How to clean a golf bag? As good and enjoyable of a game golf can be, some parts can be…a tad less glamourous. In fact, your equipment will get dirty quite quickly when out golfing, and that includes your golf bag.
To avoid bad odors and looking like the unkempt golfer on the course, read the article below for the best, easiest method to clean a golf bag.
How to Clean a Golf Bag?
There are many types of gunk that you will want to remove from your golf bag after a round or two of golf. These types of gunk include dirt, mud, sand, grass stains, and if you are unlucky, bird droppings.
To clean your golf bag in full, you will need the following items:
Materials Needed:
-Dirty Golf Bag
-Cloth or Towel
-Water
-Dishwasher Soap or mild soap
-Vacuum
-Stain Remover
Steps to Clean a Golf Bag
Step 1: Empty your Golf Bag and Shake it outside
Open all of the pockets on your golf bags and remove all items from them. After that, go outside, flip your golf bag upside down, and shake it to help any dust, crumbs and small particles exit the bag. You can vacuum the ground if you see anything non-organic, but you should be good to move to the next step.
Step 2: Vacuum your Golf Bag
Take out your vacuum and put its hose into the different pockets of the golf bag. Go all the way into the pockets and look inside them if possible to make sure you vacuum every little particle.
Step 3: Apply Water to your Golf Bag
Depending on the material your golf bag is made of, you should consider different ways to apply water to your bag.
For nylon golf bags, some of the heaviest duty bags, you can easily pour water onto them, using the faucet, a hose, or a spray bottle.
For leather golf bags, you need to be a little more careful. You probably should not drench your leather bag in water, but instead apply very small amounts of water with a spray bottle.
Finally, you should never soak or drench golfs bags made of suede. Soaking suede causes it to harden and shrivel. Suede bags are rare because they require extra tools to clean. For suede bags, you should avoid any water contact and instead brush them with a suede brush once a week. Brush the debris and dirt away from you when using the suede brush. For suede bags, ignore all of the remaining steps in this article.
Step 4: Scrub your Golf Bag with a Towel & Soap
Put two marble-sized amounts of soap onto your towel or cloth, and scrub the golf bag lightly on the dirty areas.
For lighter colored golf bags, only rub with a similarly colored towel. You do not want the towel color to rub off onto the golf bag (e.g. a red towel on a white bag).
Step 5: Pour Water on to the Golf Bag
Use water to remove the soap from the golf bag. As in step 3, be mindful of the material your golf bag is made of. Avoid using too much water on bags with more delicate materials.
Step 6: Apply Stain Remover, if needed
Examine your golf bag closely to see if there are any stains left. Put on some gloves, then apply the stain remover to the final stains. Rub with a cloth or towel, and wash your hands afterwards.
Before you use any chemicals containing bleaching agents, make sure the material of your golf bag can handle it.
For leather bags, never use any bleach or stain removers (stain removers contain bleaching agents). They will have the opposite effects and stain the leather. Use rubbing alcohol instead of bleach or a stain remover to remove stains from a leather bag.
If you do use a stain remover, repeat step 5.
Step 7: Dry your Golf Bag
Once you are sure all the soap and all the stain remover is cleaned off the golf bag, let the bag dry. When drying the bag, leave all of its pockets open. Furthermore, do not leave your bag in direct sunlight because that will cause discoloration.
Step 8: Store your Golf Bag in a temperature-controlled environment
Once your golf bag is fully dry, store it in a temperature-controlled environment. Do not leave your golf bag in your car trunk or your garage. You do not want moisture and humidity to get into the bag, especially if it is made from one of the more delicate materials. The moisture and humidity can cause issues such as material hardening and cracking.
Step 9: Freshen up your Golf Bag
After this thorough cleaning process, your golf bag should not smell too bad. However, if a bad odor still lingers, you can use an air freshener or a disinfectant in your golf bag. A good sports air freshener example is FunkAway Spray and a great sports bag disinfectant is Clear Gear Disinfectant.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you now know how to clean your golf bag to make it look brand new and free of odor! You will never look like the dirty golfer on the golf course ever again! Happy Golfing!
If you are cleaning your entire set of golf equipment, and wish to wash your golf clubs as well, read our related article: How To Clean Golf Clubs? !
How long do you usually go without cleaning your bag? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
