Before I knew how to wash a backpack, I destroyed one by washing it. It was a hiking backpack, and I ran it on a hot cotton cycle at 140°F (60°C), with a regular dose of detergent and a 1,200 rpm spin. It came out with its water-repellent finish gone, two seams split open and a bent frame. It was three years old and in perfect shape before that.
Since then I wash my bags differently, and I have realized that most people around me make the same mistake I did. They treat a backpack like a piece of clothing. It is not one. It has foam padding, a frame, surface treatments and load points that cannot take what a T-shirt takes.
So here is how I wash a backpack now, by hand or in the washing machine, material by material, with the mistakes I made and what each one cost me.
- How to wash a backpack: my method, step by step
- Getting a backpack ready before you clean it
- Washing machine or hand wash: how I decide
- How to clean each backpack material
- Mistakes to avoid when washing a backpack
- How to wash a backpack without ruining it
- How to dry a backpack, the step where I got it all wrong
- The cleaning products I actually use
- How often I wash my backpacks
- Backpack washing questions, answered
How to wash a backpack: my method, step by step
It takes about 45 minutes of actual work, plus a night of drying. The drying is the longest part, and that is exactly where you are tempted to cheat.
The supplies I get out every time
Nothing exotic, you will find it all in a kitchen or a hardware store:
- A mild soap or Marseille soap. For a long time I used liquid laundry detergent, and it is too harsh for technical fabrics.
- A soft-bristled brush. A stiff brush scratches coatings, as I learned on a waterproof bag.
- Two microfiber cloths, one wet and one dry.
- Lukewarm water, never hot. 86°F (30°C) at most.
Getting a backpack ready before you clean it
This is the step I used to rush, and it is the one that decides how it turns out.
Empty the bag and every compartment completely
Completely means completely. I once washed a bag with a pen forgotten in a side pocket. The ink ran all over the lining and I never got any of it out. Now I open every zipper, turn the bag upside down over a trash can and shake it. Something always falls out, sand, crumbs, sometimes a coin. A vacuum run gently along the seams and into the corners of the pockets then picks up the grit that shaking leaves behind.
The second thing I do is take off everything that comes off: the frame, the hipbelt, the rain cover. These are the most fragile parts in a washing machine. Detachable shoulder straps and pockets can come off too, and be washed separately.
Check the fabric and the care label
The label is often in an inside pocket, sewn near the bottom seam. I had never looked for it before my accident. On the bag I destroyed, it spelled out “hand wash only”.
If the label is gone or you cannot read it, my default rule is simple. Hand wash. You lose nothing by being careful, and you have everything to lose by not being.
Some labels go further and say the bag must not be submerged at all. In that case it skips the tub and gets a damp cloth with a little mild soap instead, then a clean wet cloth to take the soap off.
Pretreat the worst stains
Before the full wash, it is worth working a little mild soap into the worst spots with the soft brush, gently, and letting it sit a few minutes. No bleach, even on a stubborn stain.
Washing machine or hand wash: how I decide
The only bags I still put in the washing machine are simple polyester or nylon ones, with no frame, no thick foam and no waterproof membrane. A school backpack, a small everyday bag for the city. Everything else gets washed by hand.
How to wash a backpack in the washing machine, when I risk it
- Close every zipper, otherwise the pulls catch on the drum.
- Turn the bag inside out and slip it into a closed pillowcase. It is the tip that has helped me most, because it protects the straps and the buckles.
- Delicate cycle, 86°F (30°C) at most, spin at 400 rpm or no spin at all.
- Half a dose of gentle liquid detergent. Powder detergent leaves white residue in the seams.
- No fabric softener. It clogs the pores of technical fabrics and kills the DWR, the durable water-repellent finish.
How to wash a backpack by hand, as I do for everything else
- Fill the bathtub or a large basin with four inches (10 cm) of lukewarm water and a little mild soap.
- Submerge the bag and let it soak for 15 minutes. No longer, because past that point the water works its way into the back padding and drying takes forever.
- Brush gently, one area at a time, focusing on the bottom, the shoulder straps and the back panel, which are the three really dirty spots.
- Rinse thoroughly. This is the step I kept missing. Any soap left behind leaves white rings as it dries, and there is always more of it than you think.
- Press the water out without wringing. Wringing bends frames and breaks down the foam.
How to clean each backpack material
Canvas and cotton
The most forgiving. A machine wash at 86°F (30°C) is possible on models without a frame. They shrink a little the first time, which surprised me on a heavy canvas bag. It came back slightly stiffer and less than half an inch (1 cm) shorter. Nothing serious, but good to know.
Technical fabrics and waterproof bags
Never in the machine, never with regular detergent. Ordinary soap attacks the water-repellent finish, and the bag starts soaking up water instead of shedding it. Hand wash, lukewarm water, very mild soap, a careful rinse. Once the bag is completely dry, I reapply a waterproofing spray, because that is what brings the fabric back to the way it behaved when new. The styles in our waterproof backpack collection need this treatment once or twice a year.
Leather
No machine and no soaking, ever. A barely damp cloth, a soap made for leather, then a conditioning cream once it is dry. I walk through the whole routine in my guide on how to clean a leather bag, because it is a topic of its own. Styles like the women’s lambskin leather backpack for the city, or the women’s sheepskin leather backpack in genuine leather, are cared for this way only.
Nubuck and suede
No water, no soap. A nubuck brush and a special eraser, and that is it. I left a permanent shiny patch on a suede panel by trying to do the right thing with a damp cloth.
