After returning from a bicycling vacation on Mount Desert Island in Maine, my bicycle and its rack trunk were filthy from the dirt and dust of the innumerable miles of carriage trails I'd ridden on. Cleaning my bicycle wasn't a difficult task; Cleaning my rack trunk remains a problem.

What might you recommend that I do or use to clean it? For example, if cleansers are involved, I wouldn't use bleach. Nor would I want to end up with some of the dirt forever ground into the material that the rack trunk is made of. Would I need gloves? etc., etc., etc. Please discuss.

I welcome any suggestions you might have. I look forward to hearing from you.

Powerhouse

I'd go with good ol' Doc Bronner's magic soap and water, scrub it up a bit without soaking the entire bag, then let the thing dry in the sun for a few hours. I'm no expert though.

Empty the equipment, spray off loose dirt with hose, scrub lightly with gong brush where needed. If you need more cleaning, mild dish soap solution and gong bush or oxyclean solution and gong brush followed by another thorough hosing should be sufficient.

I've handwashed my bags in a sink using a small amount of laundry detergent. Let them soak a little then agitate for awhile by hand and finally rinse thoroughly.

Regular liquid hand soap does a good job of degreasing, and cleaning, without being harsh. Best results would be to hand wash with a soft bristle brush, and rinse until clear water is the reslt.

Hang in the sun, and breeze for a good day, then hang anywhere else if still damp.

Might take a couple days, but the results are amazing.

all the above plus blow them out with an air compressor?