the optimum luggage

Guide on the best way to clean hard luggage

Travel luggage carriers can easily get dirty from extreme environmental exposure and climate change. It is important to keep your bags in secured places to not get affected, but sometimes it is just not in control. It is a myth that hard luggage bags don’t last long due to these environmental damages. You can easily make them look new and fresh if you learn the best way to clean hard luggage or soft fabric bags.

And proper, timely cleaning prolongs the life of luggage carriers, suitcases, backpacks, and luggage bags. That’s why you need to get it cleaned every once in a while. You can always get it cleaned by professional cleaners. But, for people who continuously travel, professional cleaning would cost a ton. This guide is all about the ways of cleaning your luggage bags and preventing them from getting ruined with just one stain or dirt.

How to make your suitcase look brand new

Before you get to know about the different ways of cleaning your luggage bags, you need to learn a few prevention tips. Learning how to keep luggage bags clean is more important than learning how to clean them using detergents and chemicals.

STORAGE

How you store things has a lot to do with how prolonged the life of things will be. There are different types of luggage carriers, and learning to store them differently is important. For instance, leather bags should be stored in cotton clothing. The best way to store hard luggage is to keep silica gel inside and wrap it with a transparent sheet.

READ INSTRUCTION CARD

I don’t know why but we seem to not give any importance to the leaflet of all the instructions that come with the product we bought. That single piece of paper has a whole lot of information about the dos and don’ts. Read it thoroughly because different bags come with different cleaning instructions. To keep them new and use them for a longer time, clean them with appropriate methods.

The general method of how to clean suitcase at home
We have already discussed that different suitcase materials need different and unique cleaning processes. The method of cleaning and the use of a few cleaning products depend on the ways it gets dirt or stain. But sometimes, you may be running off time and need a temporary solution. Then you may opt for this general method. This is the easiest and one-way solution for you All you need is to:

● Fill your bathtub or a basic tub with warm water. Make sure to not add very hot water.
● Add any over-the-counter available detergent or soap.
● Add a few drops of vinegar to the warm water.
● Soak your bag in it for some time smoothly.
● After a few minutes, take your bag out and clean it using a brush. Brushing helps in
cleaning spots, dirt and stains easily.
● Rinse it off using running cold water from the tap.
● Keep it in an airy room and let it dry off completely, and voila, you are done!

How to clean luggage in different situations

1. Clean suitcase with mold

Mold appears in damp places. There are slightly fewer chances to get mold inside the suitcase. But if you have stirred your soft case luggage bags for a long time in a basement or other place with a damp and moist atmosphere. Then there are some obvious changes for mold to start growing. Bleach is one of the solutions, but it is not preferably used because it causes color fading. So, in the alternative, rubbing alcohol or white vinegar is used to clean the suitcase. Using these will stop the growth of mold. Once applied, keep it in sunlight for half to one hour. Make sure it is dried before you fold it. Then sealed it in a transparent bag in moist free space.

2. Clean a suitcase after bed bugs

You should always vacuum the inner surface of the suitcase to prevent getting bed bugs. There are many ways to secure your bag to get bed bugs because bed bugs are very difficult to clean. Service tools come with a vacuum that can clean even the smallest corner of the suitcase. Once you vacuum, fold the bag carefully and put it in a sealed bag. These are all the preventions, but if you are unfortunate to get bed bugs. Then, 90% isopropyl alcohol is your best solution. Once they are dead, you can repeat the process of vacuuming the entire suitcase.

3. Ways to remove scuff marks from the suitcase

Scuff marks and scratches are more likely to get on hard luggage when they are not properly stored in a safe place. Hard luggage cases are more prone to get scratches because of hits and abrasive pressure of things on them. The best way to clean hard luggage is to use cleaning erasers. Also, mild abrasives and toothpaste can help in removing scuff marks. But always make sure to use any of these on small patches. This small testing will prevent any complications later. After cleaning, always wipe it off with a wet cloth. After this, fold it nicely and put it in a safe area to secure it from getting further scratches.

4. To remove oil stains from the suitcase

Stains are not only from oil and grease. Sometimes we get wine and other spice stains as well. Different stains getaway by using different detergents. General laundry detergents are used to clean the mold stains. But if there are very strong and thick stains, then hydrogen peroxide is used. Before applying hydrogen peroxide, use any type of talcum powder, baking soda or dry powder. The powder helps in bloating excessive oil. Once the excess oil is removed, you can either add baking soda, dishwasher or detergent. These steps will remove the stain and leave the surface as if nothing happened. Best way to clean hard luggage and other different types of luggage:

1. Cleaning nylon luggage

Nylon and polyester material-made luggage bags are categorized as softside suitcases. Both
Nylon And polyester are easy to clean. Nylon bags are manufactured with the extra treatment of Teflon, which repels the dirt and prevents it from getting any stain and mark. As we know that cleaning is easy, and to ease it more, nylon-bristled soft brushes are also available. You can use them alone without any solution for removing dirt. While to remove any grease spot or stain, you can use some detergent soap and gently rub it with the brush to clean it.

