3 Ways To Keep Your Leather Handbag Clean
A handbag can make an outfit; think Audrey Hepburn’s iconic Louis Vuitton Speedy or the Fendi ‘Baguette’ Carrie Bradshaw toted around in Sex in the City. And, as much as we try to ignore it, there is an unglamorous side to every ‘it’ girls favourite sidekick: keeping your leather clean. As annoying as it is, nothing ruins your outfit faster than a stain on the faded leather of your Balenciaga City Bag.
Call us dramatic, but even the smallest of smudge-marks can quickly add up to one annoying, messy problem. And now that the majority of us suddenly have more free time than normal, it’s the perfect time to get down to the details of our wardrobe; starting with the staple, leather bags.
Here are three easy ways to protect, clean, and treat your leather handbags.
Step One: Protect It
First up, put a leather protector on it. Ideally, you’ll do this when you first get the bag, if that’s already in the past for you, no stress. Who What Wear put together a list of the best leather creams you can use regularly to protect your leather from wear-and-tear, scratches, cracks, and more.
Step Two: Know What You’re Working With
Pro tip from Vogue: make sure you know what kind of leather you’re dealing with. Is it leather, suede, or nubuck? Does it have a natural grain finish (like calfskin or lambskin), or is it an embossed leather-like saffiano? When you have the low-down on your bag, then you can pick the perfect leather cleaner.
Here are the top picks to clean (and protect) smooth, pebbled, or untreated leather from leather bag connoisseur, Alison Freer, in The Strategist.
For suede, she recommends this Valentino Garemi Suede Shoe Brush to brush off dirt or grime.
For patent leather, you can simply take a lint-free cloth and gently wipe off the bag. Freer recommends mineral oil, or a gum eraser to get pesky smudges off.
Once you’ve figured out what works best for you, make sure to spot-test it on an inconspicuous place like your bag’s handles, just to be safe. If you don’t want to buy a new cleaner, you can try some of the homemade hacks below, just make sure you stay far away from ammonia or bleach-based cleaners, which will damage the material. No thank you.
Step Three: How To Clean Those Annoying Stains
You come home, go to put away your prized Chanel and see it’s scuffed, or *GASP* has a new stain; what to do?!
If it’s a water stain; “wait, I have to clean up water?” We know it sounds counterintuitive but if you let the water dry without doing anything, you’ll have a stain shaped like the outline of your spill. Not so chic.
As soon as you can, dab the water from the leather (do NOT use a hairdryer or put it in the sun). After you’ve got the excess water off, wipe off the bag with a clean, dry cloth and finish up with a leather conditioner over the entire bag.
For oil or grease stains; take either baking soda or cornstarch to sprinkle over the stain(s). You can lightly rub it in with a damp cloth. Let the powder absorb the oil overnight, then wipe it off with a clean cloth.
For red wine stains (guilty of this one); if your leather is unfinished, it’s best to bring it into a cleaning service. But, if you’re working with finished leather, you could attempt a DIY approach by mixing one part cream of tartar and one part lemon juice. Put the paste on the stain for 10 minutes, then remove it with a damp cloth. Leather producer Buffalo Jackson suggests adding some mild soap or leather cleaner to the damp cloth if there’s still residue.
For ink stains; there are two ways you can go, DIY or leave it to the professionals. Buffalo Jackson recommends mixing one part rubbing alcohol with one part lukewarm water, apply with a cotton swab to the stain in a circular motion. After the bag dries, put a leather conditioner on it to combat the drying caused by the rubbing alcohol.
Not ready to go full DIY on your favourite bag? You’re not alone, The Restory is a professional bag cleaning service based in London, they recommend letting the professionals tackle the mess, here’s their advice to Vogue UK. “Removing ink stains from a leather bag is unfortunately not a DIY job. Ink stains are similar to denim stains in that they are stubborn and run deep. These stains vary but are generally very hard to remove by hand. They can also bleed to other parts of the bag when diluted.
For stains on suede or nubuck; these can be tricky. The Restory suggests either bringing it to the experts or getting a damp (NOT wet) horsehair dauber and carefully brush it.
Charlotte Staerck, Retail Director and Co-Founder of The Handbag Clinic, said it best to Cosmopolitan, "Clean and protect it regularly, leather is a skin and needs its own kind of skin care regime too! We recommend that you protect your bag from day one."
Do you have any hacks for keeping your favourite handbag fresh? Let us know over on Instagram!
