Regardless of whether or not your Samsonite luggage gets a ton of weekly use (really racking up the frequent flyer miles alongside you) or only gets taken out of the closet a handful of times a year for vacation makes no difference.
You want your luggage (especially expensive, quality Samsonite luggage) to be last.
That inevitably means learning how to wash Samsonite luggage, not just the hardside luggage “cases” but the softside luggage that this brand makes as well.
With a bit of info (that we share below) you’ll find that keeping your Samsonite luggage squeaky clean is almost effortless.
Armed with the inside information below you’ll be able to knock out a deep clean of your Samsonite luggage without too much headache, without too much hassle, and without even having to use too much elbow grease.
Let’s jump right in!
How to Wash Samsonite Luggage
Cleaning Hardside Luggage
Cleaning hard shell luggage from Samsonite is actually pretty simple and straightforward.
There are a couple of things you want to focus on (and some cleaning agents you want to stay away from), but getting your hardside Samsonite luggage spotless is pretty easy.
Step #1
First, you’ll want to actually prepare your luggage for the deep cleaning process.
This means wiping off any dirt, dust, mud, or debris that has accumulated.
You don’t need to go crazy here, but you do want to get rid of as much “surface stuff” with a dry paper towel as you can before you start applying cleaning agents.
Step #2
Next, you’ll want to mix up a bit of warm water with some dish soap.
There are a lot of commercial Samsonite cleaning solutions on the market today that’ll set you back a small fortune, but warm water and a little bit of dish soap works just as well (if not even better).
Step #3
Dip a paper towel or cloth into this cleaning solution and start gently scrubbing the hardshell of your luggage.
Don’t soak the luggage and don’t try and clean too big an area at once – keep that in mind and you should be good to go.
Step #4
If you’re having a tough time spot removing some particularly nasty surface stains or gunk you might want to think about using a little bit of baking soda mixed in with toothpaste.
Scrub a bit harder and you should be able to release that stuff pretty quickly.
Step #5
All that’s left to do is either dry the surface of your hardshell on your own – a blow dryer on the lowest temperature setting works well for this – or to set it outside and let it dry in the sun and the wind.
Cleaning Softside Luggage
Samsonite soft luggage needs to be “babied” a little more when you are cleaning it – particularly when it comes to the kind of cleaning agents you use.
The folks at Samsonite themselves recommend that you only ever spot-clean your soft side luggage with mild dish soap that’s been diluted in warm water.
If that doesn’t remove the spots you are trying to clean, though, they say that you can confidently use foam-type cleaners commonly used on car mats to get the job done.
Folks online also report having great results using fabric and textile cleaners that use a formula that foams up.
Just steer clear of non-foaming upholstery cleaners or “spray cleaners”. They can actually stain your Samsonite soft luggage.
To clean your luggage, just:
- Wipe down your soft luggage with a paper towel to get rid of surface dust, dirt, and debris
- Spray down the entirety of your luggage with a foaming cleaner
- Gently rub the foamed cleaner into the luggage
- Let rest for between five and 15 minutes
- Vacuum away the now dirty foam cleaner
… And then just dry your softside luggage and you are good to go!
Closing Thoughts
At the end of the day, cleaning your Samsonite luggage doesn’t have to be a stressful affair.
Be smart, use the right cleaning agents for the job (like the ones we highlighted above), and never completely soak your luggage and you shouldn’t have much to worry about.
Keep the inside info we shared above in mind when caring for your Samsonite luggage and it’ll look just as good as brand-new for years and years to come.