Has anyone laundered their toiletry kit?
My RS toiletry kit is getting a bit grimy. I don't think they recommend putting it through the laundry but I was wondering if anybody gave it a try and if so what happened?
Thanks
Andrea
Andrea
Peterborough, Ontario Canada 12/14/12
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Have you tried handwashing it? If you do put it in the washer, I would definitely not try drying it in your dryer.
I have one very similiar to the Rick Steves' kit. Try hand washing in sink with warm water and woollite. I use a toothbrush to get into the crevices....rinse several times...then I hang in shower to drip dry. Mine is about 10 years old and looks almost new after several washings.
It is not from RS, but I have something similar that I wash in sink with Woolite, just rinse well and hang up to dry,it still looks great.
Andrea - I was most all of my travel accessory bags (inside out) on the gentle cycle of my front load washer. I have washed RS packing cubes and mesh bags as well as toiletry bags, cosmetic bags and totes from different manufacturers. I use mild detergent (no bleach, laundry additives or softener), cold water and do NOT put them in the dryer. They still look brand new after several washings.
I've also had good results washing cloth bags of various kinds in my front-load washing machine. As Julie noted: gentle cycle, cold water, no additives, line dry. If I'm extra-cautious about an item, I'll put it inside a mesh bag (I have a few in different sizes) for its ride in the washer. My RS Civita day pack came through that washing machine treatment just fine, as have various tote bags, reusable grocery bags, packing cubes, etc.
If all you have to wash is the toiletry kit, the sink scrubbing, using a brush to get in the corners, also sounds reasonable.
Andrea,
Most products of that type recommend hand washing only using a mild soap, and of course no Dryer. I have similar products (not RS) and those were the instructions supplied with them.
The instructions supplied with my Civita Day Pack state "Wash by hand, Cool water, Mild soap, Do not Bleach, Drip Dry, No Iron". BTW, that particular product is "Made in China" for Kiva Designs.
Cheers!
Thanks everyone. I'll give it a go in my front loader in a sweater bag.
It worked for me to wash on gentle in a lingerie bag. I then hung in the shower to dry and it was as good as new.
Ken, the care instructions on my Civita day pack are the same as the ones you quoted. And the bag came through a front-load washer gentle cycle just fine - and clean.
I find those care label instructions in garments and fabric bags are generally on the conservative side. I assume that's because of the wild variety of washing machines and washing machine settings; some can be almost brutal to the things being washed and others quite gentle. For that reason I figure manufacturers only say "machine wash" instead of "hand wash," when they are sure the item can withstand a good pummeling - and I note a lot of the "machine wash" tags also specify "gentle cycle" and "cold water." I just use common sense, and so far have avoided disasters and ruinations of my stuff.