~ Nearly carefree, there are times when your burlap may need cleaning ~

First and Foremost

~ Do NOT place your burlap product in the wash, even on a gentle cycle. While the fabric itself may stand up to some washing, the design applied to the fabric may break down.  We wouldn’t want you to find yourself with a product that had the beautiful artwork destroyed!

Prevention

~ All burlap products at Green Bean Goods have not been treated in any way.  This allows you to choose a preventative treatment to apply to the fabric if you wish.  Effective commercial products abound (such as 3M’s Scotchgard).

~ There are many who wish to use an organic or home recipe method to treat their fabric.   Simply searching the internet for “organic fabric protector” is a great place to start. 

~ SFGate has some great recommendations - http://homeguides.sfgate.com/natural-alternative-scotch-guard-79367.html

Shake it Off / Air it Out

~ Burlap has an “earthy” tone to it, as it is generally made from the natural fibers from the jute plant, and it is particularly noticeable if burlap gets wet.  To help reduce this:

~ Let it air outside over a couple of sunny days.  Sometimes this is all it takes.

~ Baking soda is a great natural method to remove the potentially noticeable “earthy” tone.  Simply sprinkle your burlap with baking soda, then allow to absorb for two to four days.  Shake it off, and you should notice a difference.

~ For some, you may want to apply a spray of Febreeze or similar product a couple of times to the burlap.

Soil and Stains

~ It is recommended you try cleaning soil and stains on a small, unnoticeable area first before application to the entire item to ensure that you do not over-apply one of the cleaning treatments below (warranty claims cannot be made due to washing of product).

~ Regular soil/grime and light stains can be removed by gently dabbing the surface with a washcloth dipped in a mixture of vinegar and warm water. Rinse with plain water.

~ For tougher stains, gently hand-wash the Burlap in a sink or bathtub using a very small amount of gentle liquid detergent, like Woolite – be sparing with the detergent! 

~ Swish around the water but resist active agitation or scrubbing.  Agitation can cause the fabric to release fuzz or potentially wash off the original design (which is why you WON’T want to put your burlap into the washing machine).

Drying

~ The best drying method is to simply let your burlap air dry.

~ If you wish, you can place your burlap in a dryer on the “Air Dry” to a maximum of “LOW” heat setting by itself and let it tumble dry.