Cleaning Leather Bags: How I clean & care for my bags & preloved bags

I previously shared with you some essential recommendations on what to search out for when shopping for preloved luxury designer bags, and I also told you that when I acquire them, I never ship my baggage to a bag spa for cleansing. Nope, I do it myself! 🙂

I don’t obtain terribly broken preloved baggage, nor do I use my luggage in a rough fashion. I really don’t newborn them, but I don’t abuse them either. For the most component, my luggage are saved clean up, and with a little additional treatment, you can consider them a extended way and they’ll very last you years and many years!

I’ve also restored some preloved baggage that arrived in a rather lousy ailment – dry leather-based, soiled and with marks on them, and with storage odours. I handle them all the exact same way, and I have found that it tends to make them as very good as new or if not, a lot superior than when they arrived! 🙂

In this article are some of the goods you will need, and how I use them. I’ll check out to display how it seems as I clear, with in advance of-right after pictures with a new preloved acquisition 🙂

Moist Wipes – non liquor toddler wipes

Non-alcohol, non-fragranced baby moist wipes are excellent for place and common cleaning. If you notice a mark on your bag, rubbing gently with wet wipes can typically get it out. If you come about to get a refreshing grime mark on it, or a stain, a damp wipe receives it out fairly rapidly too.

Or you can wipe it all around your bag as a common clean. It works on leather-based, pvc, canvas and coated canvas. In reality, it works on everything, and is uncomplicated to discover and deal with.

At the time you have presented it a wipe, allow your bag air dry in advance of storing.

Leather-based Cleaner – Turtle Wax Luxe Leather cleaner

The Turtle Wax Luxe Leather-based Cleaner is a recent discovery for me. You can discover it on line (check out Shopee) but I acquired it at Ace Components and it price tag RM39.90 which is fantastic for me. You can search in big components shops for it.

When it will come to leather-based cleaner, I don’t mind using a leather cleaner for sofas or automobile upholstery. They generally come in more substantial bottles, and clear very well, for the reason that persons can be pretty particular about their automobiles, and automobile seats get filthy! 😛

The upside to buying a leather-based cleaner built for cars or leather items in standard, is that it’s a lot more economical than utilizing one particular marketed for luggage. All those generally appear in more compact portions and at better rates. In my encounter, it’s additional or a lot less the similar point.

The fantastic thing about the Turtle Wax Luxe Leather Cleaner is that it can also be applied on non-leather-based components as perfectly, like pvc or coated canvas, but not nubuck or suede. I enjoy working with it to clear the canvas on Louis Vuitton coated canvas. It gets grime out, and it’s Ok even if it will get on the leather-based pieces, simply because it’s built for leather immediately after all!

I never advise spraying it specifically on the bag, as it can get everywhere you go. So spritz some product on a cleanse microfibre fabric, and work it into your bag. I use it on vachetta leather-based far too, and it can help to take out (or lighten) some marks and stains, and maintain it clean up. Do observe that it might lead to the vachetta leather to darken a small, but I like leather with a patina, so I’m high-quality with it.

When it dries, it generally lightens back again up. It’s a wonderful over-all bag cleaner. I do advocate place testing initial ahead of utilizing it all more than your bag. Just pick an inconspicuous space and wipe it around with the cleaner. If it does not leave a mark or stain, you’re superior to go.

Dish soap and heat h2o

If you have a stain to offer with, or an uncoated canvas bag with leather-based trim that you just can’t (or never want to) toss into a tub of drinking water, you can also use dish soap diluted in some heat h2o. Moist a piece of clean up microfibre cloth in it, squeeze dry, and rub it above the human body of the bag to clear.

You can also use this with coated canvas luggage, or even leather-based luggage. Just dampen a piece of comfortable cloth with the soapy blend, and operate swiftly ahead of it absorbs.

As always, location test just before proceeding to clean the entire system of the bag. I’m pretty courageous (or reckless, relying on how you see it 😛 ) when doing the job with my have baggage, so I’m often experimenting 😛

Dunking the entire bag in soapy drinking water

Experience courageous? If you have uncoated canvas bags or nylon luggage (e.g. Longchamp le Pliage) that are a little filthy, or unlined leather-based baggage (e.g. Mentor legacy bags) and are sensation brave, you can clear it rather effortlessly and rapidly by dunking it in a tub of soapy h2o (a squirt of dish cleaning soap and h2o). It receives the filth out from crevices, and provides it a deep clean up.

For leather luggage, take out it immediately after rinsing, and stuff the body with towels to retain its form as it dries. For nylon luggage with leather-based trim, I use a towel to dry as considerably of the trim as feasible, and then lay flat about a drying rack with good circulation higher than and under, to dry.

Do not dry in the solar, just in a great, ethereal spot. It may acquire a number of times. Just be positive to hold changing out the towels and to reshape your leather-based baggage although it is damp so it retains its shape.

