Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Currently use a deuter backpack with airstripes and as much as it helps with ventilation, sweat still gets soaked by the bag. It's starting to smell a little now and would love to hear suggestions as to how to remove the odor. A friend has suggested to dump it in the washing machine and wash it in cold setting. Wanted to get some inputs before I destroy the backpack or even the washing machine

I asked a similar question on another forum about six months ago...
Answer is - use the washing machine. EDIT: and put the backpack into a 'delicates bag' so the straps etc don't get mangled.
With your deuter - you may be able to remove the metal pack supports.
Another Option is to soak the bag in a bucket filled with 'Miltons' sanitiser or whatever it's called - used for sanitising baby bottles.

I was told to try sodium bicarb, now the backpack just smells like sweat and sodium bicarb. Just in case someone suggests it, didn't work for me. YMMV.

Throw it in the washing machine with a generous amount of anti-bact clothes solution.

Rather than just dumping it into the washing machine, try soaking it. Apart from detergent, add a generous amount of household disinfectant. The smell comes from bacterial sources.

I've hand washed mine in the bath previously with cold soapy water and just a common nail brush which isn't too harsh. I buggered some of the elasticy smaller straps using warmer water once. It didn't ruin the bag, but I was a bit annoyed all the same.

+1 to a light disinfectant in the wash water. Rinse it all out once or twice and hang in the shade to dry.

To add, avoid those bleach (peroxide) type disinfectants as they'll damage the elastic/rubber components.

sogood wrote:To add, avoid those bleach (peroxide) type disinfectants as they'll damage the elastic/rubber components.

I regularly soak my helmet, head cap, gloves, and pack in a weaker solution of water, laundry detergent, with white king bleach added. I only leave in for a minute or two while cleaning and agitating, then take out and rinse under the shower. All are fine including the elastic in the gloves. IMHO, short weak exposure to bleach is not as damaging.

I'd recommend cleaning up your diet if your sweat is particularly pungent.

winstonw wrote:I regularly soak my helmet, head cap, gloves, and pack in a weaker solution of water, laundry detergent, with white king bleach added. I only leave in for a minute or two while cleaning and agitating, then take out and rinse under the shower. All are fine including the elastic in the gloves. IMHO, short weak exposure to bleach is not as damaging.

Obviously the weaker it is, the lesser the effect. But if there's an alternative, why risk it on safety equipment ie. Helmet. Sure it will not make the polystyrene helmet crumble away on the table but who can guarantee there's no impact on its maximum strength, one that's critical in a crash? So I'd say be conscious of this and play safe.

yolk wrote:Currently use a deuter backpack with airstripes and as much as it helps with ventilation, sweat still gets soaked by the bag. It's starting to smell a little now and would love to hear suggestions as to how to remove the odor. A friend has suggested to dump it in the washing machine and wash it in cold setting. Wanted to get some inputs before I destroy the backpack or even the washing machine

Good luck. Mine stank so bad that the smell often wafted out of the garage and the misses complained


I have put mine in the washing machine 3 times, twice nuked it with glen 20, left it out in the sun all day on the line, soaked in a bucket with nappy San, and then washing machined again. Only now is it bearable- it must be the padding or something they use in the airflow, it is absorbent. Granted I did sweat like a pig (and went the rear rack/top bag because of it) but still...

The bag has survived all those washes ad as held up well- and now I can use it as a weekend back bag to stick things in it for the kids/water bottle/wallet etc

Thanks for the advice/tips everyone. Looks like the backpack will be heading into the washer this weekend with some household disinfectant.

Haven't washed mine too many times, but the one thing I do EVERY time I use it is to hang it out in the fresh air overnight. Seems to do wonders and is always dry next day.

Cheers Michael


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Before this weekend I had washed my commuting backpack many times, but it still smelt like a plumber's crack after the first subsequent journey. A colleague at work told me it is bacteria that smell, not the dirt or sweat and I had to use and anti-bacterial treatment. She suggested Dettol, but I soaked the bag for 24hrs (a bit more actually because I forgot all about it) in NAPISAN WITH ANTI-BACTERIAL doo-dads in it. I did some hand agitating as a machine wash is likely to damage both the bag and the machine. I have commuted 200km so far this week and the plumber's crack smell has not yet returned.

Also effective - panniers.

I would go with the anti-bacterial napisan as mentioned. I was going to suggest Sodium Percarbonate (not bicarbonate) which is the active ingredient in napisan. The pure stuff works wonders. I've used sodium percarbonate to clean smelly shoes and t-shirts before. I tried washing them with normal washing detergent and dettol, but the smell stuck around. One soak and wash with sodium percarbonate got the smell out. I would soak it in a sink with a few tablespoons of napisan for a day and then rinse it out a few times. You won't need to put it in the washing machine if you are worried.

Just as an aside, I actually mix sodium percarbonate, sodium metasilicate and sodium carbonate in about a 5:5:1 ratio and it gets used in the brewery as well as the laundry. Very effective at killing bacteria.

Just re-read over the first paragraph, I sound like an infomercial selling something!!

I just let it stink away Shoulder straps are dusted with salt from the sweat now. I always shower when I get to work so it doesn't matter too much IMO. The bag gets a good rinse when it rains.

Another positive for using a musette/feedbag - you throw it in the wash with your kit.

What more could you be lugging than a loaf of bread, odd jar of jam, socks/undies/towel once a week.

I started with pannier, then graduated to backpack now it is musette, always in jersey pocket but once or twice a week I carry stuff in it.

This helps when you do extra laps or bang a group ride in with your commute. In summer a back park... no thanks!

Break it down people!

JM

I work with stage clothes that are sweat-soaked after shows & can't be laundered. And also my commuting backpack...! this is what I use:

Pro-tip: fill spray bottle with vodka, spray on sweaty bits, leave to dry. Quality of plonk does not affect its disinfecting properties. I'm not joking! We do this daily.

Alternative to vodka: sphagnum moss disinfectant (search online). natural, hospital-grade disinfectant, dilute in spray-bottle, very slightly sweet-smelling. Works a treat, no washing required.

Sounds similar to my backpack, I always handwash mine. Fill a bucket up with warm water and put in napisan, give it a bit of a wash and leave it in there to soak for an hour or two, then take it out and rinse and allow to dry. Gets the pack looking good as new, no risk of damage to straps etc. and it doesn't really take that long.

If it smells after that, either try putting some pineoclean in with the napisan, or drop by your local home brew shop (or bigW) and grab a tub of sanitiser for home brewing... Nuke those little buggers! Actually, just read BeerRider's suggestion, that would nuke 'em good and proper

Cheers.

I have a simple answer.. dump the backpack and get a pannier bag instead.

Re Christina's mention of anti-bacterial stuff, i'm thinking the Glen 20 spray that is being advertised on tele atm might be a good one to try. My own smelly backpack is ok now, it has actually worn out enough that there is insufficient material left to maintain the previous colony of stink cultures . WIN!

I have a backpack sitting on my back for around 90 minutes at a time. Yes, it does get wet and quite gammy after a time.

Just apply a bit of detergent and water to the straps with a nail-brush and then rinse well. Very occasionally wash the back of the backpack (which really means you may as well wash the whole thing).