Double Bass How to clean a double bass bag?

[Heavystringsguy]

My cats are ********, I need to clean my double bass bag. How does one go about doing this?

 

[John Le Guyader]

I acquired a used deluxe Mooradian that I felt needed a cleaning. I brought it to a dry cleaner. For $25 they washed it in one of their super big washers. Some of the foam shifted/twisted and they were able to set them all back in place but for one relatively small section that is still a bit twisted, but the bag is fully functional and clean. I'll also mention that when I picked it up they told me they were not happy about the amount of time and effort required to do the cleaning...maybe that is why that last bit of foam didn't get put back in place.

 

[GretschWretch]

My kid lives in DC Metro. I'm not surprised at the behavior of the dry cleaners.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

“I brought it to a dry cleaner. For $25 they washed it in one of their super big washers. Some of the foam shifted/twisted and they were able to set them all back in place but for one relatively small section that is still a bit twisted, but the bag is fully functional and clean.”

I did the same thing, and the dry cleaner laundered my bass bag. They got all the cat hair off mine (both cats slept on it for several years at my house); and it came out great! The cleaners were very happy about washing it because they’d never done one before. They kept calling it a “Tuba Bag” though, which was pretty funny.

 

[John Le Guyader]

My kid lives in DC Metro. I'm not surprised at the behavior of the dry cleaners.

Ya know, you would think that they would have had an idea of what it would take to clean it upon inspection. They even mentioned to me that they have cleaned other instrument bags (mentioning a tuba bag) near that size when I brought in. They didn't have to take. And, I have been treated surly by other dry cleaners in my area. Maybe there margins are thin, I don't know. But there are so many its easy to just switch to another and move on.

 

[robobass]

I had some cats pee on my Moo when I crashed at a friend's house. I took it to a coin laundry with a really big machine, and threw in lots of white vinegar. I did it on a warm sunny day, so I could air dry it quickly. Worked fine.

 

[Matthijs]

Cats can indeed be ********.

I ha succes with one of those carpet cleaning vacuumcleaners. The ones that Soak the carpet or furniture and vacuum the soap back up.

 

[GretschWretch]

Ya know, you would think that they would have had an idea of what it would take to clean it upon inspection. They even mentioned to me that they have cleaned other instrument bags (mentioning a tuba bag) near that size when I brought in. They didn't have to take. And, I have been treated surly by other dry cleaners in my area. Maybe there margins are thin, I don't know. But there are so many its easy to just switch to another and move on.

In contrast, here locally I had a banner that is nearly fifty years old that I wanted to get cleaned before sending it to someone who had a better claim to it. The cleaner I went to spent about twenty minutes with me explaining why the normal cleaning process would probably destroy the banner and gave me detailed instructions on the sort of "hand clean" I could do. And they did not ask for a cent in compensation.

 

[Steve Swan]

STEP 1) Call Mr. Wolf from Pulp Fiction. He will wrap it in plastic and take it to the crushing and shredding machine.
STEP 2) Give away your cats.
STEP 3) Buy a new cover.

 

[Don Kasper]

STEP 1) Call Mr. Wolf from Pulp Fiction. He will wrap it in plastic and take it to the crushing and shredding machine.

"You've got a bag, soaked in piss, in your house, and it stinks. Take me to it."

 

[klyph]

The actual laundering is pretty straightforward. Vinegar is a great suggestion. Use the COLD water cycle! You probably want to avoid detergent altogether if you can; any residual soap not removed by the rinse cycle could spell trouble for an instrument finish. Any item with a large zipper should have it zipped up and secured either to itself or another fixed feature with a zip tie or twist tie. This will keep it from snagging or shredding the fabric (I do this with all my hoodies and jackets, too). Always go for the biggest machine you can for something this size, especially if you’re trying to eliminate urine. Ideally, the cover should only half-fill the drum (when wet) so a triple loader might not cut it. If a triple is as big as you can go, you may have to run it a second time inside out to get rid of the smell. I would avoid commercial dryers in a laundromat for this- the thermostats always fail, and don’t always get fixed. Air drying in the sun is best, and prolonged sun exposure (I.e. a week, inside out and not) can go a long way towards eliminating residual smell. Remember- do NOT USE HOT WATER!

Yeah, I worked in a laundromat a couple of decades ago.

Never had to deal with cat piss, but I have washed dirt, spilled drinks, must and mold from my Mooradian- always came out like new.

I did help quite a few customers get cat piss out of soft luggage, comforters, etc. I hate to say it, if the cats in question were not spayed/neutered, the item in question will always be a cat (and dog) magnet, even if YOU can’t smell anything. I had a sweater like that- even after several washings and a dry cleaning. I instantly became Dr. Doolittle when I wore it, and I’m sure if I left it unattended, it probably would have been pissed on again.

We all need to hang these on a coat hook when possible.

Good luck!

 

[Aldwyn]

This is all good to know, as I have caught both of my cats taking naps in my bag, and I was wondering how I could get the hair how when the time came!

Thanks for the input, folks! Good info to have, indeed.

 

[DirtDog]

Double the warm water, dish soap and elbow grease you’d need for a single gig bag.

 

[robobass]

STEP 1) Call Mr. Wolf from Pulp Fiction. He will wrap it in plastic and take it to the crushing and shredding machine.

It's 11:30pm on a workday here. Just read that. Gonna watch that film again for the eleventeenth time. Thanks!

 

[Don Kasper]

 

[210superair]

I got poison ivy oil all over my bag at a festival last summer. I kept getting poison ivy over and over, and finally figured out where it was coming from.

I just threw mine in the laundry machine at home on super high heat, and put it over my deck railing to dry. Worked great, ivy oil was gone.