How to Clean a Dice Bag
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So your dice bag needs a wash
Quick answer: hand wash in cool water (around 30°C / 86°F) with a teaspoon of mild soap, then lay it flat to dry. Don't put it in the washing machine. Don't put it in the dryer. That's it — most of this article is the why, the by-material differences, and what to do when something goes wrong.
I've been making and shipping dice bags since 2020 — over 7,200 of them. The number of customers who've messaged me about a damaged bag after one machine wash is depressingly high. Every single time it's the same story: "I just wanted to clean it real quick." Five minutes saved, bag ruined.
The three rules that matter most
If you skim this whole article and forget everything else, keep these:
Cool water only. Anything above 40°C (104°F) starts fading the printed designs and can shrink gabardine fabric. I recommend 30°C — cool to the touch, not warm.
Mild soap, never detergent. Wool wash is ideal. Baby shampoo works. Unscented dish soap works. Laundry detergent (especially the "color-safe" kind), bleach, oxi powders, anything with enzymes — those will strip the dye and break down the cotton lining over time.
Air dry flat, indoors. Sunlight fades printed fabric within hours. The dryer melts drawstring stoppers and can scorch the print. A radiator does the same thing slower. Just lay it on a towel somewhere shaded and forget about it for a day.
The actual washing method
This is what I do with my own bags, and what I tell customers when they email me. It works for fabric and velvet bags. Plush and ITA bags need a different approach — see those sections below.
First, empty everything. Dice, tokens, foam inserts, that one rogue mini you forgot was in there. Check every pocket. Then turn the bag inside out — the lining is what actually touches your dice, so it's the part that needs cleaning most.
Fill a sink with cool water and a teaspoon of soap. Submerge the bag, swish it around for two or three minutes. No scrubbing, no twisting. Just gentle agitation. Drain the soapy water, refill with clean water, rinse until you don't see any suds.
Now the part where most people mess up: do not wring it out. Lay the bag flat on a towel, fold the towel over it, and press to absorb the water. Wringing is what warps the structured bottom on fabric bags and crushes velvet pile.
Reshape it with your hands while it's still damp — corners square, pockets opened up so they don't dry stuck together. Then leave it on a fresh dry towel for 24 to 48 hours. If the lining is still damp on day two, flip it over.
By material — what changes
Fabric bags (gabardine outside, cotton inside)
The method above is exactly what to do. The only thing specific to fabric dice bags with pockets is the square reinforced bottom — there's an insert in there that keeps the bag standing up on the table. If you wring or fold it sharp, the insert can warp and the bag won't stand right anymore. Reshape it flat while it dries.
About the printed designs: I print my own fabric for these bags, and I've tested the print at every stage. It's color-fast in cool water with mild soap. It is not color-fast in heat, sunlight, or bleach. Treat the print like you'd treat a printed t-shirt you actually like.
Velvet bags
Velvet is the material I get the most "I ruined my bag" emails about, and the reason is always the same — someone tried to machine wash it. Once velvet pile gets crushed in a machine, you can't bring it back. Hand wash only, and there are no exceptions.
The trick with velvet that nobody tells you: while the bag is still slightly damp after rinsing, brush the pile in one direction with a soft clothes brush or even a soft toothbrush. This restores the nap and the bag looks new again. Skip this step and the velvet stays matted.
If your velvet bag has custom embroidery, the embroidery itself is fine in cool water — just don't scrub directly on the threads. And one more time for the people in the back: no bleach on velvet, ever.
Plush creature bags
This is where the standard method stops working. Faux fur and fleece both mat when fully soaked, and the structured shapes — goblin ears, mothman wings, whale fins, bat ears — can deform if they sit wet for too long. So for the plush dice bag collection, I recommend spot cleaning instead of full submersion.
Get a soft cloth or sponge damp with cool soapy water. Dab the dirty area gently — no circular scrubbing. Wipe again with a clean damp cloth to get the soap off. Air dry, then once it's fully dry, brush the fur or fleece in the natural direction with your hand or a soft brush.
The only time to fully submerge a plush bag is if it's heavily soiled (think someone spilled a whole drink on it). In that case, use the standard method but be extra careful to reshape the creature features while it's wet, and give it the full 48 hours to dry.
ITA bags (with vinyl window)
The vinyl window is the fragile part. Two things kill it: heat and rough cloth. Don't iron near it, don't dry it in sun, don't fold the bag with the window pinched.
