How to wash a backpack in a washing machine: leather, orthopedic, school

You can machine wash your backpack, but there are important rules to follow. Improper washing can badly affect the backpack, you need to pay attention to the water temperature and the intensity of the wash.

Can the backpack be washed

Suede, leather, fabric and waterproof synthetic backpacks are very popular and are present in almost any home. Carrying a backpack is in many ways more convenient than a bag, more things can be placed in it, and the load is distributed evenly and does not harm posture.

From time to time, any backpack needs washing, as it inevitably gets dirty from street dust, precipitation and contact with the ground and other surfaces. Contrary to stereotypes, you can wash it in a washing machine, but before that you need to learn about the features and important rules.

Features of washing backpacks

Before washing a backpack in the machine, you need to look in one of its internal compartments for a label that contains information on the rules of care. Usually the manufacturer informs at what temperatures the product can be washed, whether it is allowed to process it in the washing machine or is it better to clean it only by hand.

There are several general rules regarding the washing of backpacks:

1. It is recommended to wash the product a maximum of 2 times a year, if you carry out the procedure more often, the satchel will quickly wear out, and the water-repellent impregnation will be washed out of it.
2. At the same time, it is highly recommended to wash the backpack every year - the thing collects a lot of dirt, and if you neglect washing for a long time, then later it can no longer be completely cleaned.
3. Before cleaning in the washing machine, remove all items from the backpack. It is recommended to carefully check the side and inner pockets, small compartments - they often contain pens or felt-tip pens, chewing gum, candy and other trifles. A thing left in a briefcase during cleaning in a washing machine can severely stain the product so that even a stain remover will not be able to wipe the stain later.
4. Before washing the backpack, you should remove the main dirt from it. To do this, moisten a clean soft cloth and pass over the most noticeable stains; coarse material can also be treated with a non-hard brush.
5. It is recommended to pay special attention to the seams during the preliminary cleaning, as they accumulate a lot of dust and microscopic debris. For good cleaning, the seams can be vacuum cleaned.
6. Before washing a backpack in an automatic washing machine, you must remove all decorative elements and accessories from it.

What mode to wash the backpack

The backpacks seem to be very durable and resistant to mechanical stress in the washing machine. But in reality this is not entirely true. Products consist of many compartments and parts sewn together, and in the process of intensive washing, some of them can deform, and in different ways. Intensive cleaning in a washing machine is poorly tolerated and numerous fasteners of the product, if you wash the satchel at a large number of turns and with a strong spin, problems with fastening and unfastening the zippers may appear.

It is best to set it on the washing machine for delicate or hand wash. The number of revolutions should not exceed 600, and it is better to stop at all at 300-400. The spin for the product should be gentle, you can do without it at all.

But it is better to appoint an additional rinse for the knapsack in the washing machine. Detergents made from coarse, dense fabrics do not wash well.

At what temperature to wash the backpack

In theory, cotton and heavy synthetic satchels can be washed at 60 ° C. But in practice, this is not recommended, the paint may fade or blur on the product, water-repellent impregnation suffers from high temperatures, and individual parts are deformed.

It is better to set the temperature in the washing machine to 40 ° C; for knapsacks made of sensitive fabrics, this indicator is completely the limit.

How to wash your backpack

When washing a product, ordinary granular powder can be used only in extreme cases, the product is poorly rinsed out of dense fabrics, and can damage a sensitive material.

It is better to wash a backpack with special compounds, for example, Domol, Nikwax and similar detergents. They not only provide high-quality cleaning of the fabric, but also help to maintain and strengthen the moisture-resistant impregnation even in the washing machine.

If specialized products are not at hand, you can also use liquid gels for use in the washing machine or even soap shavings for hand washing. You can use gentle bleaches, but you should first check them on an inconspicuous area of ​​the fabric, this will make sure that the product does not spoil the color of the product.

Backpack Washing Methods

Both hand washing and processing in the washing machine help to clean the portfolio from dirt. In order not to harm the product, in both cases, you need to clearly understand the algorithm.

