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Bag Maintenance

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Leather Care Tips

Leather is known for its durability and can last a lifetime is taken proper care of. It is necessary to maintain the beauty and other desired qualities of leather. A proper care of leather makes it protected from excessive dryness and prevents it from moisture that may cause it to swell or mildew. The following things need to be done to make your leather handbag a lifetime utility accessory.

  • The leather bags should not be stored in plastic bags or other nonporous covers as they encourages the growth of mildew and bacteria that ruin the leather.
  • In a dry environment, regularly condition the leather in order to prevent it from drying out and cracking.
  • Caustic household chemicals should never be used to clean leather and leather preparations that contain alcohol should also be avoided.
  • Turpentine and mineral spirits must be avoided as they can pull color.
  • No waxes or silicone should be used on soft leather as they gum up the pores, making it impossible to oil and condition.
  • Fresh stains of blood or food items can be cleaned up with a damp cloth. While those from oil or grease can be cleaned by grinding ordinary blackboard chalk, sprinkling the area and leaving the powder on for a twenty-four hour period.
  • A dampened cheesecloth and a leather conditioning cream should be used thrice or four times a year. This facilitates the durability, shine With and increases the beauty of the leather bags.
Here are some leather products that you can use to clean and maintain the beauty of your leather bag:

kiwi-leather-lotiontlc-leather-suede-protector1apple_leather-cleanerapple_leather-careapple_rain-stainapple_suede-nubuck
From left to right:
Kiwi Leather Lotion sells for $6.99, TLC Leather & Suede Protector from Wilsons Leather sells for $8, Apple Leather Cleaner, Apple Leather Care, Apple Rain & Stain Repellent, and Suede & Nubuck Cleaner are all from The Apple Brand.  They don’t sell their product on their website, however you can find a retailer near you that carries their product.
How to store your bags:

1. Opt for not hanging your purses on a hook or a hanger. Depending on the strap of the handbag, a hook or hanger can distort the shape of it. Instead, store your purses in an open basket in a clean, dry spot in your home. Make sure that the basket has a piece of fabric or cloth on the bottom of it.

2. Keep tissue paper stuffed into it. It will help to keep the bag in a nice shape when you’re not using it. If the purse has no flap or zipper on it, the tissue paper will also prevent dust from flying into it. Since most purses already come with big wads of it, use that instead of having to buy some.

3. Have a few micro fiber cloths in the basket. They are soft cloths that make daily maintenance easy. It will shine up the hardware on the purse without scratching it and will also easily wipe off any dust that is on the outside. No need to wet the cloth, it will work perfectly when dry.

4. Make sure to store the basket that contains the purses off of the floor. Not only are they a magnet for pet fur, they are also susceptible if your dog or cat has an accident or decides to sleep on them.

5. Keep them stored out of direct sunlight. The light can distort the color of the purses and ruin them. It is best to keep them on a shelf in your closet where you can reach them but they are out of the way from anything that can ruin them.

6. Put any purses that you don’t use often in a piece of your luggage. It will keep them clean so you won’t have to dust them, you can save space by putting them in empty luggage, and you don’t have to worry about them getting damaged.

Source

Image from Chanel

Related Pages: Facts About Leather Bags, Types of Bags

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5 Responses to “Bag Maintenance”

  • M.E. Jackson

    My mother has numerous leather Chanel handbags. Though she has taken excellent care of them, and they have worn well, there are a few unavoidable scratches/marks. Would you please recommend a brand of polish (i.e. black or blue) to touch up those areas?

    Your professional advice would be most appreciated.

    Yours truly,
    M.E. Jackson

  • M.E. Jackson.com

    Can you use standard shoe polish to touch up slight marks on a leather Chanel handbag

  • You can try using shoe polish to remove the scratches, just make sure you test it first on a less visible area and also make sure that the color of the shoe polish matches the color of your bag. In my opinion, Kiwi is a good brand.

    Good Luck!

  • Rosie

    Hi, I just purchased a coach bag and the silver hardware is worn and the silver color is rubbing off showing white instead. How can I permanently fix this problem?
    Thanks

  • cheap Links Jewelry

    Very well I ran across your site with a form of roundabout way, but it surely seemed to be the best examine, thank you!

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