How To Clean a Suitcase: Tips to Make Your Luggage Look Like New

So you got back from a trip and your suitcase is covered in dirt, smells funny, and has black grease stains all over (where did those come from!?).

If you’re like me, the first thing you probably did is search on Google for some tips to clean your luggage (and that’s what brought you here)! Well, luckily for you, I’ve tested a myriad of techniques for cleaning luggage. There is a lot of great information online, but there are also some misleading tips.

Want to know what really works? Read on, my cleanly traveler.

Cleaning luggage usually involves more than just wiping it down with disinfecting wipes. Cleaning the inside and outside are different, and the cleaning process is different for hard vs soft luggage. Plus, you may have stubborn stains that you need to get out.

No matter what kind of luggage you have, or what part of your suitcase you’re aiming to clean, I’ll walk you through a step-by-step process to get your luggage looking like new again.

Now, let’s get cleaning!

What You’ll Need to Clean a Suitcase

Before you get started, there are a few simple supplies you’ll need to make sure you get your suitcase as clean as possible. Fortunately, these are all common household items that you probably already have lying around.

• Rag or microfiber Cloth
• Toothbrush
• Warm water
• Vinegar
• Dish soap (or other gentle soap)
• Laundry detergent
• Baking soda
• Vacuum
• Toothpaste, eraser, or auto trim restorer (for removing scratches in hardside luggage)

These are the main items I’ve found work best for cleaning luggage, but you don’t need all of them for every piece of luggage. For example: baking soda is only needed for getting black grease stains out of soft sided luggage and dish soap is only needed for hard shell luggage.

What to Use as a Luggage Cleaner

It seems there are special chemicals for cleaning every individual item you own. There are bathroom cleaners, kitchen cleaners, laundry detergents, dish soaps, window cleaners, stain removers, and more.

So what do you use for luggage?

Fortunately, there are a lot of options out there, and most of them use stuff you already have in your home. I’ve already listed the main ingredients you’ll need in the last section, but here are some of the best solutions I’ve found for luggage cleaners:

• Water + Laundry Detergent: A 5 to 1 mixture of warm water to laundry detergent works great for softside luggage. This mild solution soaks into fabric bags and is easy to clean off.
• Water + Dish Soap: For…