traveler with an orderly, clean backpack. Trust me, you want to be the latter.
With all this in mind, you might be wondering how to wash a backpack. We’ve got answers.
Choose a Washable Travel Backpack
For starters, cleaning a backpack is a lot easier when you have a durable, wash-friendly bag in the first place.
One of the reasons I use the Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack—and one of the reasons it looks just as good today as it did when I bought it several years ago—is the material it’s made from. With its durable, waterproof body of X-Pac VX21 fabric, the vast majority of dirt and spills wipe off effortlessly with a damp rag. Beyond that, the Outbreaker’s highly organized layout promotes cleanliness by making it easy to keep everything in its proper place. The interior pockets and dividers are also easy to clean.
Bottom line: Make sure that your backpack is made out of material that can be wiped clean.
Cleaning Supplies
While there are plenty of expensive cleaners on the market, you’ll only need a handful of basic household items to clean even the dirtiest of backpacks.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Mild soap
Try to use a soap with no fragrances or additives, which can leave their own stain. Dr. Bronner’s will work nicely.
- Sponge or washcloth
It should be clean and soft to avoid leaving scratches.
- Bristled brush (for deeper stains)
Look for a brush with soft, nylon bristles. Again, anything too stiff could leave scratches. A toothbrush will get the job done.
How to Hand Wash a Backpack
Once you’ve collected these items, the process of washing a backpack is pretty straightforward.
- Check the manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations.
Most backpack brands include a care label or offer a printed or online user’s manual with detailed care instructions. The Outbreaker Backpack, for example, provides everything you need to know about cleaning it in the online manual.
- Wipe it down.
Combine soap with warm water, then use a soft cloth or sponge to wipe off the exterior.
- Scrub the trouble spots—carefully.
If your bag has more troublesome stains, now is the time to put in the elbow grease with that toothbrush. Scrub out the offending stain with the brush using small circling motions but don’t scrub so hard that it damages the material.
Pay extra attention to seams where dirt tends to gather. Avoid scrubbing zippers directly, which sometimes are protected with water-resistant coatings. Wipe off the exterior a second time using a cloth and clean water to ensure that all soap residue is removed.
- Hang dry
Once it’s clean, hang dry your backpack in the shade or indoors. Avoid drying it in direct sunlight as UV light can deteriorate the fabric over time.
Important note: Do NOT put your backpack in a washing machine or dryer unless the manufacturer says it’s okay. That’s a fast way to destroy a perfectly good backpack.
How to Deep Clean a Backpack
Every once in a while, you should give your backpack a deeper cleaning. Here are a few tips:
- Zippers should be cleaned occasionally to remove anything that might be caught in the teeth. As I mentioned above, be gentle to protect any water resistance. Use a mild soap like Dr. Bronner’s. Make sure to wash zippers if you’ve been near the ocean as the salty sea air can be corrosive. There are also special lubricants made for zippers that can be applied to smooth the action and protect them over time.
- Use a vacuum nozzle to deep clean the interior pockets, organizers, and crevices. Make sure to get out the hard-to-reach dirt and crumbs.
- Remove any removable parts like shoulder straps or hip belts. Hand wash and spot clean them with soap and water. Be sure to clean the connection points, velcro, and buckles.
- Clean any mesh pockets but be gentle while doing so to protect them from tearing.
Once your backpack is clean, store it somewhere cool and dry to prevent molding. In particularly humid climates, place desiccant packs in the pockets to absorb excess moisture.
By keeping your backpack clean, you can make sure that it’s looking and working great for years of travel. The payoff is worth what little effort is required.