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

I earlier shared with you some fundamental recommendations on what to seem out for when purchasing preloved luxurious designer luggage, and I also instructed you that when I obtain them, I really don’t mail my bags to a bag spa for cleansing. Nope, I do it myself! 🙂

I do not invest in terribly weakened preloved baggage, nor do I use my baggage in a rough method. I really don’t toddler them, but I really do not abuse them both. For the most portion, my baggage are held clean up, and with a little more treatment, you can consider them a prolonged way and they’ll last you several years and several years!

I have also restored some preloved bags that arrived in a fairly lousy situation – dry leather, soiled and with marks on them, and with storage odours. I treat them all the exact way, and I’ve discovered that it tends to make them as superior as new or if not, significantly better than when they arrived! 🙂

Here are some of the items you need to have, and how I use them. I’ll attempt to reveal how it seems to be as I cleanse, with before-following photos with a new preloved acquisition 🙂

Damp Wipes – non alcoholic beverages toddler wipes

Non-liquor, non-fragranced newborn damp wipes are good for place and normal cleansing. If you see a mark on your bag, rubbing gently with wet wipes can typically get it out. If you transpire to get a fresh filth mark on it, or a stain, a soaked wipe gets it out pretty speedily much too.

Or you can wipe it all over your bag as a basic clean. It is effective on leather, pvc, canvas and coated canvas. In simple fact, it performs on everything, and is effortless to find and manage.

Once you have presented it a wipe, permit your bag air dry ahead of storing.

Leather-based Cleaner – Turtle Wax Luxe Leather cleaner

The Turtle Wax Luxe Leather-based Cleaner is a new discovery for me. You can come across it on-line (test Shopee) but I purchased it at Ace Hardware and it price tag RM39.90 which is good for me. You can search in big hardware outlets for it.

When it comes to leather-based cleaner, I don’t thoughts employing a leather-based cleaner for sofas or auto upholstery. They typically come in much larger bottles, and clean up very well, mainly because persons can be extremely distinct about their cars and trucks, and vehicle seats get filthy! 😛

The upside to buying a leather cleaner designed for cars and trucks or leather items in basic, is that it is far more affordable than utilizing a single marketed for bags. Those people commonly appear in smaller sized portions and at increased charges. In my working experience, it’s a lot more or fewer the identical thing.

The great detail about the Turtle Wax Luxe Leather Cleaner is that it can also be utilized on non-leather components as well, like pvc or coated canvas, but not nubuck or suede. I really like applying it to clean the canvas on Louis Vuitton coated canvas. It receives filth out, and it is Ok even if it receives on the leather pieces, since it is made for leather just after all!

I never recommend spraying it specifically on the bag, as it can get all over the place. So spritz some solution on a clean microfibre cloth, and operate it into your bag. I use it on vachetta leather much too, and it allows to remove (or lighten) some marks and stains, and maintain it thoroughly clean. Do notice that it might cause the vachetta leather to darken a very little, but I appreciate leather with a patina, so I’m fine with it.

At the time it dries, it commonly lightens back again up. It is a great all round bag cleaner. I do advise place screening to start with ahead of making use of it all above your bag. Just pick an inconspicuous space and wipe it over with the cleaner. If it does not go away a mark or stain, you’re superior to go.

Dish soap and heat water

If you have a stain to deal with, or an uncoated canvas bag with leather-based trim that you can not (or don’t want to) toss into a tub of water, you can also use dish soap diluted in some warm drinking water. Soaked a piece of thoroughly clean microfibre fabric in it, squeeze dry, and rub it about the entire body of the bag to clear.

You can also use this with coated canvas luggage, or even leather luggage. Just dampen a piece of tender cloth with the soapy combine, and function immediately prior to it absorbs.

As normally, location check in advance of proceeding to thoroughly clean the entire human body of the bag. I’m quite brave (or reckless, relying on how you see it 😛 ) when operating with my personal bags, so I’m always experimenting 😛

Dunking the whole bag in soapy drinking water

Sensation brave? If you have uncoated canvas bags or nylon luggage (e.g. Longchamp le Pliage) that are a tiny dirty, or unlined leather-based luggage (e.g. Coach legacy luggage) and are feeling courageous, you can clear it quite easily and rapidly by dunking it in a tub of soapy h2o (a squirt of dish cleaning soap and water). It will get the grime out from crevices, and offers it a deep clean.

For leather-based bags, take away it right after rinsing, and stuff the entire body with towels to manage its shape as it dries. For nylon bags with leather-based trim, I use a towel to dry as considerably of the trim as achievable, and then lay flat around a drying rack with good circulation higher than and underneath, to dry.

Do not dry in the sun, just in a cool, airy put. It may possibly choose a handful of times. Just be sure to maintain modifying out the towels and to reshape your leather-based bags though it is damp so it retains its form.

