I washed a Vera Bradley bag that did not have a cardboard bottom. I washed it with clothes on the gentle cycle. I did not put it in the dryer. I smoothed it out with my hands, then hung it on a plastic hanger to air dry. It took 2-3 days to dry thoroughly, but it turned out beautifully, just like new, and I had to press nothing. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.