About the bag... it's an original bag and not in bad shape. If it were me, I would not risk ruining it by washing it. As I have posted before, I've learned the hard way that washing Kirby bags can be disastrous. Imagine my sorrow when I lifted a beautiful Kirby bag out of a pan of soapy water and saw the silk-screened logo flaking off and running down the front of the bag.......

But if you feel you MUST wash it, here are some suggestions:

I never wash cloth vacuum cleaner bags in a washing machine and in fact try to avoid washing them at all because doing so causes the pores to close up, especially if the cleaning agent (soap or detergent) is not thoroughly rinsed out. This obviously will impede air flow and thus cleaning efficiency.

The only time I will wash a bag is if it came from a household with smokers or stinky dogs, or when something nasty was vacuumed up. I'd rather have a bag that smells a bit musty than to risk ruining it by washing it.

When I do need to wash a bag, I hand-wash it in cold water with a little Woolite, not too much, to facilitate thorough rinsing and then to rinse several times in cold, clear water, wringing the bag out somewhat but NOT too tightly lest you squeeze the logo right off of the fabric.

I never machine-dry them, either. The heat will shrink the fabric, possibly to the extent of causing the bag to get so small that it will longer fit, and again, will definitely cause the pores to close up. Line-drying is the best.

After washing and drying, I give the bag a thorough vacuuming inside and out with my bag cleaner to open up the pores. You really do need to give the bag a good "pounding" to open up the pores. You can use an upright or hand-vac with an agitator, or else a power nozzle. One like the Electrolux Sidekick would be easy to use and do a good job. Obviously, you would want to be VERY careful and pay close attention, lest one of your fingers or knuckles get mangled by the agitator brush.