OT: Best way to wash a backpack? (LL Bean)

[casjen]

My ds's have LL Bean backpacks that are both 3+ years old and I have never washed them. They took them to camp for 2 weeks and they are so filty they have to get washed. Can I put them in the washer on delicate and air dry? I'm worried they'll get damaged but spot cleaning will not do the job here.

 

[bdoyledimou]

flip them inside out and normal wash cycle then hang to dry for 24 hours with a 10 minute top up in the dryer.

(My DD has a nasty habit of forgetting fruit in the bottom of her bag...

i got a few nasty surprises in the past.. now i check her bag every night before i go to bed.

(and kudos to you and your kids for managing to keep a bag going for three years! my kids generally rip or tear worse at least 1 bag a season).

 

[budbeerlady]

I wash Dds with a load of towels and then hung it in the bathroom to dry. It came out nice and clean, no worse for wear. I love her LL Bean backpack, so worth the $25 I spent on it 3 1/2 years ago. She is tired of the print but there is nothing wrong with it so I make her keep using.

 

[thebeesknees]

I've washed my son's several times now. I pretreated the worst stains, then threw it in with a load of darks and washed it cold, normal cycle. Then hung it up to dry. Came out great! I've washed the smaller duffel bags this way, too.

 

[MEM]

I've washed my son's several times now. I pretreated the worst stains, then threw it in with a load of darks and washed it cold, normal cycle. Then hung it up to dry. Came out great! I've washed the smaller duffel bags this way, too.

This is what I do and the backpacks come out fine, everytime. I am by no means a clean-freak but I cannot stand a stained/dirty backpack.

 

[SaraJayne]

I also wash them cold with towels and then hang to dry. They usually come out looking brand new!

 

[Playsm]

Just shove it in the washer and then hang it to dry.

My son got back from sleepaway camp last sunday and his LLBean backpack was DISGUSTING!

Now after washing it looks nearly brand new and it's 7 years old this year

 

[2Tiggies]

Just shove it in the washer and then hang it to dry.

I do that with plenty things. Even things that say Dryclean Only! Never had a problem.

 

[rbork]

shove it in the washer and air dry!
I do this with llbean book bags, llbean duffles, and llbean personal organizers.

 

[SalandJeff]

My dd is 6 and so far we have only gotten the walmart disney character type backpacks. I even throw these in the washer and air dry (along with her lunch bag). I usually do it a couple of times during the school year to get rid of germs, as well as dirt.

 

[johnsontrio]

My DD is going into Sr. year this year... I bought her a close-out LL Bean backpack going into 3rd grade. It is bright yellow, hence being on close-out, and has her name embroidered on it. She carried that backpack from 3rd until 8th grade but adamantly refused to go to high school with it. It has been washed countless times with Oxiclean and laundry detergent using warm water and the regular cycle. I hang it to dry. That darn backpack still looks brand new. They are indestructible or at least they were in 2001.