A leather bag is a beautiful, elegant and very practical accessory. However, from time to time, even such a thing needs proper care: from frequent “going out” the product quickly gets dirty. Read our article on how to clean a leather bag and return it to its original appearance.
Leather bags are wear-resistant and durable
Rules of care
Like human skin, natural leather needs regular hydration. Treating the bag with petroleum jelly, glycerin, castor oil or hand cream will help prevent creases and cracks. If you use too much moisturizer, it will leave streaks on your bag. Excess should be removed with a soft, lint-free cloth.
Washing or washing a leather bag is not a good idea, as getting the product wet can cause it to lose its shape and properties of natural leather. When wiping the bag with a rag or sponge with a cleaning agent, it must be thoroughly wrung out.
Do not dry leather bags in direct sunlight or using heating devices (hair dryers, heating radiators). Drying is carried out at room temperature in a well-ventilated area.
Do not remove stains from the skin with aggressive chemicals such as refined gasoline, acetone, or turpentine. It is better to use gentle methods.
How to clean a leather bag - general rules
Laundry soap is one of the universal and most affordable products that can be used to clean a bag at home. To prepare a soap solution you need:
- pour warm water into the container;
- grate a small amount of soap;
- mix the solution well;
- soak a cotton pad or cloth in the resulting mixture and squeeze out excess moisture;
- wipe contaminated surfaces.
Using a brush destroys the structure of the bag's leather, especially patent leather. A sponge will replace hard bristles.
After cleansing, moisturize the skin with any emollient composition (see “Care Rules”) and remove its remnants with a lint-free cloth.
Traditional methods
Regular food products can also help with stains on the surface. You can clean any leather surface from dirt using cow's milk, lemon juice or an onion.
Any of these products are applied to the stain and then removed with a small amount of liquid. If the contamination is severe, then you should add a little detergent to the composition. The wet method should be used carefully, because water in large quantities can only cause harm.
How to clean a dark leather bag
Dark and black bags are also susceptible to contamination. Strong tea or natural ground coffee is used to clean this leather bag. One spoon of it is mixed with a small amount of water, then the mixture is applied to the damaged area with rubbing movements and washed off with clean water. This method also applies to brown suede bags.
Coffee beans can also rid your bag of unpleasant odors. The grains are poured onto the surface of the bag and left overnight. We described in detail how to remove smell from a bag in our article.
Steaming
If you don’t have the opportunity to wait several days, you will have to use this technology. The use of an iron is strictly prohibited. The procedure takes place in the bathroom with the door tightly closed and hot water turned on under the influence of natural steam. The main condition is that drops do not fall on the surface.
Hang the accessory in any convenient way above the bathtub. When the leather returns to its original appearance, leave the product to dry in the same position.
How to clean a light leather bag at home - 7 ways
The white range of accessories gives the image a special chic, but sometimes girls have to give it up because it gets soiled. Renewing a white or light-colored bag made of genuine leather is a difficult task, but possible. There are many available tools in your home arsenal that can cope with the task. But the question of how to clean a light leather bag requires a careful and careful approach, so we recommend testing the chosen method on a small and inconspicuous area of the material.
- Soap solution + ammonia
This option is similar to the basic method of cleaning leather bags. Drop a little ammonia into warm water with the addition of laundry soap to whiten the skin and wipe the contaminated surface with a cotton pad, sponge or soft cloth.
- Starch and other bulk substances
A greasy stain on a light-colored bag can be removed using starch, talcum powder, baby powder and other products that absorb grease. The fresher the stain, the more effective its removal will be. The fatty area is sprinkled with starch, replacing it as the fat is absorbed. When the desired result is achieved, the coating is removed with a cloth moistened with soapy water and the material is wiped dry.
- Eraser
A regular eraser can also clean light and white skin from minor stains. A clean (necessarily white!) eraser is good for erasing recent traces of pen, ink, and varnish. This method is not suitable for soft, thin or embossed leather.
- Onion
A simple and gentle method for cleaning light leather bags. Onions, previously peeled, are cut into two halves. Cut off one of the parts of the onion and apply it to the bag and rub it. After treatment, wipe the area with a dry cloth. The smell of onions disappears in a couple of days.
- Lemon juice
This product has whitening properties. To clean a white leather bag from yellowness, squeeze the juice from half a lemon into a bowl, moisten a cotton pad with it and wipe the yellowed area. You should not work on the stain too intensely, as the tone may turn out lighter than the main one.
- Hydrogen peroxide
As with the previous method, caution is required. Hydrogen peroxide is great for small, less stubborn stains. Clean the contaminated surface with a cotton pad soaked in peroxide, and then wipe it with a dry cloth.
- Milk
An unconventional and effective way to update the color of a white or light-colored bag. 3 tablespoons of store-bought or homemade cow's milk are mixed with egg white, stirred until smooth and applied to the stain. After the mixture has dried, it is removed with a damp sponge. The advantage of this method is that it is safe for soft skin.
What to consider?
The main thing is to remember that skin care should be constant.
skin care should be constant
The specific type of material and color determines which cleaning options are chosen in a given case.
Some nuances will help you deal with the problem faster and more efficiently:
- Light-colored bags should be cleaned more frequently than dark-colored ones.
- Increased reliability is typical for products that use the so-called artificial aging effect.
- If the leather is embossed, then running water will only harm it. It is also prohibited to use hard brushes to clean the material.