How to wash a backpack in a washing machine

The automatic washing machine can be used to wash polyester, cotton and denim backpacks. The main condition is that the satchel must be soft, without orthopedic linings and rigid inserts, which can be damaged during washing or damage the drum itself.

You need to wash your backpack in the washing machine as follows:

1. All things are removed from the backpack and the pockets are carefully checked for forgotten little things, and then all the fasteners are closed.
2. The product is immersed in a special bag for washing, it will protect the metal and plastic parts of the briefcase from scratches, in addition, it will not lose the runners and blotches that accidentally come off in the process.
3. The bag with the product is placed in the washing machine, then the gentle cleaning mode is set at a temperature of 30-40 ° C.
4. A special detergent or ordinary liquid gel for washing is poured into the powder compartment, such compositions dissolve better in cool water, do not give excess foam, rinse out better and do not leave white streaks on the fabric.
5. Before starting in the washing machine, turn on the additional rinse mode; wash out the cleaning agent from the thick cloth of the briefcase very carefully.

How to wash your backpack by hand

Some backpacks cannot be cleaned in a washing machine - this is referred to as products made from delicate natural fabrics and suede, sensitive synthetics.

For such cases, hand wash is used, it makes it possible to provide a softer physical effect on the material:

1. Before washing the briefcase by hand, it should be freed from all things in the same way and all fasteners should be closed. Seams and the most visible dirt are recommended to dry clean or rub with a damp soft brush.
2. Before cleaning, the product is soaked for 2-3 hours in cool water - most of the contamination will dissolve or lose its resistance.
3. After soaking, water is poured into a large basin with a temperature of 30-40 ° C and a little liquid detergent is added; it is still not recommended to use ordinary powder. The product is thoroughly mixed in water, but try not to foam.
4. The backpack is immersed in water and left for a few minutes so that it gets properly wet. Then they take a soft brush or sponge with a rough surface and carefully process the material of the product, paying special attention to problem areas.
5. The washed knapsack is thoroughly rinsed in clean water, the procedure must be repeated several times until the water is completely clean.

It is impossible to squeeze out the product after hand washing, the water must drain from the backpack in a natural way.

How to wash different types of backpacks

General cleaning rules are the same for all products. However, some nuances depend on the material of the portfolio, and they must be taken into account.

How to clean a school backpack

Usually school bags are made of thick cotton, polyester or denim - delicate materials for backpacks are rarely used. Therefore, the backpack can be washed in a washing machine according to the classical algorithm - in cool water at minimum speed:

1. It should be borne in mind that school bags are often equipped with rigid inserts to maintain the normal posture of the child. If there are such elements in the knapsack, if possible, they should be removed; it is impossible to wash the backpack together with the frame. For backpacks from which it is impossible to remove the inserts, you can use only hand wash to avoid damage to the portfolio.
2. Usually school bags are brightly colored. Before washing in a washing machine, you need to test the selected detergent on an inconspicuous area of ​​the product and make sure that the gel or soft powder will not harm the drawings and prints. Satchels with bright patterns should not be washed with appreciable effort, the picture in this case may lose its quality, crack and peel off.

In addition to natural fabrics and synthetics, hard vinyl, tarpaulins and leather are used for the production of school bags. In principle, such backpacks cannot be washed in the traditional way, and even more so in a washing machine, they should only be regularly wiped with a damp sponge and a gentle detergent.

How to wash an orthopedic backpack

Orthopedic backpacks are called bags with a rigid frame in the back and a sealed bottom. Such products support the back in the correct position and do not allow the spine to bend even under significant weight. But washing a backpack with an orthopedic back is much more difficult:

1. In the washing machine, it is allowed to clean only those backpacks from which you can temporarily remove all solid elements, and then easily insert them back. If this option is not provided, you will have to use the manual method.
2. It is necessary to wash the orthopedic backpack so as not to damage its rigid form. To do this, it is recommended to set the minimum number of revolutions in the washing machine or use the most gentle effort when washing by hand. To maintain its shape, you can also put rolled foam rubber inside the product, which will not allow the backpack to wrinkle much.

