Say Goodbye To Smelly Luggage With One Easy Tip

If you travel frequently, maybe you put things like soap in your suitcase for a fresher scent throughout your trip. Still, you might notice an unpleasant "travel smell" that lingers around your luggage — just like how you might notice a certain smell before rain or while walking outside. Just think about all of the things your luggage touches, like colorful hotel carpets that are hiding stains or airport floors that see extremely high foot traffic. According to Insure and Go, a microbiologist found that the wheels of a suitcase carried "58 times more bacteria than a toilet seat" – yuck!

One magic way that you can get rid of the odors that bacteria and mildew cause in your suitcase is actually by doing a baking soda treatment. Award-winning toxin expert and author, Tonya Harris, told Southern Living that sprinkling baking soda in your suitcase and letting it sit for several hours can be an effective deodorizing method. After the baking soda, it's time for a thorough cleaning. A simple clean will not only eliminate the smelly bacteria themselves but also any bedbugs from the interior and exterior of your bag.

Regardless of the type of luggage you have, you would use the same cleaning protocol for the bags' interiors. Vacuum up any remaining baking soda, along with dirt and debris, and use a towel dipped in detergent and water to clean up spills from miscellaneous liquids or makeup.

Next, thoroughly clean the outside of your bag. For soft shell bags, Tonya Harris recommends dipping a cloth or brush into a mixture of laundry detergent (1 tablespoon) and 8 ounces of warm water; then dab the entire exterior of the suitcase. For hard shells, you can use a cloth dipped in warm water with some soap or detergent, or even alcohol wipes. For both types of bags, don't forget to wipe down the handles (fully extended) and zippers — and if you want to go the extra mile, your wheels, too.

On her blog, Martha Stewart recommends using a soft brush, a clean cloth, or even a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to clean fully around the wheels. After these steps, your luggage will not only come out squeaky clean and smelling good but will also likely last longer. Also, if you're an overpacker, check out our feature on space-saving packing tips.