If you have ever reached in your bag and found that your chalk has covered all your gear, or that your chalk has gone dry and lumpy, you’ve probably also had that feeling of regret that you didn’t store your chalk bag in a better way.
In this guide, we will look at how to store your chalk bag, to make sure your gear isn’t covered in chalk and that your chalk is usable when you get to your climbing spot.
How To Store Your Chalk Bag
When it comes to storing your chalk bag, you need to make sure you keep it airtight and away from moisture. The best way to store it is in either an airtight plastic container or inside a small plastic bag.
The reason for storing it in this way is as follows:
- It stops and remaining chalk in the bag from becoming too dry – If the chalk is too dry it can become less effective and won’t help your grip as much
- It protects the bag from moisture – It only takes a small amount of water to mix with any left over chalk for it to become a caked on mess inside your bag
- It will protect your bag from other climbing equipment – This works both ways as your bag is less likely to get damaged in your backpack and it is less likely to make the items in your bag look like thay have been dusted for prints as a crime scene!
Can You Leave Chalk In A Chalk Bag?
It is possible to leave chalk in your bag as long as you make sure the bag is stored correctly in an airtight container.
As mentioned above, the risk you have storing your chalk bag loose is that you could end up with a cloud of dust inside your rucksack, meaning you need to give everything more of a clean than you probably intended. Inside an air-tight container, any escaping chalk dust will be contained.
You also need to be careful that if you are leaving chalk in your bag that there isn’t the chance that water can get at it. This is particularly important when using dry chalk as it could turn into more of a chalk cake than a chalk power.
How Do You Clean A Chalk Bag?
The idea of cleaning your chalk bag might sound like an absolute nightmare, needing to remove all the chalk in order to clean it. In reality, it’s not that difficult to do and doesn’t take too long.
It’s also a very hygienic thing to do as well. If you think about all the dirt that gets on your fingers when you out climbing and if you are generous and let others use your chalk as well, there will be lots of bacteria in there.
Here’s what you can do to give your chalk bag a good clean:
What you will need:
- Bowl of warm water
- Hand soap or body soap for cleaning
- Somewhere to store your chalk whilst you clean your bag
What you do to clean your chalk bag:
- Empty out the contents of your chalk bag
- Add you detergent to the water and give is a mix
- Clean the inside and outside of the chalk bag by hand
- Dry your chalk bag out with a towel
- Let your chalk bag air dry completely out of direct sunlight
Can You Machine Wash A Chalk Bag?
If you would prefer to wash your chalk bag in a washing machine this will be fine, however, this can damage your chalk bag if washed too frequently in the washing machine. If you are to use a washing machine, make sure you turn the chalk bag inside out so that the inside gets a good clean.
Summary
Thanks for reading this guide. Hopefully, you now know that the best way to store your chalk bag is in a sealed container or bag and now you know how to keep your chalk bag clean as well.
Happy climbing!
