how to clean a herschel backpack

Many of our readers have inquired as to whether or not it is possible to clean a Herschel backpack. The answer is yes, but in order to avoid making a hasty mess of things, you need to be knowledgeable about what you’re doing. Continue reading to obtain further information.

Are you looking for a guide on how to safely clean a Herschel backpack without endangering the product in any way? Is your backpack starting to appear worn? Has it seen better days?

You have arrived at the correct location. Our instructional guide will walk you through the steps involved in (properly!) cleaning your Herschel backpack, ensuring that it is in tip-top shape for the next time you need to use it.

How to Wash a Herschel Backpack

Things you will need: A soiled Herschel backpack, a bathtub or a large sink, a gentle (non-bleach) detergent, an old toothbrush, towels, and a large hanger.

The Short Version:

• Take out everything that’s in the backpack.
• Use a clean, dry paper towel to wipe away the majority of the grime or filth.
• Take a towel that has only water on it. the remaining internal pockets should be wiped down to remove any leftover dirt.
• If necessary, fill the sink or bathtub with clean water and soak the bag in it; then, using an old toothbrush, scrape any spots that still have dirt on them.
• If more cleaning is required, immerse the bag in a small amount of OxiCleanTM or another mild detergent (the sort that does not contain chlorine), and scrub it again with the toothbrush.
• After emptying the tub, refill it with clean water and re-immerse the backpack in it to rinse it (do this two or three times).
• Use large hanger and hang to dry – inside for best results

All right, let’s go through each of those steps in order.

Step 1 – Clean Out the Backpack

Guys, let’s start at the beginning. It is necessary to “clean out” your bag before you can “clean” your bag properly. This requires you to check each and every pocket and compartment to ensure that nothing important has been overlooked. The last thing you want is to wind up with a clean rucksack but a broken cell phone or a piece of paper that got wet and is now unreadable because the phone number was written on it…

A word of advice: this is an excellent opportunity to rearrange the contents of your backpack. Sometimes our purses, like our wallets, become filled with unnecessary items. When you have finished cleaning them out, you may then make the important decision of what will go back in them.

Step 2 – Keep Things Dry to Start

To begin, you will want to remove the majority of the visible grit and filth from the surface using a dry paper towel (or a regular towel, if you prefer). By removing the majority of the dirt when it is dry, you will prevent the formation of a mud-like substance, which has the potential to make the situation even more difficult than it was before you began.

After you have completed this step, it is recommended that you invert the bag so that the opening is facing down and vigorously shake the bag by hand. The item that is difficult to get and is located in the crevices will be extracted as a result of this.

Step 3 – Wipe the Bag Down

It is my goal that you have succeeded in removing the majority of the dirt from your bag by this stage. Repeat the shaking operation as necessary to get rid of the vast majority of the remaining dust and grime that is visible. There will still be dirt in the pockets despite the fact that you have been shaking them and wiping them. You will need to soak a paper towel or cloth with water only and then squeeze as much water out of it as possible.

Start cleaning the inside of the vehicle. In most cases, we will wipe down the surface two to three times, then either re-soak the rag in clean water and wring it out to clean it or replace the paper towel with a new one. After you have finished this process for the interior of the bag, moving on to the exterior of the bag and making sure to follow each seam (because that is where the less visible filth builds up) is the next step.

During the cleaning process, do not be afraid to constantly rinse out the rag with clean water. You do not want to merely move the dirt around; rather, you want to collect it on the rag and transport it to the water.

Step 4 – Soak the Bag

Those of you who don’t need to clean your backpacks as thoroughly can stop at the previous stage. However, there are some of us who will need to give it a more comprehensive cleaning. In your bathtub or sink, fill it up with lukewarm water (it’s easier to do this in the bathtub because the bag probably won’t be totally submerged in the sink, in which case you’ll need to keep moving it around to immerse different portions).

At this stage, you should refrain from using soap. To achieve the best possible results, we would like to clean the backpack without making use of any soaps or chemicals. Because you can never be sure how they will interact with your bag, the safest course of action is to always wash it in the most gentle manner possible.

After ensuring that all of the bag’s pockets are unzipped, totally submerge the bag in the water after it has reached the level where it can cover it from top to bottom. Shake the bag with your hands in a gentle manner in order to dislodge any remaining dirt. Additionally, it is recommended that you keep an old toothbrush on hand so that you can scrub any areas that may require it.

After completely submerging the bag, you should check to see that there are no air pockets left within and that the contents have been thoroughly saturated with water.

Step 5 – Less is More

Because 99 percent of you will now have a clean bag, we strongly suggest that you move on to the next and last step.

For those of you who have a few stains that just won’t come out no matter how much water you use (like coffee or red wine, for example), it’s time to get out the OxiCleanTM or another similar mild cleanser.

Please, please, please check to see that the cleaner you’re using DOES NOT include any bleach. If you use bleach on your red bag, it will turn pink. We feel as though there is no need to explain this, but just to be clear, this is what will happen.

Again, you’ll want to fill the bathtub with water that is just below the boiling point. Feel free to pour some cleaning into the mix. The idea that less is more is the guiding principle here. You definitely do not want to wind up with a soapy messes. It will accomplish what it’s intended to achieve, but there’s a chance you won’t ever get everything out of the bag.

Even with as little as one to two tablespoons of powdered detergent, we were able to get the desired results. Move the mixture around so that the detergent is completely dissolved, and there is no grit at the bottom of the container (since this will undoubtedly find its way into a crack or crevice in the bag).

