How to Wash a Backpack So It Looks Brand New

For work or school, day trips or international travel, backpacks are a must-have accessory for people on the go. Backpacks make it easy to carry all of your essentials anywhere, but the more often you use a backpack, the dirtier it’s bound to become.

Keeping your backpack clean is essential to prolonging its lifespan so it can continue to be your sidekick day in and day out. No matter how dirty your backpack might be, giving it a thorough, deep clean is easy. We turned to laundry experts to learn how to wash a backpack and how to keep it clean between washes.

Materials You'll Need

• Laundry detergent
• Washing machine
• Color-safe stain remover
• Extra-large mesh laundry bag
• Drying rack
• Bleach (optional)
• Measuring cup (optional)
• Extra-large plastic dishpan (optional)
• Plastic gloves (optional)

How to Machine Wash a Backpack

Ready to give your backpack a spin in the washing machine? Follow Mary Gagliardi, Clorox’s in-house scientist and cleaning expert, aka Dr. Laundry’s go-to method. 

1. Check the care label for specific care instructions, and to make sure your backpack is machine-washable.
2. Empty and unzip the backpack, including all interior and exterior pockets.
3. Pretreat any stains with liquid color-safe stain remover by rubbing it directly onto stains and then waiting 10 minutes before washing.
4. Place the backpack in a mesh laundry bag and zip the laundry bag closed.
5. Machine wash the backpack, selecting the delicate cycle, warm water, and a good detergent.
6. Remove the backpack from the mesh laundry bag and hang it upside down to air dry.

How to Deep Clean a Backpack

If you notice your backpack has mold or a mildew smell, Gagliardi advises you to take a few additional steps to give it a deep clean. Be sure to prepare your backpack for a deep cleaning. "Remember to empty everything out of the pockets and remove any tags or other items you may have attached to the backpack," says Kim Romine, a fabric care specialist at P&G.

1. Check the care label for specific care instructions and to make sure your backpack is machine-washable.
2. Empty and unzip the backpack, including all interior and exterior pockets.
3. Test for colorfastness to bleach (if any other color than white, and the bag is made of nylon it’s highly likely still colorfast to bleach, but it’s always good to check first).
4. Mix the bleach and water solution using 1/3 cup bleach per gallon of water in a plastic dishpan.
5. Wearing gloves, submerge the backpack into the bleach and water solution. Wait 10 minutes, then pour off the soaking solution.
6. Place the backpack in the mesh laundry bag and zip the laundry bag closed.
7. Machine wash the backpack, selecting the delicate cycle, warm water, and a good detergent, and add bleach to the bleach dispenser, filling it to the max fill line.
8. Remove the backpack from the mesh laundry bag and hang it upside down to air dry with the zippers open.

How to Hand Wash a Backpack

No washing machine available? No problem. "If you don’t have access to a clothes washer, then using bleach to pre-soak a backpack is the way to go," says Gagliardi. Pre-soaking your backpack makes it easier for the detergent to clean it without the agitation of a washing machine. To handwash your backpack, follow Gagliardi’s tried and true method.

1. Check the care label for specific care instructions.
2. Empty and unzip the backpack, including all interior and exterior pockets.
3. Test for colorfastness to bleach (if any other color than white, and the bag is made of nylon it’s highly likely still colorfast to bleach, but it’s always good to check first).
4. Mix the bleach and water solution using 1/3 cup bleach per gallon of water in a plastic dishpan.
5. Wearing gloves, submerge the backpack into the bleach and water solution. Wait 10 minutes, then pour off the soaking solution.
6. Refill the dishpan with hot water and a tablespoon of laundry detergent. Place the backpack in the detergent solution and swish the bag around, working the solution into crevices and corners.
7. Rinse thoroughly until no suds remain in the water, again working the rinse water into each compartment.
8. Hang the backpack upside down to air dry with the zippers open.

How Often You Should Wash Your Backpack

How often you should wash your backpack depends entirely on how often and where you use it. Gagliardi recommends cleaning your backpack once per semester, though it may not need to be cleaned as frequently if it travels in a car to work or to school, is hung neatly when not in use, and is thoroughly cleaned out at the end of each day.

Alternatively, if your backpack travels with you on a bus, train, or subway and accompanies you into all different offices, classrooms, and even into the bathroom, it should probably be cleaned more often, especially if it normally contains food or snacks that aren’t always cleaned out at the end of the day. In that case, you might want to consider deep cleaning your backpack once per month.

Tips for Keeping Your Backpack Clean

Properly caring for your backpack on a day-to-day basis can prolong the time between washes. Pre-soaking and washing your backpack with bleach can keep it cleaner longer and prevent mold and mildew. Gagliardi also recommends using disinfecting wipes to clean debris, like crumbs and dirt, from inside crevices and corners in the compartments between washes.

If you notice a small spot or stain, tend to it as soon as possible. You can spot-treat it with a solution of laundry detergent and water. "Gently wipe the soiled areas until the soil is gone, and then wipe with a cloth soaked in clear water to remove any detergent in the fabric," says Romine.

You can also take an extra step and apply a waterproofing spray to your backpack to help it last even longer. "For those applying specific finishes like waterproofing spray, wait to apply until your backpack is completely dry," says Whirlpool laundry brand manager Morgan LaLonde.