Mistakes to avoid when washing a backpack
Water temperature, the mistake that cost me a bag
140°F (60°C) was my mistake. Heat softens the glues that hold the back padding in place, lifts the heat-sealed seam tape on waterproof bags and shrinks coated fabrics. 86°F (30°C) is a ceiling, not a cautious suggestion.
Harsh products
Here is what I have tried and will not do again: bleach (it fades and weakens the fibers), fabric softener (it clogs technical fabrics), powder detergent (residue in the seams) and chlorine stain remover. A friend cleaned a bag with glass cleaner, and it ate the screen-printed markings in a single pass.
Can you put a backpack in the dryer?
No. It is the most destructive mistake of all, and the most tempting. The hot tumbling air pulls the glued foam loose, melts the plastic parts and warps the frames. No backpack goes in the dryer, including the ones that can go in the washing machine.
How to wash a backpack without ruining it
Protect the zippers and the straps
I close everything before washing, and I put a drop of silicone lubricant on the zipper teeth once the bag is dry. It is a thirty-second habit that has extended the life of zippers I thought were shot. Of my three bags used until they wore out, it was always the zipper that failed first.
Keep the bag waterproof after washing
A simple test tells you where you stand. Pour a little water on the fabric. If it beads up and rolls off, the water-repellent finish is holding. If it spreads and darkens the fabric, the finish is gone and the bag needs a new waterproofing treatment. I run this test after every wash, so I do not discover the problem in the rain.
How to dry a backpack, the step where I got it all wrong
It is the part that takes time, so it is where people cheat, so it is where things get broken.
How I dry my bags now
- Hung upside down, open, with every zipper undone, in a room with good airflow.
- Never in direct sun, which fades and weakens synthetic fibers.
- Never on a radiator or with a hair dryer. That is how I stiffened a leather bag until it cracked.
- Newspaper inside to soak up the last of the moisture, swapped once after a few hours.
How long a backpack really takes to dry
A small canvas bag dries overnight. A hiking backpack with back padding easily takes two days, and it feels dry long before it is. My test is to squeeze the back panel hard between my hands. If there is the slightest damp coolness left, it is not done. A bag put away damp gets moldy, and I have had it happen.
The cleaning products I actually use
Mild detergents
A neutral liquid soap, or a detergent made for technical fabrics when I have some on hand. For waterproof bags there are dedicated cleaners that leave the water-repellent finish alone, and it is the only case where I find the specialty product worth the money.
Home remedies that work
- Baking soda: a tablespoon left overnight in a closed bag neutralizes odors. It is what saved my gym bag.
- White vinegar diluted half and half with water: effective on mold marks, on fabric only, never on leather.
- Marseille soap: enough for the vast majority of everyday stains.
I stopped using the essential oil recipes found online. They leave greasy rings on light-colored fabrics.
How often I wash my backpacks
Less often than you might think, actually. Every full wash wears the bag a little, and routine care does almost all the work.
- City bag or school backpack: a full wash every three or four months. In between, a damp cloth over the dirty spots.
- Gym bag: more often, but above all aired out after every workout. Airing it out is what takes care of the smell, not washing.
- Hiking backpack: a quick spot rinse after every muddy hike. A full wash once or twice a year is enough.
- Leather bag: never washed. A gentle cleaning and conditioning cream, twice a year.
What I do without fail, on the other hand, takes two minutes. I empty the bag and turn it upside down every week. Sand stuck in a seam wears the fabric with every movement, and you cannot see it until the day the seam gives out.
Backpack washing questions, answered
Can you put a backpack in the washing machine?
Some backpacks, not all. Simple polyester, nylon or canvas backpacks with no frame, no thick foam and no waterproof membrane can go in, if the care label allows it. Use a delicate cycle at 86°F (30°C) at most, a closed pillowcase, half a dose of gentle liquid detergent, a low spin or none, and no fabric softener. Technical fabrics, waterproof bags, leather, nubuck and suede never go in the machine. Several outdoor brands advise against machine washing their own packs at all, so the label always has the final say.
Should you wash a backpack open or closed?
Closed, in my method. In the machine I close every zipper, because open pulls catch on the drum, and the bag goes in inside out in a closed pillowcase. Some brand guides advise the opposite, with the pockets unzipped inside a laundry bag. If your care label says which, follow it. For drying there is no debate. Every zipper open, bag upside down.
How can I get rid of a smelly backpack?
Empty it, open every pocket and let it air out, outdoors in the shade for a few hours if you can. Then a tablespoon of baking soda left overnight in the closed bag neutralizes odors. That is what saved my gym bag. If airing and baking soda are not enough, wash the bag, and above all dry it completely, because a bag put away damp grows mold and starts to smell again. On mold marks, white vinegar diluted half and half works on fabric, never on leather.
How do you clean a backpack without washing it?
Between full washes, a quick cleaning does most of the work. Empty the bag and shake it upside down, wipe the inside with a clean damp cloth, rub any spots on the outside with the cloth and a little mild soap, then wipe the soap off with clean water. Leather, nubuck and suede follow their own rules, covered above.
What I keep in mind
86°F (30°C) at most, a pillowcase if the bag goes in the machine, no fabric softener, and above all slow drying in the open air. That is about all there was to know, and it is exactly what I did not know the day I started that hot cotton cycle.
The rest comes down to a ridiculously simple habit. Empty your bag and turn it upside down once a week. Since I started doing that, I wash far less often, and my bags last much longer.