At this point, you will need to immerse the bag in water just like you did in the previous step. Achieve a state in which the stained region will continue to be covered by the water once you have done this. Allow it to soak for anywhere from four to twelve hours, depending on how severe the stain is.

Checking it again after about half an hour should give you a good indication as to whether or not it will remove the stain quickly. However, you should use your best judgment in this situation. Do not be afraid to use your fingertips to touch the stain in a gentle manner in order to determine whether or not it is improving in any way.

Tip: After letting the bag soak for a few hours, you should use a toothbrush to scrub each stain in order to help release it, and then you should let it soak again.

Step 6 – Rinse, Rinse, Rinse

You need to be certain that there is no trace of soap left in your luggage once you have finished cleaning it. Refilling the bucket with fresh water and re-soaking the backpack in the solution is the quickest and easiest approach to get rid of it. Proceed with this method until there is no trace of the soapy residue left.

A helpful hint to remember is that you’ll know the soap is completely removed from the water when, after 3-5 minutes of shaking the clean bag under the water, the water remains soap-free. If bubbles are still visible on the surface of the water, you will need to restart the process until there are no more bubbles or residue visible on the water’s surface.

Step 7 – Hang and Forget

To speed up the drying process, you should hang your bag inverted so that any residual water may run out. This will allow any remaining moisture to evaporate. It can seem counterintuitive, but you should try to dry your backpack as gently as you possibly can. This is really important.

A helpful hint is to hang the bag inverted on a hanger by using the arm straps that come with it. You can hang using both straps if your hanger is large enough to accommodate them, but if it is not, you will be fine using just one strap.

24-36 hours ought to do the trick, but we don’t like to hang it outside because it can cause the bag to dry pretty rapidly, which can result in some areas of the backpack shrinking. In general, this should do the thing, but we don’t like to hang it outside because it can cause the bag to dry rather quickly.

When it comes to drying the bag, you should ABSOLUTELY STAY AWAY from using a drier or a hairdryer.

Vacuum Any Debris

After you have removed all of the contents from the bag, you may use a portable handheld vacuum to clean up any stray particles or crumbs that may have been left behind. You could also just flip the backpack upside down and shake it until all of the debris falls out, but using a vacuum is a little more effective method.

It is vital to accomplish this before you get the bag wet. Some things will merely make a bigger mess when they get wet, so if you are truly attempting to clean your Herschel backpack, you should not miss this step.

Use Soft Tools

Before you wash your Herschel backpack, you should examine it carefully for any obvious stains, such as grime, and make an effort to remove any that you find. Make sure to use a gentle brush; a toothbrush, a soft makeup brush, or even a painting brush can do the trick. Before cleaning the bag, you should make an effort to remove the stains by brushing them away; this will work if there is something sticky that has dried on the bag.

It is essential that you wash the backpack with a gentle sponge, as this is one of the most critical steps. You can use a makeup sponge, a body sponge, or even a makeup sponge if you only use the softer, non-abrasive side of a kitchen sponge. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen sponge. As long as it is gentle and does not scratch easily, it should not do any damage to the fabric of the backpack.

The use of abrasive sponges and wires can cause the protective coating on a backpack to get damaged, which will reduce the performance of the backpack.

Clean the Zippers

You might as well clean the zippers on the bag while you’re at it if you’re going to be cleaning the backpack. To clean the teeth of the zipper, use a toothbrush in conjunction with a solution made of white vinegar and hot water. By doing this, all debris and accumulation will be removed, and your backpack’s zippers will be restored to their original, pristine condition.

If you don’t have any vinegar on hand, you can replace it with warm water and a gentle soap instead. Lubricating rusty zippers using WD-40 Specialist Silicone Lubricant is the ideal thing to do, but if you don’t have any WD-40 handy, you may use beeswax or even olive oil instead. Since you’ve already gone to the trouble of cleaning the zippers, it’s not a terrible idea to give them a little bit of a lubricant once you’ve finished cleaning them.

Clean in a Circular Motion

Scrubbing in a circular motion is the most effective method for removing stains from fabric. You can use your hands, a toothbrush, a little sponge, or really anything else that’s handy to rub some mild soap into the stain after you’ve first wet the area you’re trying to clean and after you’ve applied some water to it.

To remove the stains, you can try using warm water, but you should make sure that the water is not too hot. When cleaning a Herschel bag, you should use water that is lukewarm rather than boiling hot since the material of the bag can be damaged by boiling water.

Do not be alarmed if the material appears to be lighter in color; this is most likely due to the residue left behind by the soap, and it will appear much better when you have rinsed it.

Air Dry

Hanging your freshly clean Herschel bag up to dry in the air is the most effective method for doing so. It is not a good idea to throw it in the dryer since the intense heat may ruin the material, and then you will be left with a bag that cannot be used.

The best thing to do with the backpack after washing it and wringing out the excess water is to hang it up to dry. Before that, you could want to give the fabric a little press with your hands in order to reduce the number of wrinkles that appear throughout the bag once it has been dried. It is also important to ensure that the laptop pad is not placed inside the backpack while it is being hung to dry; doing so would just cause the process to take a great deal more time due to the fact that the spongy material absorbs a great deal of water.

You can hasten the process by using a blow dryer if you don’t have the patience to wait for the clean backpack to air dry on its own first. Simply adjust it to the lowest possible heat setting, or if your hair dryer has the capability, make it blow cool air instead of hot air. Although doing so will hasten the drying process, doing so requires a great deal more involvement from the user than simply hanging the item to dry in the air.

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