Jute is a plant fibre, spun from the stalk of the jute plant and woven while it still holds some of its natural oils. That is what gives a jute tote its weight and its faint, grassy smell when it is new. It also means jute does not behave like cotton canvas, and the care habits people bring from canvas bags are usually what shortens a jute bag's life.
The short version
- Spot clean. Do not machine wash.
- Dry flat, away from direct sun.
- Store it stuffed, not folded.
- Keep it out of prolonged rain unless the lining is waterproof.
Cleaning a mark
Mix a drop of mild dish soap into cool water and work it into a cloth until it is barely damp. Blot the mark, working from the outside inwards so you do not spread it. Do not scrub: jute fibres are held together by the weave, and abrasion frays them permanently. Once the mark lifts, go over the area with a second cloth dampened with plain water to pull the soap back out, then leave the bag to dry flat.
Never put a jute tote in a washing machine. The agitation loosens the weave, the heat shrinks the fibre unevenly, and the bag comes out smaller, stiffer and misshapen. This is the single most common way a good jute bag is ruined.
Drying
Lay the bag flat or stand it upright with something inside to hold its shape. Keep it out of direct sunlight, which bleaches jute to a pale, brittle straw colour over time, and away from radiators. Jute holds moisture longer than it looks like it does, so give it a full day before you use it again.
Smell and damp
A new jute bag smells faintly of hay. That fades in a week or two of use. A musty smell is different and means the bag was put away damp. Air it outside in the shade for a day, and if the smell persists, leave an open box of bicarbonate of soda inside it overnight.
Storage
Stuff the bag with a rolled towel or the tissue it arrived in and store it standing up. Folding a jute tote flat creases the weave along the fold line, and after a few months that crease becomes a permanent weak point. If you are storing it for a season, keep it somewhere dry with a little air movement rather than sealed in plastic.
Rain
Untreated jute drinks water. A short dash from the car to the door is fine; an afternoon at a wet market is not. If you regularly carry a bag in unpredictable weather, choose one with a waterproof lining instead of trying to weatherproof a plain jute tote. Our juco totes are built for exactly this, with a sealed interior and cotton-filled handles.
When it finally wears out
This is the good part. Jute is compostable. A worn-out jute tote, with any synthetic lining or hardware removed, breaks down in a home compost heap in a matter of months. It is one of the few bags you can genuinely retire rather than throw away.
Browse the full range of hand-woven jute totes.
