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louvac

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Hey Guys!

Has anyone ever washed a Kirby 519 bag that has the round silkscreen logo?

I have one that needs more than just a good shake-out and an inside-out vacuum by another machine. It has a wet dog kinda smell. I thought that perhaps sucking up some pure baking soda and leaving it in the bag for a few days/weeks may do the trick. They empty it and re-vacuum it. I am afraid the bag may get ruined if I wash it. It's in excellent condition.

Any suggestions/recommendations?

Louis
 
Louis, you are right about your fears ... do NOT wash your Kirby bag unless you want to ruin it. The silkscreened logo is, 50+ years after the fact, hard and brittle and will just flake right off if you get the bag soaking wet.

I have ruined more than one Kirby bag trying to wash it. What you might try is going to a pet supply store and getting some of that odor killing spray used to neutralize the smell of pet urine. What you would want to do is turn the bag inside out, spray it with the stuff, let it dry, then vacuum it thoroughly - with a vacuum that has a disposable bag so you can throw it out afterwards!

While baking soda is an odor neutralizer, I would not suggest dumping it inside a cloth bag. The fine, powdery granules will clog up the pores.

Another thing you can do is to, as best you can, cover the odor up. Throw a half-dozen or so of those hard scented "vac tabs" in the bag and leave them in there for a couple of weeks. Hopefully the more pleasant scent of the tabs will cover the "stinky dog" odor.

btw, did you know the reason behind the tradition of a bride carrying a bouquet of flowers? It dates back to medieval times when people didn't bathe or use deodorants and stank to high heavens. Brides started carrying flowers with them to cover up their "B.O." How the bride and groom managed to get past one another's stink as they consummated their marriage is another matter and probably one that's best not speculated about too much, hahaha!
 
Luggage Shop Trick:

My local luggage shop taught me a trick that might be of some use here. When luggage gets a musty smell inside, airing it out well and then putting it away again with a bar of deodorant soap (such as Dial) will leave it smelling good again after a couple of weeks. It works so well that I've taken to storing my luggage with Dial inside as a preventive measure. You might try putting this in a plastic bag with a bar of Dial for a while.
 
Thanks All, for the tips....

Another trick is take a cotton ball and pour some pure vanilla extract on it by putting it on top of the bottle and inverting it for a few seconds. Then place the cotton ball in the bag. This trick also works well in the frig.

This bag to me seems slightly on the oily-ish side. What it actually is caused by is the oil in the dog hair that is absorbed by the cloth. I was wondering also if using a Hoover Steam Vac on the inside of the bag while staying clear of the emblem would be a viable option. I may do a test spot.

Louis
 
You could try..

Using a dry shampoo. It's something that comes as a spray... it's meant to absorb oil (in your hair), and give it a "refreshed" look without getting wet. If you guys have Ulta stores in your area, they'll have a few; we sell it at mine.

I bet you could turn the bag inside out, and spray the inside surface of the bag... let it sit for a while, then vacuum the bag real well with a RugRat or something similar.

~F

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...um=1&tbnid=veDdqXp2-WDiXM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&
 

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