For cleaning, wipe the window itself with a soft cloth and as little water as possible. The fabric exterior of the bag can be hand washed normally — just keep the window away from the soap and rinse water as much as you can. When storing, fill the bag with stuffing or paper so the window stays flat instead of creasing.
Stuff people do that wrecks their bags
I've cataloged these in my head over the years. Every single one comes from a customer email or a "can you fix this?" photo:
The biggest one, by far: machine washing. The agitation warps the bottom insert, breaks the drawstring clip, crushes velvet, and tangles plush fur.
Second: the dryer. The drawstring stoppers are plastic. Plastic melts. Print burns. I've seen bags come out of the dryer literally stuck together at the seams.
Then: wringing it out hard. People want to skip the drying time, so they twist out the water. This warps the structured bottom, crushes pockets, and pulls at the seams.
Hot water — anything above 40°C — fades the print and can shrink the fabric. Bleach, no surprises, kills the dye and the lining. Drying in direct sunlight is the slow version of the same thing.
One more that catches people off guard: storing the bag wet. If you wash it before bed and toss the bag in a drawer thinking "it'll dry in there," you'll find a faintly mildewed dice bag in the morning. Always fully dry first.
Stains
If something spills, the rule is: act fast, use cool water, never heat. Heat sets stains permanently — once you've ironed or dryer-treated a stain, it's basically there forever.
| What spilled | What to do |
|---|---|
| Coffee, tea, soda | Blot with cool water immediately. Don't let it dry. Then spot-clean with a tiny bit of mild soap. |
| Pizza grease, snacks, oil | Sprinkle cornstarch or baby powder on the stain. Leave 30 minutes — it absorbs the oil. Brush it off, then spot clean with soap. |
| Pen ink, marker | Rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab. Test on a hidden seam first to make sure the dye doesn't lift. |
| Candle wax | Let it harden completely, then scrape off with a spoon. For residue, iron through a paper towel on the lowest setting — the towel absorbs the wax. |
| Mystery stain | Cool water and mild soap first. If that fails, try the cornstarch method (it's surprisingly versatile). Don't apply heat until the stain is gone. |
How often, really?
Honestly? Once or twice a year is plenty for most people. Dice are clean, the bag mostly sits on tables or in another bag, and washing too often wears the seams out faster than not washing at all.
The times to clean sooner are obvious when they happen: you spilled something, the bag picked up a smell (smoke, food, your roommate's cat), you can see hand oils or surface dirt, or you just got back from a convention. Convention floors are biologically interesting environments. Your bag was on one. Wash the bag.
FAQ
Can I machine wash a dice bag?
No. The agitation warps structured inserts, breaks drawstring clips, crushes velvet pile, and the dryer that usually follows finishes the job by melting plastic and burning print. Hand wash only, every time.
How do I clean a velvet dice bag without ruining the velvet?
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, don't twist or wring it out, then while the bag is still slightly damp, brush the velvet pile in one direction with a soft clothes brush. This restores the nap. Bleach, oxi cleaners, and machine washing all destroy velvet permanently.
What do I do if my dice bag has a stain?
Move fast and use cool water — heat sets stains forever. Blot, don't rub. For grease, sprinkle cornstarch first to absorb the oil. For ink, dab with rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab after testing on a hidden seam. The stain table above has the specifics.
Can you wash a plush dice bag?
Spot cleaning is the better method for plush. Fully submerging matts the faux fur and can deform structured features (ears, fins, wings). Use a damp cloth with cool soapy water on the dirty area, wipe with a clean cloth, air dry, then brush the fur in the natural direction.
Will washing remove the printed design?
Not if you wash correctly. Cool water and mild soap are safe for the prints — I've tested it on my own fabric. The print fades only with heat, bleach, oxi cleaners, or direct sunlight. Stick to the method above and the design stays sharp for years.
How often should I clean my dice bag?
Once or twice a year for most people. Sooner if you spilled something, came back from a convention, or notice surface dirt and oil marks. Over-washing actually wears bags out faster than under-washing.
Can I iron my dice bag?
Just the fabric ones, and only on the lowest setting through the inside lining — never directly on the printed exterior. Velvet, plush, and ITA bags should never be ironed at all — heat damages all three materials. Most bags don't need ironing anyway if you reshape them while drying.