The orthopedic knapsack is washed in cool water not higher than 30 ° C to avoid deformation of the thing. It is recommended to keep the product in water during manual processing for no longer than 20 minutes, and you need to rinse the briefcase at least 2-3 times until the cleaning agent is completely washed out of the fabric.

How to wash a travel backpack

Travel backpacks are usually made from tarpaulin, durable polyester and similar fabrics designed for heavy loads. A product of this type is difficult to tear, but due to use in extreme conditions, the travel bag gets dirty quite quickly and strongly.

It is recommended to wash tourist models only by hand. Since the backpack is often worn behind the back in rain and snow, in conditions of high humidity, it is especially important to keep its water-repellent impregnation, and it quickly deteriorates in a washing machine.

To wash your backpack, it's best to use the most powerful liquid cleaners and gentle bleach to remove even stubborn dirt.

Travel backpacks can be brushed with moderate brushes to remove dirt from seams and fabric fibers. The straps and back of the backpack should be especially thoroughly cleaned as they absorb sweat and dirt during hikes.

Tourist models must not be rubbed, twisted and squeezed. First of all, this harms the strength of the seams. Taking into account the high loads for such portfolios, it becomes clear that an untimely seam can cause serious trouble.

How to wash a leather backpack

A genuine leather backpack is a very delicate product that requires special handling. In no case should you wash a leather item in a washing machine, and it is not recommended to carry out hand washing in a basin.

It is best to wash a stained leather backpack inside and out without submerging it in water. Prepare a cleaning solution with dishwashing detergent or laundry soap, dampen a sponge or soft cloth in it, and then simply rub the soiled area and leave the soap for a few minutes.

The cleaned leather briefcase is wiped with a clean, damp sponge several times, and then blotted with a dry cloth. The leather product is dried in a natural way - in a dry room with good ventilation. You can clean a leatherette backpack in a similar way - artificial leather also does not tolerate moisture well.

How to wash a backpack that cannot be washed

Backpacks made of suede, natural delicate fabrics, thin leather and delicate synthetics often cannot be washed at all, even by hand. However, such backpacks get dirty over time in the same way as ordinary ones, so you still need to clean them of dirt.

There are 2 ways to wash a briefcase that is not suitable for regular washing:

1. Soak... If it is allowed to immerse the backpack in water, but it cannot be rubbed or cleaned with a brush, the usual soaking in soapy water in cool water for 15-20 minutes will help. After that, the backpack is simply rinsed and sent to dry, and it is advisable to use a horizontal type dryer - on it the product material will not stretch under its own weight.
2. Dry wash... If, in principle, it is impossible to immerse a thing in water, then you will have to clean the backpack using dry methods. First of all, you can treat the dirty areas with a soft brush with a small amount of soapy water applied to it. It is important to ensure that moisture does not penetrate too deeply into the fabric.You can also use a special foam designed for cleaning suede, leather and textiles - Silver, Salton, Kiwi and others.

How to dry your backpack properly

It is important not only to correctly wash the backpack in the washing machine, but also to dry it correctly:

1. This is best done in the fresh air, so the product dries faster and does not get damp.
2. At the same time, the direct rays of the sun should not fall on the knapsack, under them the fabric can change color.
3. You need to dry the product in the open state, with the compartments and sections unbuttoned, so that the moisture inside the briefcase evaporates faster.
4. To avoid deformation of the knapsack, rigid supports can be inserted into it, which act as a temporary frame, they will keep the shape, but will not interfere with the drying process.

It is best not to hang the backpack on a rope, but to place it on a horizontal surface and turn it over every 2 hours, this will also help to avoid deformation of the product.

Conclusion

It is allowed to wash a backpack in a washing machine if the material of the product is, in principle, suitable for processing in an automatic machine. In order not to damage the backpack, it is necessary to carefully study the labels from the manufacturer and the characteristics of the material, as well as follow all the basic rules for washing backpacks.