How To Wash And Break In Cornhole Bags

If you are like us (and I'm sure you are or else, why would you be on a cornhole blog?) you love cornhole and you will play anywhere and everywhere. That means that sometimes your cornhole bags get dirty. We get asked A LOT of questions but the top 2 questions our team receives are how to wash and break in your professional cornhole bags...and why you shouldn't use accelerated break-in methods.

Can you wash Gladiator Cornhole bags?

So your bags got dirty while playing. No worries! Cleaning your cornhole bags is super easy. Our preferred method is washing by hand as it's the least harsh way to get your cornhole bags clean and ready for the next round.

Step 1. You need some kind of tub of warm water, detergent, and if desired a soft bristle brush.

Step 2. Soak your bags in the water mixed with a small amount of either dish or laundry detergent.

Step 3. You can agitate by hand for a few minutes or use a soft bristle brush and gently clean the outside surface of your bags.

Step 4. Rinse your bags thoroughly to get all soap/detergent off the bags and then lay them flat to air dry. If you have a fan available, you can use that to assist in drying a little quicker. While it's OK to lay them outside to dry if the sun is out, it can cause color damage to the fabric so do so at your own risk.

NOTE: We know some people choose to wash their bags in the washing machine however this method is harsh on the bags and can break down/weaken bags much faster. We also don't recommend putting bags in the dryer as a high-heated cycle can melt the resin within the bags.

How Do You Break In Gladiator Bags?

Since we have cleaning covered, let's get into breaking in bags. We have heard some crazy ideas on how people break into their bags. Boiling, running over with a truck (you paid all that money to run them over?!), conditioner....and these are just a few methods I've seen. The problem with these is first, it will void your warranty with many bag manufacturers and second, it can shorten the life of your cornhole bags! Plus, we have heard from many players that they tried one of the 'new' break-in methods and no longer like the feel of the bag.

We are old school and firmly believe the best way to break in bags is throw them. Not only do you get more practice in while breaking them in, but it's the most natural way to break in bags the way they are meant to be broken in.

Storing Cornhole Bags In Between Play

This is a new question we received not too long ago. How you store your cornhole bags is completely up to you and depends on how big your collection, but we do suggest storing them in a dry place. If you have a cornhole backpack (check out the Gladiator Battle Bag if you are looking for one!) you can keep your go to bags in there, so you are ready to head into battle at any moment. Depending on how large your collection is, there are tons of options. Shelving, display cabinets, even just stacked in the closet! We have a cube shelving unit from Ikea that we use for our favorites!

Come back next week for a recap on the 2nd ACL National Event, Cornhole Mania, that is happening right now in Atlantic City, NJ!