Canvas bags are all the rage right now and for all the right reasons. They’re versatile, stylish, and eco-friendly. They can be valuable accessories you can personalize and style up and wear on all possible occasions. Depending on its design and pattern, a canvas bag can be a great accessory for casual outings, workdays, shopping trips.
However, it’s very important to know how to correctly clean a canvas bag so you can keep it as good as new for years. The truth is, all our canvas tote bags can take quite a beating. Canvas bags are quite vulnerable to daily wear and tear. We stuff them with groceries and goods that spill or leak, we put them on the floor or on the ground, we toss them in cars and in offices, and so on.
For all these reasons, canvas bags need proper, regular cleaning and maintenance. This is why today we’ll will learn together how to clean a canvas bag step by step. If you follow these cleaning steps, you’ll be able to keep your canvas bag in tip-top shape.
Measures to Take Before the Actual Bag Cleaning
Canvas bags are the perfect environment to add a dash of your own personality and preferred style into your everyday carry bag. In other words, canvas bags can feature screen prints, embroidery, monograms, hand painting, fabric, button decorations (sewed or glued), drawings, printed logos, and many more.
Washing Safety
The first thing you need to do is check if these added elements are safe for washing and cleaning. Specialists recommend removing all additions if possible (scarves, brooches, buttons, etc.).
In this case, you should consider the following:
Water temperature for both washing machine and handwashing: if your canvas shoulder bag features paintings, drawings, or other prints and patterns, you should make sure to wash it at cool temperatures.
Color bleeding and transfer: If you wear colored canvas bags or your canvas bags feature colored prints and graphic designs, make sure the colors do not bleed, fade, or transfer in contact with water or other fabrics.
The Color Fading/Bleeding Test
Fill a shallow bowl with water and dip a small part of the bag into it to test the canvas for color bleeding, fading, or transfers. Allow the wet portion of the bag to sit in the water for about ten minutes.
Check the color of the water to see if any dye bled into it. Wring the wet part of the bag over a plain white cotton towel or cloth. If the canvas bag bleeds dye onto the towel, it is not colorfast. If it is not colorfast, you will have to spot-clean the bag rather than washing it. Do not wash the bag with other materials as the dye may transfer onto them. Skip this test if the bag is plain white.
Bag Preparation
Before you decide whether to wash the canvas bag in the washing machine, by hand, or by giving it a spot-cleaning, we have to prep the bag. Here’s what to do:
Empty all bag pockets, then open any zippers and clasps, and shake the bag well upside down to remove dirt,trash, crumbs, coins, papers, and any other little things hiding in the bag.
If possible, pull the bag inside out completely so you can see the lining. Use a lint roller to remove dust and crumbs. You can also use the fabric brush attachment on your vacuum to remove all the interior impurities. A table vacuum also helps because you can handle it more comfortably.
Before you begin, examine the bag for particular care labels and/or type of materials used. Follow any recommended care guidelines and attempt to identify the type of stains.
Stain Removal
If your canvas bag is stained, you should remove them before washing or intensely cleaning them. Heavy stains can be a big problem, as they often need some extra care. Some stains do not go away with water and a soft cloth, so you may need some liquid detergent or other stain removing products.
Make sure you apply the stain removal product on a discrete small portion of the bag to make sure the powder or liquid does not cause canvas burns, discolorations, or color bleeds. If everything looks good after a few minutes, use a white cloth and a damping technique to slowly and securely remove the stains. You should not scrub the stains because color transfers, discolorations, or canvas damage are possible.
Manual Washing
how to clean canvas bag manual washing
Some canvas tote bags in white or plain colors are suitable for washing machines. Depending on the technique used to print them, they can also be good candidates for normal washing machines using cold water. However, watercolor painted canvas bags, fashion canvas bags with leather trimmings, or canvas bags with adornments and other types of sensitive prints need manual washing. There are some techniques and methods to accomplish good cleaning without endangering the fabric or damaging the design/graphics/styling of the bag.