TL;DR
Hiking packs and boots are hand washed in cool water and dried slowly away from heat, because machine washing damages pack coatings and dryer heat destroys boot adhesives and leather. Empty every pocket first, brush the dry dirt off before water touches anything, and give both a day or two to dry properly.
Why heat is the real enemy
The mistake that ruins hiking gear is not dirt, it is drying it too fast.
Boot midsoles are glued. Heat softens the adhesive, and a boot dried on a heater or in a dryer comes apart at the sole, sometimes months later on a trail.
Leather that dries fast goes hard and cracks. Waterproof membranes in boots and pack fabrics degrade with high heat.
Pack fabrics carry a coating on the inside face and a water-repellent finish on the outside. Machine agitation abrades both, and a dryer melts the lightweight fabric and the plastic hardware.
Slow, cool, and patient is the entire method.
How do you clean a hiking backpack?
Empty every pocket and shake the pack out. Hand wash it in a tub of cool water with a small amount of technical fabric wash, scrubbing the straps and hipbelt with a soft brush. Rinse thoroughly, then hang it upside down with every pocket open until it is completely dry.
The pack, step by step
1. Empty everything. Every pocket, every lid, every hidden zip. There is always a granola bar wrapper and half a pack of tissues.
2. Remove the frame and hipbelt if they come out. Most larger packs have a removable framesheet, stays, and sometimes a belt. Take them out.
3. Shake it out and vacuum the interior. Sand and crumbs come out much easier dry.
4. Fill a tub with cool water and technical wash. A capful is plenty. Skip laundry detergent, which leaves residue that attracts water, and skip fabric softener entirely, which is covered in why fabric softener ruins technical outdoor gear.
5. Scrub the contact points with a soft brush. Shoulder straps, hipbelt, and the back panel take sweat and salt. Those are where the smell lives.
6. Wipe the exterior. Soft cloth, cool soapy water. Mud on the bottom panel needs a brush.
7. Rinse thoroughly. Residue is the main cause of a pack that gets grubby again quickly.
8. Hang upside down to dry, pockets open. Somewhere with airflow, out of the sun. A full day or more.
Do not machine wash a pack unless the manufacturer's tag specifically permits it. Some smaller daypacks allow a gentle cycle in a mesh bag. Most larger packs do not.
Clean the zippers with a toothbrush and rinse them. Zippers fail from grit, not use.
Boots, step by step
1. Let the mud dry. Dried mud brushes off cleanly. Wet mud smears into the leather and the seams.
2. Take the laces and insoles out. Wash laces separately by hand. Wash insoles with a little mild soap and air dry them.
3. Brush the uppers. A soft brush for leather or synthetic uppers, a stiffer one for the outsole.
4. Clean the outsole tread. Rinse it and pick the packed grit out of the lugs. This is also the step that keeps trail seeds and soil from moving between watersheds.
5. Wash the uppers. Cool water and a boot-specific cleaner, or a very small amount of mild soap. Avoid detergent and solvents, which strip leather oils and damage waterproof membranes.
6. Rinse and blot. A clean damp cloth, then a towel.
7. Dry slowly at room temperature. Stuff them loosely with newspaper or a dry towel to absorb moisture and hold shape, changing it once. Never near a fire, a heater, a radiator, or in a dryer.
8. Condition leather once dry. A leather conditioner or wax made for footwear, following the manufacturer. Do not condition synthetic or fabric boots, which do not need it.
9. Reproof if water stops beading. A spray-on treatment made for boots, applied to clean, slightly damp leather or fabric.
Why do my hiking boots smell?
Sweat soaks into the insole and the lining, and bacteria in that damp material produce the odor. Remove and wash the insoles, dry the boots completely between uses, and rotate two pairs if you hike often. Baking soda left in a dry boot overnight absorbs a lot of residual smell.
The hydration bladder nobody cleans
If your pack carries a reservoir, it needs its own routine.
Empty it after every trip. Wash it with warm soapy water and a bottle brush, and use a tube brush on the hose. Rinse thoroughly.
Dry it fully with the opening propped wide, which is what a bladder hanger or a paper towel roll inside is for. A bladder stored damp grows mildew and the taste never leaves.
For long storage, some people keep the bladder in the freezer once it is clean and dry, which is a reasonable way to prevent growth.
Source: Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics gear care guidance and manufacturer boot care instructions
Between-trip habits that save the deep clean
Knock the dirt off boots outside before they come in the door.
Take everything out of the pack when you get home, including the wet stuff. A damp pack sealed in a car trunk or a closet is what starts the mildew smell.
Hang the pack rather than stuffing it in a bin. Airflow does most of the work.
Wipe the hipbelt and shoulder straps with a damp cloth after a sweaty hike, which prevents the salt buildup that makes a full wash necessary.
Set up a spot by the back door where boots and packs land. A mat and a stiff brush there keep most of the trail out of the house, the same entry-point logic in our guide to cleaning outdoor gear and equipment.
Storing gear for the off season
Store both clean and completely dry.
Packs go loose on a hook or a shelf, not compressed in a bin, and not in a damp garage. Boots go somewhere with airflow with the laces loose and cedar shoe trees or crumpled paper inside.
Do not store leather boots in a sealed plastic tub, which traps moisture and can mildew the leather.
The same dry, ventilated storage that keeps a tent alive in how to clean a tent and rainfly.
FAQ
Can you put a hiking backpack in the washing machine?
Only if the manufacturer's tag says so, which is rare on larger framed packs. Machine agitation abrades the internal coating and the water-repellent finish and stresses the hardware. Hand washing in a tub of cool water with a technical fabric wash is the safe method for almost every pack.
How do you dry hiking boots without ruining them?
At room temperature with good airflow, stuffed loosely with newspaper or a dry towel to draw moisture out and hold shape. Never use a dryer, a heater, a radiator, or a campfire. Heat softens the adhesive holding the midsole and hardens leather, and both failures are permanent.
What soap can you use on hiking boots?
A boot-specific cleaner, or a very small amount of mild soap in cool water. Avoid laundry detergent, degreasers, and solvents, which strip the natural oils from leather and can damage waterproof membranes. After cleaning, condition leather and reproof the boot if water no longer beads.
How do you get the smell out of a backpack?
Wash the shoulder straps, hipbelt, and back panel with a soft brush and a technical wash, since sweat salt in those contact points is the source. Rinse thoroughly and dry the pack fully with the pockets open. For residual smell, an open container of baking soda inside the pack overnight helps.
How often should you wash a hiking backpack?
Once or twice a season for regular use, or after any trip that leaves it visibly filthy. Between full washes, wipe the straps and hipbelt with a damp cloth after sweaty hikes and empty the pack completely when you get home. That prevents most of the buildup.
Should you clean the mud off boots before or after it dries?
After it dries. Dried mud brushes off cleanly, while wet mud smears into the leather grain and packs into the seams and lug pattern. Set the boots somewhere ventilated to dry, then brush them out and wash the uppers with cool water and a boot cleaner.
Hiking gear brings a lot of the outdoors home with it. If keeping up with the rest of the house is the harder job, get a quote or read more about house cleaning services.