You can wash the bags

[wildgeese]

I know this is naughty, but I put my medium cafe bag in the washer. We had been to a going away lunch and on the way back to the office, my doggie bag leaked all over the top of the cafe bag. So I thought about the recommended spot cleaning, and I thought about using a small nail brush and some shampoo, but it was garlic marinara sauce, and it was all over.

So I threw it in the washer with a bunch of towels and stuff and some eco kind of detergent. I figured the towels could mitigate some of the agitation.

Well the bag came out great. I studied the coating on the backside of the fabric (inside the front pocket) and really don't see any harm done. I promise I won't do it every other week, but for those times when you really want something clean, it seems you can get away with this.

[Darcy]

Washing your bag in a washing machine is naughty and yes, a lot of people do it. I know people who wash their Cafe bags in the machine every week.

Keep in mind: washing your bag in a washing machine voids our guarantee.

Washing machines are really tough on zippers and buckles.

If you decide to wash your bag using a washing machine and something breaks and you'd like it repaired, we can probably repair it for a reasonable fee, but that repair wouldn't be covered under our guarantee. And, in some cases, we might not be able to repair your bag at all. For example, replacing the front zipper on a Cafe bag is basically as much work as creating a whole new bag.

[maverick]

hey darcy,

any recommendations for those whose bags get friendly friendly with the marinara sauce?

everybody loves a good marinara! - except those who have an allergy to tomatoes.

how about a delicate cycle where the washing machine doesn't cause a lot of agitation to what's inside?

maverick

[Darcy]

Washing your bag in a washing machine will void the guarantee, period. Even if you use laundry detergent for babies and the delicate cycle in a front-loading eco-friendly washing machine!

Here's what I would do if my bag was doused with marinara sauce:
Thoroughly rinse the bag off in the kitchen sink
Turn bag inside out
Fill the kitchen sink with warm water
Add dish soap or gentle laundry detergent (maybe something nicely scented to get rid of that marinara smell)
Let the bag soak for a while
Swish the bag around in the water, scrubbing the bag against itself
Drain the sink

If especially dirty, repeat the above steps. If not, rinse thoroughly. Lay bag on towel until it's not drippy anymore, then hang on indoor clothes drying rack. If it's just a Cafe bag, it should dry overnight.

[maverick]

Even if you use laundry detergent for babies...

there is laundry detergent for babies??

i can understand if someone may not have realized that it isn't a good idea to put a bag into the laundry machine. but i can't believe anyone would think of putting a baby into a laundry machine!!! and they make a detergent for this???

babies, no matter how dirty they may get, must be washed gently by hand - not in the laundry machine!!!











sorry - i couldn't resist - in one of those moods this evening. you understand, right?

:D

[wildgeese]

Sorry I brought it up.

Why don't you just delete this thread.

[Darcy]

Why don't you just delete this thread.

No! I'm glad you posted it. I think you brought up a good point and posted about something a lot of people ask us about/already do. Some people listen to our warnings and still choose to wash their bags in the washing machine (a few of my family members included) and feel that the risk of the bag not being covered by the guarantee is outweighed by the convenience of machine washing.

[Darcy]

there is laundry detergent for babies??

Man, you're right. That is wrong. Even if you spill marinara sauce on the baby.

"Just like a baby, wash your TOM BIHN bag with gentle soap in the kitchen sink."

[maverick]

i'm glad there are others here who share my crazy humor, or at least tolerate it :)

[indigo]

babies, no matter how dirty they may get, must be washed gently by hand - not in the laundry machine!!!

How about if you stand in the machine and dip the baby into the water with a gentle swishing motion? :)

[maverick]

How about if you stand in the machine and dip the baby into the water with a gentle swishing motion? :)

way cool! you have a washing machine in which you can stand? where do i get one of those?

[indigo]

In Canada. You know the kind...sawed off barrel type thing with washboard...sits in the middle of the igloo...

[gigantoid]

My washing machine uses kittens to lick the dirt off, will that still void the warranty?

[Darcy]

My washing machine uses kittens to lick the dirt off, will that still void the warranty?

Depends. Is it the kitten pictured below?

[maverick]

that looks just like the cat i saw last night on the 6 o'clock news.

darcy, are you harboring a known feline?