How To Clean Velcro

Velcro is one of those ingenious inventions we take for granted. Take a look around your home, and you’ll probably find these fasteners holding together coats, shoes, bags and cushion covers, helping to maximize cable management and more. But Velcro does have a drawbackthe hook side can quickly gather hair, lint and other dirt that looks grubby and can stop the sides from sticking together successfully. Fortunately, learning how to clean Velcro isn’t tricky.

We spoke to a VELCRO company expert to get their top tips on cleaning hook and loop fasteners so you can continue using them with confidence.

What are VELCRO Brand Hook and Loop Fasteners?

Before moving on to the instructions for how to clean Velcro, let’s clear up any confusion about the fact that Velcro is a trademarked name that’s become a commonly used term.

“We spend a lot of time educating people that Velcro is not the product; it’s the company name,” Mark Elliott from Velcro Companies explains.

The most well-known VELCRO brand fastener type is the widely-used hook and loop design. While the VELCRO brand invented this clever design, other companies are now also producing these types of fasteners.

“It’s important to know that every piece of hook and loop could be a little different,” Elliot says. This cleaning guide will work for most hook and loop fasteners, but it’s focussing on the VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners.

How to Clean Velcro

Learning how to clean VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners isn’t tricky, and there are various tools you can use to get the job done, most of which you should already have around your home.

There are two sides to these VELCRO brand fasteners. Elliot explains that the softer loop side doesn’t collect so much debris. It’s the rougher hook side you’ll want to focus your cleaning efforts on. It’s typically made from nylon and has engaging hook fasteners that attract hairs and other debris when disengaged from the loop side. “If you run your fingers across both sides of the hook and the loop, you can generally tell which one is which,” Elliott says.

Brush or comb out

Elliott says the easiest way to clean VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners is to brush them out.

“Cleaning out the hook side is similar to cleaning a hairbrush,” he says. He recommends using a stiff toothbrush, or you can try using a fine-tooth comb if the hooks are larger.

Don’t expect one brush over to be enough when there’s lots of debris or pet hair tangled through the hooks. “It does take some work if something’s really bound in there,” Elliott warns.

Use another Velcro hook

If you don’t have an old toothbrush, Elliott recommends using another hook fastener to clean Velcro. “It takes a little bit of doing, but you use the hooks to grab the other hooks and then pull out any attached debris,” he says.

Pick out by hand

You can try getting rid of pet hairs and other fluff from your Velcro by hand. But be prepared for it being time-consuming, tedious work.

Use other tools

Elliott says tweezers can sometimes help remove debris more strongly adhered to VELCRO brand fastener hooks, and some people use the serrated metal strip found on a tape dispenser with some success.

Wash out

When there’s a build-up of oil, grease or other stuck-on grime on your VELCRO brand fastener, you can’t brush or pick it out. In this instance, Elliott recommends running it through the washing machine. “Hook and loop is very resilient, and, in most cases, it can be submerged in water,” he says.

Elliott recommends you engage the hook and loop together before washing. “That helps maintain the strength and rigidity of the hook and loop, but the water will still penetrate and wash away most dirt,” he says.

Closing the fasteners also prevents more hair or other lint from sticking to the hook side during the washing process and prevents the hooks from pulling on and damaging other fabrics in the machine. As an extra precaution, you might also want to wash items with VELCRO brand fasteners separately.

If the item isn’t machine washable, try rinsing the hook and loop fastener under the tap.

How to Prevent Velcro From Getting Dirty

Learning how to clean Velcro is important, but preventing a build-up of dirt in your hook and loop fasteners will make the job easier and help maintain the integrity of the design.

“VELCRO brand hook and loop lasts a very long time. When cared for, it can be engaged and disengaged thousands and thousands of times, so a little maintenance always goes a long way,” Elliot says.

These top VELCRO brand hook and loop fastener maintenance tips will keep them working well and looking good for longer:

• Keep the fasteners engaged: “We always recommend that the hook portion be covered at all times so as to not grab on to hair or other materials that might engage with the hook,” Elliott says. This also helps the hook maintain its form.

• Remove debris regularly: Getting rid of those few strands of hair or a bit of lint when you see it gathering will only take a few minutes. Waiting until there is a big build-up makes cleaning tougher, and it can compromise the integrity of the hooks.

About the Expert

• Mark Elliot is the Director of Internal and Corporate Communications at Velcro Companies; video interview, 10. Jan, 2025.

The post How To Clean Velcro appeared first on Family Handyman.

Article source here: How To Clean Velcro