- A special approach is applied to bags with suede inserts, which use patent leather. Often such options begin to crack and are practically impossible to clean.
Cleaning a colored leather bag
The result of cleansing depends on the skin tone and its intensity. Methods that are suitable for a dark bag may have a negative effect on a red or blue one. Laundry soap remains a universal remedy.
| Bag color | How to clean |
| Bright | Dishwashing gel |
| Dark | Coffee grounds, non-bleaching products |
| Light | Lemon juice, milk, egg white, hydrogen peroxide |
Cleaning a patent leather bag
Lacquer accessories are still a bright trend. A bag made of glossy material needs delicate handling; unsuitable products will make the finish dull. To preserve the original appearance of patent leather bags, remember that it is prohibited:
- treat them with rich cream;
- wear in too cold (less than -10°) or too hot (more than +25°) weather;
- use creams and sprays for shoes.
Stores sell special patent leather care products containing Vaseline and glycerin, which moisturize the leather and prevent cracks. To remove stains from a patent leather bag, there is a folk recipe with the following ingredients:
- 0.5 liters of water;
- 1.5 tablespoons of soda;
- 1 tablespoon of ammonia (ammonia).
The ingredients are mixed until completely dissolved and the area with the stain is rubbed with the composition. To eliminate cracks, use petroleum jelly or glycerin and then polish the surface with a velvet or flannel cloth.
Tips for washing lining
It is recommended not just to wipe the lining, but to wash it using foamed powder or liquid soap.
To reduce the time, you can treat the lining with a cotton swab dipped in an alcohol solution. It is recommended to periodically wipe the inside of the bag with antibacterial wipes. To prepare a cleaning solution, combine 1 tbsp. l. liquid soap, 1 tsp. ammonia and 1 glass of water. Particular attention should be paid to the pockets, various stripes and strap. Using a swab soaked in this product, you can wipe the entire bag. After this, the product is wiped dry with dry wipes.
How to clean a faux leather bag
Bags made of leatherette and eco-leather are increasingly found in the collections of fashionistas and are trying to match the quality of bags made of genuine leather. Caring for such accessories is easier than caring for natural materials, but has its own characteristics:
- To clean the surface, soak a cotton pad in a solution of detergent for synthetics, and after treatment, wipe the bag dry with a cotton cloth. Brushes and sponges with abrasives are not suitable for this purpose.
- Leatherette products are not cleaned with cream, but with wet wipes, which remove dirt well. With their help you can add shine to your bag and soften the artificial leather.
- Like genuine leather, leatherette is vulnerable when in contact with aggressive substances such as nail polish remover, alcohol, and acetone. The use of these substances may ruin the appearance of the bag.
- To clean bags made of artificial leather with a fleecy surface (velor, suede, nubuck), you need a special brush that removes dust, traces of dirt splashes and grease.
Ground coffee
Coffee grounds have mild abrasive properties. With its help, it is possible to carry out deep cleaning of genuine leather products. Coffee is used only if the color of the handbag is dark or black, since after processing the accessory may have a brown tint. In addition to grounds, you can clean your bag with freshly ground coffee. To do this, dilute a few spoons of the product in water and apply the composition to leather surfaces. Then remove the remaining coffee with a damp sponge, dry the product with a towel and apply cream.
How to properly store leather bags
To make your favorite accessory look presentable longer, you need to take care of its storage. It is recommended to place bags made of genuine leather or eco-leather in a fabric dust bag or ergonomic case. To prevent the bag from becoming deformed, it is stuffed with crumpled paper or fabric. Bed drawers and even walls where bags are hung on hooks help save space. You can hang the bag by the handle on hooks or hangers in the closet, but if it is made of soft leather, place it on a shelf, as the handle may become deformed.
Plastic bags are not suitable for leather bags, as it creates a “greenhouse effect”. When stored this way, the product becomes dull and acquires an unpleasant odor.
You can see more options for placing bags in an apartment here.
Knowing the characteristics of the material from which the bag is made and careful handling of the item will extend its life. Timely care of your handbag will keep it new and attractive. The product can be cleaned at home using available methods and means, but to reduce the risk of damaging the skin, it is better to contact a professional dry cleaner.
Types of material
Smooth natural leather
Most often, when making bags, they use smooth natural leather, which has a perfectly smooth texture. It is made from the skins of sheep, bulls, goats and calves. The advantages of this material include its strength, reliability, durability and resistance to moisture.
Soft skin
Some girls buy themselves handbags made of soft leather. This material goes through a special grinding process, which gives it a unique appearance. After treatment, the surface becomes very soft and elastic.
Velours
Velor is a leather material that has been pre-chrome tanned. When creating velor, double-sided sanding is carried out to make the surface smoother. Many people confuse this material with suede, as they are very similar.
Polished leather
The main difference between this material and other types of leather is its shiny glossy coating treated with varnish. The quality of patent leather depends on the manufacturing technology. When creating the material, the skins are first treated with a special primer and then varnished.
Faux leather
Nowadays, many handbags are made not from natural, but from artificial leather. These materials are very similar in appearance and therefore difficult to distinguish between them. The main differences include the quality of the products and their cost. Budget models of women's bags are made from leatherette.
Reptile leather or embossed
Embossed leather is leather that has a unique pattern on its surface. Most often, such leather coverings are given the appearance of the original skin of snakes, crocodiles and other reptiles. Products made from this material are dense and expensive.