2. To clean leather luggage

Leather is not an easy fabric to clean. Because leather easily gets damaged from water and
also scratches by harsh rubbing. Only a minimum amount of water is required, else it damages the firmness of leather. Cleaning leather is also critical because hash rubbing leaves scratch marks on the exterior surface. The easiest way to clean leather bags is to use a toothbrush to remove dirt in place of a vacuum. And to clean stains, use specific leather cleaners and conditioners that are easily available in the market. In this way, you can keep your leather clean and new for a long time.

3. Cleaning of Polycarbonate luggage

Without a doubt, hard luggage is more common and a favorite of people than the soft case and leather ones. But, the cleaning of these bags is tougher than you imagine. These bags show dirt and scratch more easily than any other. The best way to clean hard luggage is by using an Eraser cleaning pad. This is a new invention which is used to clean dirt and stains from hard luggage. Unlike leather bags, hard luggage doesn’t get scratch marks with harsh rubbing. So, you can also use toothpaste and a sponge to clean the exterior surface. For the interior, you can use a vacuum.

How to Deep Clean and Disinfect Your Luggage

Your luggage needs a thorough and deep clean every once in a while, even if you haven’t
travelled in a long time. You can get your bag cleaned professionally for different laundry
cleaning shops. Or else you can clean it yourself. Cleaning bags, the suitcase isn't a difficult task. To learn how to clean your luggage deeply and disinfect your luggage, view this guide thoroughly. We assure you after this, you can be peaceful and satisfied with travelling.

1. Ways to disinfect luggage

Safety and hygiene of luggage bags have always been important, but in recent times due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is very important to properly disinfect your luggage. Now it is important for your health to keep your luggage clean and disinfected both before and after the trip. Despite the luggage material type, disinfection is necessary.
To disinfect, you can either use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol 0.5%. Wipe the entire suitcase from inside and also spray the solution of the outside hard surface. Both of these solutions prevent the luggage from having any viral and harmful bacterial growth.

2. Ways to clean a suitcase both from inside and outside

The cleaning of the suitcases inside is equally important. We put great effort into cleaning the exterior of the luggage bag and forget that the interior is more likely to get infected. The best way to clean hard luggage and soft case suitcases are too deep clean them after removing everything from them. The technique for cleaning the inside and outside vary. Following are the step-wise ways to deep clean the inner and outer side of luggage.

How to clean the outside of a suitcase

The cleaning of suitcase exterior is comparatively easy and takes less time. All you need is to prepare a foamy solution: water and laundry detergent. Rub the solution on the outside of the suitcase and rub it nicely with a good quality brush. Make sure not to use very warm water because it can harm the surface. Gently scrub the bag and rinse all the foam and water with a dry towel. Keep a bag in an open space for a few hours.

How to clean inside of the suitcase

1. Remove every single item from the luggage bag and disinfect it with a solution spray of
rubbing alcohol and water.
2. Also, remove detachable pockets and separated compartments and wash them
separately with warm water and disinfectant.
3. Vacuum your suitcase to remove even a little bit of traces of dirt.
4. Always use a light wet cloth to clean the strong frame of the suitcase.
5. Clean any stain or mark with laundry detergent.

FAQS

Q. Can you dry clean luggage?
A. Yes, you surely can use a dry cleaning surface if it is affordable for you. In Fact, it is better to
get it cleaned by professionals because they know the right way to do it. Dry cleaning your
suitcase can also prevent your luggage from getting an extra soak. And, most importantly it
takes less time to clean it through this.
Q. What is the best cleaner for a suitcase?
A. If you talk about home remedies, then I must advise you to use baking soda with a mixture of
vinegar and water. This trio works like a miracle. Sprinkle baking soda on the bag and gently rub
it using the vinegar-water solution. This can remove any type of stain, oil grease marks.
Q. Where to professionally clean luggage?
A. There are a lot of dry cleaners and professional laundry stores everywhere in the world. Just
Google your area and find the nearest dry cleaner or laundry shop.
Q. How to clean the bag without washing?
A. You can easily clean your bag without using water, but this method is specifically for spot
cleaning and for removing dirt. There are different things available that you can use for this
purpose. This includes a toothbrush, sponge, brush and light cloth.

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