It is quite likely that your product from us will get dirty, as using them often and well is the whole point! We actually think a dirty, "I've been everywhere look", is something to strive for, as it will prove that it has lived through many eventful stories and helped you in creating amazing memories. If, however, you would like to freshen up your Tote Stories products, we recommend the following...
Although we have tried it and it works quite ok, we don't recommend washing our tote bags in the washing machine. This mainly for the reason that our heavy-duty, stiff cotton canvas will come out with wrinkles that may be hard to iron out. The fabric will also loose some of its stiffness due to the harsh treatment of the washing machine. Also, while the limited pattern printed totes are digitally printed, which basically holds for anything, the contrast dyed fabric on our solid colored classic totes may bleed onto the white canvas.
So, instead, give annoying stains a scrub - try first with a dry scrub brush, which we promise you'll find surprisingly effective, and if necessary, add warm water and some soap or washing detergent. Please note to avoid scrubbing out from the dyed contrast fabric as some colors may bleed! The heavy off-white canvas however can be scrubbed down quite fiercely. Leave your bag out to dry. A tip! Our bags look even more beautiful with the touch of a steam iron, so don't hesitate to put it on the ironing board from time to time!
Machine wash at 30˚, gentle cycle and lay flat to dry. An iron will do the works here too.
In order to keep our produce bags fresh and clean, make sure to wash these often. Machine wash at 30˚, gentle cycle and dry flat.
Basically, treat them like your favourite sweatshirt hoodie, machine wash at 40˚ and tumble dry. Please note that the soft backside of the blanket can give off excess fluff, especially before the first wash. You can easily brush off excess or freshen up the back with a soft cloth brush.
Our towels are of highest quality organic cotton and can be washed over and over and over again. Machine wash at 40˚ and tumble dry.
Our monogrammed drinkware collection should be washed by hand, with warm water and dish soap. The bottles and cups should not be washed in the dishwasher, as the hot steam may dissolve the glue of the monogram and cause it to peel off. Bottles without monogram can be washed in the dishwasher and so can of course the lids and straws. Drinkware cotton bags, can go in the washing machine at 30˚ and laid flat to dry.
Our tote bags love the beach (who doesn't?!), but we will be honest to tell you that there may be a risk of their vibrant colors fading when exposed to too much direct sunlight.
Our solid colored classics are dyed with natural dyes and some are unfortunately less color fast than others. As in many cases, light colors are less affected by sun fading than dark, but also light colors will to some extent fade with time. Our patterned limited editions however, are digitally printed with reactive dyes, which are much less prone to fading.
So, our recommendation is to choose your tote after season and use ... get that live-at-the beach tote in one of our printed or lighter colors and let your fall and winter haul-it-all tote be darker, just like the days!