After it’s totally dry, for leather-based baggage or leather trim, you can affliction with a leather-based conditioner to restore moisture and lustre. Finished appropriately, you’d have a bag that is as good as new! 🙂

With my whole nylon bags e.g. LeSportsac, or backpacks, I normally just throw them in the washing machine on a light cycle. Typically comes out searching brand new 🙂

Metallic cleaner – Brasso or comparable

Quite a few preloved bags usually arrive with tarnished or dull metallic pieces because of to oxidization and exposure. With previous layouts, you may perhaps come across that the steel grommets or buckles search dark and boring and soiled. You never need to have to deliver it to a bag spa to get it all polished up and on the lookout fairly!

All you need to have is a metallic cleaner, some cotton buds and some cotton pads or clear microfibre fabric. Oh, and a little endurance and elbow grease 😀

I needed to get Brasso metallic cleaner, but there was not stock when I was seeking so I finished up with this tube of steel cleaner that was acquired from a random components store, meant for motor vehicle care. It was not way too high priced and you only want a small bit every single time.

I endorse using cotton buds when working with metallic cleaner, simply because you’re commonly cleansing quite little spots and surfaces. You never want to get the metallic cleaner on your leather-based, just in case you stain or hurt it.

Place a little products on the suggestion of your cotton bud and apply it to the metal bits like grommets, buckles, any components, zips. The essential is to rub it in and wipe off. Repeat right until your cotton bud doesn’t elevate off any longer oxidation. It will acquire a whilst. Perform in little parts at a time, and it’s a lot far more fulfilling looking at the steel arrive back to lifestyle.

For greater components like buckles or locks, I prefer to use a piece of microfibre cloth to get the work carried out more swiftly. Use a bit of products on it, unfold it all-around, and use to the components, rubbing as really hard as you can. Actually function it in, and you will see it commence to shine. I cleaned up the lock of my 15 12 months outdated Speedy this way, and it seems wonderfully shiny now!

Cleaning up and sprucing the steel hardware of your bags will help them very last more time, and search superior. In the situation of a preloved bag, it will make it look as superior as new!

Leather conditioner – Collonil Leather Gel & Sensitive Product

Once my bags are dried soon after employing a leather-based cleaner and right after cleaning the metal, I get the job done in a leather-based conditioner into all my leather bags, or baggage with leather trim.

Just like our pores and skin demands oil and moisture, leather-based does as well. A superior leather conditioner will keep the leather supple and avoid it from cracking, and retain it looking shiny and nutritious.

I not too long ago picked up the Collonil Leather Gel and Collonil Fragile Cream. Collonil is a brand that is specific largely at shoe care. To me, as prolonged as it operates for leather-based, it’ll perform for my baggage. Aside from, if it can condition and clean leather-based shoes, it can do the similar for my baggage!

I use the Collonil Sensitive Product in particular on leather that is dry, for illustration an outdated vachetta leather-based bag strap. For very dry leather-based, I acquire a little product or service and work it into the leather with my arms, letting it take up and dry. From time to time, if the leather is extremely dry, you might need to do this a couple times, prior to it gets pliable and supple yet again. For upkeep, I’d place a minor product on a piece of clean microfibre cloth and rub it into the leather to situation.

Suggestion: If the leather-based is dry, condition it to start with right up until it is moisturised and supple ahead of cleansing. Cleansing dry leather-based can harm it even more

I observed that the Collonil Fragile Cream circumstances leather-based well, but doesn’t seriously do much to clean up the leather, so you have to use a leather cleaner independently. The Collonil Leather Gel on the other hand can provide double responsibility as a cleaner and conditioner. It even provides a light watertight layer in excess of your leather.

I personally favor applying a separate product to cleanse and issue, but it is handy to know that the Collonil Leather-based Gel can serve double responsibility for a fast clean. I analyzed it on some dust, and it received most of it off, but I had to get the job done in the Turtle Wax Luxe Leather Cleaner to adequately clean up it. So, surface and mild dust are high-quality, but absolutely nothing way too ingrained.

I have uncovered that if the leather-based is very dry or has been neglected for a lengthy time, doing work in a leather-based conditioner periodically assists to revive and restore the leather to make it far more supple and to restore its lustre. It will consider a few times of conditioning, but it will pay out off. I really like looking at leather-based occur back again to lifetime this way 🙂

If you like, you can wait around till it’s all absorbed and dry, and then buff your clean leathers with a dry microfibre fabric. It will incorporate a tender shine to your bags, and make them seem all attractive and new once more!

And for me, that is about it when I’m functioning with leather bags 🙂

I lately ordered a preloved Louis Vuitton Cabas Mezzo bag. The foundation is vachetta leather-based, and it arrived with some marks and stains, which I was completely knowledgeable of. I received this for a steal, so I was not too fussed, as (a) I really do not thoughts vachetta leather-based with a patina and marks, and (b) I reckoned I could clean up the worst of it out 🙂