As soon as it is absolutely dry, for leather-based baggage or leather-based trim, you can ailment with a leather-based conditioner to restore moisture and lustre. Carried out effectively, you’d have a bag that’s as fantastic as new! 🙂

With my complete nylon luggage e.g. LeSportsac, or backpacks, I commonly just toss them in the washing machine on a gentle cycle. Typically will come out on the lookout manufacturer new 🙂

Metal cleaner – Brasso or equivalent

Numerous preloved baggage normally get there with tarnished or dull metal components thanks to oxidization and exposure. With old patterns, you may possibly discover that the steel grommets or buckles glimpse dark and boring and filthy. You really do not need to have to ship it to a bag spa to get it all polished up and looking really!

All you want is a metallic cleaner, some cotton buds and some cotton pads or clean microfibre cloth. Oh, and a minor patience and elbow grease 😀

I required to get Brasso metallic cleaner, but there wasn’t stock when I was seeking so I ended up with this tube of steel cleaner that was purchased from a random hardware shop, intended for auto treatment. It was not also costly and you only have to have a very small little bit every single time.

I advise working with cotton buds when doing the job with metal cleaner, simply because you are commonly cleaning extremely small parts and surfaces. You never want to get the metallic cleaner on your leather-based, just in circumstance you stain or injury it.

Put a very little product on the idea of your cotton bud and apply it to the steel bits like grommets, buckles, any hardware, zips. The essential is to rub it in and wipe off. Repeat till your cotton bud doesn’t elevate off any more oxidation. It will consider a even though. Perform in compact places at a time, and it’s considerably a lot more satisfying viewing the metal come again to lifetime.

For larger components like buckles or locks, I like to use a piece of microfibre cloth to get the operate finished more promptly. Utilize a bit of solution on it, spread it all over, and implement to the hardware, rubbing as tough as you can. Truly work it in, and you will see it start to glow. I cleaned up the lock of my 15 12 months outdated Fast this way, and it seems beautifully shiny now!

Cleaning up and sharpening the steel components of your bags will support them very last for a longer time, and seem far better. In the situation of a preloved bag, it will make it appear as great as new!

Leather-based conditioner – Collonil Leather Gel & Delicate Cream

When my bags are dried following utilizing a leather cleaner and just after cleansing the metal, I get the job done in a leather conditioner into all my leather bags, or luggage with leather trim.

Just like our skin demands oil and moisture, leather-based does much too. A great leather-based conditioner will maintain the leather-based supple and prevent it from cracking, and preserve it looking shiny and balanced.

I lately picked up the Collonil Leather-based Gel and Collonil Fragile Cream. Collonil is a brand name that is qualified mainly at shoe care. To me, as extended as it performs for leather, it’ll function for my bags. Apart from, if it can ailment and clean up leather-based footwear, it can do the exact for my baggage!

I use the Collonil Delicate Cream especially on leather that is dry, for illustration an old vachetta leather bag strap. For quite dry leather, I just take a small product or service and get the job done it into the leather-based with my hands, letting it absorb and dry. From time to time, if the leather is very dry, you may well need to do this a handful of occasions, right before it gets to be pliable and supple yet again. For servicing, I’d set a tiny item on a piece of clear microfibre cloth and rub it into the leather-based to situation.

Idea: If the leather is dry, ailment it very first right up until it is moisturised and supple right before cleaning. Cleansing dry leather can problems it further

I identified that the Collonil Sensitive Product disorders leather effectively, but doesn’t actually do a great deal to thoroughly clean the leather-based, so you have to use a leather cleaner individually. The Collonil Leather Gel on the other hand can serve double duty as a cleaner and conditioner. It even provides a light-weight water resistant layer above your leather-based.

I personally like working with a individual item to clear and condition, but it is practical to know that the Collonil Leather-based Gel can serve double responsibility for a swift clean. I examined it on some dust, and it bought most of it off, but I had to function in the Turtle Wax Luxe Leather-based Cleaner to adequately thoroughly clean it. So, floor and mild dirt are high-quality, but nothing too ingrained.

I have observed that if the leather-based is quite dry or has been neglected for a extensive time, doing the job in a leather conditioner periodically allows to revive and restore the leather-based to make it far more supple and to restore its lustre. It will choose a handful of times of conditioning, but it will spend off. I enjoy watching leather appear back to existence this way 🙂

If you like, you can wait until it is all absorbed and dry, and then buff your easy leathers with a dry microfibre cloth. It will include a comfortable shine to your baggage, and make them glimpse all beautiful and new again!

And for me, which is about it when I’m performing with leather-based luggage 🙂

I not long ago bought a preloved Louis Vuitton Cabas Mezzo bag. The base is vachetta leather-based, and it came with some marks and stains, which I was completely mindful of. I obtained this for a steal, so I was not as well fussed, as (a) I really do not head vachetta leather with a patina and marks, and (b) I reckoned I could clean up the worst of it out 🙂