I have an orange bag / small rucksack, although now, its a litle black at the bottom. What is the best way to get it a nice orange colour again. Can it go in a machine or should I give it a scrub?
it should be ok if you throw it in the washing machine, I'd suggest a 30 or 40 degree wash. Add some laundry bleach (such as Ace).
If you want to try to scrub it first, use lemon juice but do a test patch on the orange fabric.