Luggage is a traveler’s best friend, but it can also be a dirt magnet. Even when you’re not traveling, your luggage may get dirty from being shuffled around the airport all the time or stored at home for long periods.
After traveling you’ll want to clean it, too. Then, the next time you travel your luggage will be nice and clean.
Luckily, it’s easy to keep your luggage clean and fresh. We’ll show you how to clean luggage in this step-by-step guide.
1) Empty your suitcase.
First, it’s important that everything is out of the suitcase. Your luggage will be difficult to clean if you’ve got clothes or other items still sitting in the bottom or hidden in pockets of your suitcase.
2) Vacuum the luggage with an upholstery attachment.
To get the surface dust and dirt, it’s important to vacuum the luggage. You can use a regular attachment or an upholstery brush, whichever is most appropriate for your type of bag and fabric. Be sure to vacuum carefully, as you don’t want to damage the fabric.
If your bag has a lining, be sure to vacuum behind and underneath it too. You’ll also need to take off any zippers or pockets on the outside of your luggage for vacuuming.
Don’t forget about the other compartments in your suitcase as well. Make sure to vacuum out all front, back, and side pockets. If your vacuum attachment doesn’t fit, no problem. Just tip the compartment over and shake your luggage to let the dirt fall out.
3) Mix a squirt of dish soap and water in a bowl.
Dish soap and water is a great DIY cleaner to make sure your luggage is spotless. It helps remove any tough stains and gives pieces a fresh, clean scent.
Simply pour the mixture into your bowl (or washcloth), grab your towel, and start scrubbing away! You can use this mixture on all compartments in your luggage including side pockets or any other surface that needs to be cleaned.
If you need a little more elbow grease, use a scrub brush to loosen up tough stains. This will make it easier to wipe them away.
Don’t use too much dish soap, because it can be a pain to wash out. Start with just a couple of squirts of soap
Avoid bleach and abrasive cleaners. Also, most kitchen degreasers may not be fabric friendly.
4) Wipe the inside of your luggage with a damp cloth.
Now you’ll have some soap residue inside your luggage. But that’s not hard to deal with. Just take a damp cloth and wipe it down thoroughly. Be sure that the towel is rung out completely. You don’t want sitting water inside any of your luggage compartments. It may ruin the fabric.
5) Open all the compartments in your luggage and let it air dry (the sun can help).
This can take anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight depending on the material of your luggage. Depending on how wet it gets you can dry the surface of your luggage with a towel, but it won’t ever get fully dry unless you leave it out for a bit to air dry.
If the weather is nice you can leave it outside in the sun.
Make sure all compartments are open; this will speed up the drying process.
How do you clean a fabric suitcase?
Dish soap and water is your best bet. It’s safe to use on most fabrics and everyone has it sitting around their home. Be sure to check with the manufacturer of your luggage to see what they recommend. Avoid bleach and abrasive cleaners when cleaning your fabric suitcase.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide.
1) Wipe the outside with a damp microfiber cloth. Make sure that the fabric doesn’t absorb too much water.
2) Mix dish soap and water in a bowl, then scrub the stain thoroughly in a circular motion. Repeat this process until the stain begins to break down.
3) Wipe the luggage with a damp cloth.
4) Let it air dry.
How do you remove scuff marks from luggage?
Dish soap and water will remove most small scratches and scuffs. Other mild abrasives like baking soda or a commercial cleaner will work great too. For larger scratches, you may need to use a magic eraser pad.
Here’s one that I use in my house all the time from Amazon. It works great!
How do you get an odor out of a suitcase?
Baking soda is a fantastic deodorizer for your luggage. Just sprinkle baking soda inside the suitcase and let it sit for several hours. The baking soda will neutralize the smell. Then, vacuum the baking soda in the suitcase. Vinegar is also an effective odor neutralizer. Dip a towel in some vinegar, wring it out, and wipe your suitcase to keep it smelling fresh.
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