How to Clean Your Luggage After a Trip: Your suitcase passes through many hands while on vacation; here’s how to properly scrub it down.
1. The handle ~ Extend the handle fully on your rolling suitcase and wipe it down with gentle soap and water. After that pre-clean, you'll want to disinfect any grips on the side of the suitcase or the top of the handle with a stronger product that kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
2. The bottom ~ Focus on cleaning to remove dirt, grime, and other sticky soil. A soapy rag will do the trick most of the time.
3. The interior ~ Start by using a dust buster or vacuum to remove any crumbs and physical dust, especially in the corners and in tight areas. For purely cosmetic stains, spot cleaning with soap and water should work—if a deeper dose is needed, try a Spray ‘n Wash or Shout stain remover. Cover the entire area and then rub it in. Disinfectant wipes can do the trick, too.
4. The exterior (Hard-shell suitcases) ~ If the shell is made of plastic and synthetic materials such as nylon or vinyl, use a wipe or a bleach-and-water solution by combining half a cup of bleach (like Clorox regular bleach) per gallon of water. Then use a sponge or spray to put the solution on the surface, ensuring it stays wet for five minutes (if it dries, keep reapplying). Then rinse the surface with clean water.
5. The exterior (Soft-shell suitcases) ~ Disinfectant wipes by Clorox and Lysol are the most effective, they kill viruses on hands and hard surface products, they should have an alcohol content of 60 or 70 percent. For added protection, keep these kinds of bags inside a dust bag (and be sure to throw that in the wash when not in use) or garbage bag when you're not traveling.
How do you clean your luggage after traveling?