5 Easy Steps To Cleaning And Maintaining Your Pencil Pouch

Any creative or academic will tell you that a pencil pouch is a must-have. This handy item holds all your supplies, making sure you don’t miss anything you need when you need it. However, with continuous use, your pencil pouch can become quite messy. From ink smudges to pencil shavings, spills, and pen markings, a once-vibrant pencil pouch can be a repulsive breeding ground for bacteria. It doesn’t have to get to this point. With easy steps on how to clean and maintain your pencil pouch, you can get it back to looking as good as new within no time. Here’s a detailed guide on how to go about it.

1. Remove the Contents of the Pencil Pouch

The first thing you need to do is to remove everything from your pencil pouch. This is probably the easiest step. However, ensure you store everything safely to avoid damage to surfaces.

For instance, if you use your pouch to store pens, placing them on a disposable paper towel may be a good idea, especially if you have one that’s leaking.

2. Shake Out the Debris

If you’re like most people, chances are you sharpen your pencils into the pencil pouch to avoid making a mess. If you’re not keen on emptying the bag immediately after, you may have debris in the pouch.

Debris may also accumulate due to various reasons, including:

• Leftovers from torn sticky notes
• Broken pencils
• Lint and dust
• Eraser crumbs

Whatever the source of the debris in your pencil pouch, you’ll want to get rid of it before you move on to the next step to ensure an effortless cleaning process. Make sure you’re emptying the debris in a trash can to avoid making a mess.

Also, do it closer to the bin and where there’s no wind to prevent light debris from blowing everywhere.

Check to see if there’s any debris left behind after shaking the pouch over the dust bin. If you notice any stuck onto the surface, take a soft brush and brush it out slowly.

3. Spot Clean

Once you’ve gotten rid of all the debris from the pouch, the next step is spot cleaning. This step is crucial for removing small and stubborn stains. The process entails focusing on one spot until you’ve removed all the stains successfully.

For this step, you’ll need:

• Detergent
• Soft cloth
• Warm water
• Rubbing alcohol
• Polish remover

Here’s how to go about it:

1. Warm some water in a pot and pour it into a small bowl.
   
2. Add a bit of detergent to the water.
   
3. Next, dip the soft cloth into the warm water and use it to rub the stain off. Use gentle strokes to avoid any damage to the fabric. If it’s not a stubborn stain, you’ll only need to rub the spot a few times to remove it. If this doesn’t work, you’re probably dealing with a more stubborn stain. In this case, move to the next step.
   
4. If water and detergent didn’t work to remove the stain, consider using rubbing alcohol. Dub a small amount of the alcohol onto the stained spot and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take a piece of cloth and rub the spot. Again, you shouldn’t have to rub it too long to remove the stain. This method works best for stains like stubborn ink marks. If rubbing alcohol doesn’t work to remove the ink stains, move to the next step.
   
5. Nail polish remover is an excellent alternative to rubbing alcohol as it removes ink stains way faster. For this method, all you have to do is dub the nail polish remover onto a cotton round and rub the spot until the ink stains come off.

4. Hand Washing

Once you’ve spot-cleaned all the stains on your pencil pouch, the next step is hand washing. For this step, you’ll need:

• Warm water
• Baking soda
• Detergent
• Bowl
• Soft cloth
• Soft brush or baby toothbrush

Soak in Baking Soda

Baking soda is an alkali that reacts with the acids in stains when dissolved in water, acting as an excellent cleaner. It’s also a great way to remove odors from your pencil pouch.

1. Dissolve four tablespoons of baking soda in a quart of water.
   
2. Submerge the case into the mixture while it’s open, making sure the mixture gets inside the case.
   
3. Let the pouch sit in the mixture for a while.
   
4. Rinse the baking soda using soapy water, making sure all the baking soda is washed off before proceeding to the next step.

Using Detergent

After soaking the pouch in the baking soda mix for some time, you can clean it using detergent.

• Add water into a bowl and mix some detergent in. Use just enough to make the water soapy.
• Next, dip the pouch into the soapy water and use the cloth to rub off any leftover marks.
• If there are hard-to-reach areas, use a soft or baby toothbrush to gently scrub the dirt.
• Rinse off the soap in running water, making sure you get every spot.

5. Air Drying and Odor Elimination

After rinsing the pouch, the next step is to air dry it. However, before you put it out to dry, confirm if there’s any leftover odor. If there is, cramp up an old newspaper and stuff it into the pouch.

The newspaper will absorb all the odor from the pouch, leaving it smelling as good as new.

NOTE: If you’re dealing with a delicate fabric, it’s best to stick to baby shampoo or a specialized detergent to avoid damaging the pencil pouch. Also, before using rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover for stain removal, ensure you spot test on a small inner part of the pouch to avoid damage.

Wrapping Up

There you have it: 5 easy steps on how to clean and maintain your pencil pouch. Don’t be one of those people who walk around in a stained, dirty pouch. It’s not a good look. As you can see, the steps are pretty straightforward, and it doesn’t take long. So, grab that pencil pouch and start cleaning!