So you’ve finally picked up the leather purse of your dreams. Congratulations, cousin! You’ve earned it.
But with such a precious item in your closet, you might be wondering how you can best care for it to make sure that you get the most bang for your buck. Or, you might have already picked up a little stain after a long night out. No judgment, seriously. We have been there.
Caring for designer bags, whether they’re leather, suede, faux leather, or shearling, is a tad more complex than washing your other wardrobe items. You can’t exactly just throw them in the washing machine. We’ll just repeat that, for emphasis: Do not throw your designer purses in the washer.
The care depends a lot on the material, but keep reading for a high-level guide to how you can best keep your high-fashion purses looking shiny, fresh, and new.
Best Preventative Care for Your Purses
Naturally, the best way you can extend your handbag’s lifetime is to give it lots of preventive care. It’s amazing what proper care can do for purses. These tips are actually more like hacks.
Don’t Hang Your Purses
We know it’s super convenient to just sling your purse over a door handle or hang it on a hook, but while your purse is in off-duty mode, you don’t want to put any more stress on the handles. Tearing around the handle stitching is usually one of the first signs of wear and tear, especially for bags we use often.
Instead, let your purse sit on a shelf like the prize it is.
Use Your Dust Bag
Relatedly, when you’re not using your purse, put it in a dust bag and try to keep it out of direct sunlight. Leather is ultimately cow skin, and even with protective treatments, it will still get discolored and damaged in sunlight.
You’ll get a branded dust bag every time you purchase a Brandon Blackwood purse. It’s a light, protective bag to slip over your purse to ensure it doesn’t get damaged while it’s stored — small but mighty.
Pro-tip: It’s also great for travel. We always pack an extra purse (or five) in a dust bag within our luggage.
Get Into a Maintenance Routine
When it comes to maintenance care, try to think of it like a skincare routine. If you stay consistent, you’ll reap the rewards.
Purchase a leather conditioner and give your leather bags a once-over every month or so. With a microfiber towel, wipe the purse down and let it air dry for maximum shine.
For suede, you can also get a water-resistance treatment product. Many bags are pre-treated with water-resistant sprays, but these lose their potency over time. You should also get a lint roller to keep lint, dirt, and hair off your purse.
For hardware, you can use a toothbrush or cotton swab to clear away the grime that builds up there. Let’s be honest: If you’re walking the streets of New York (yes, even the Upper East Side), you’re bound to encounter some dirt. Maintenance care ensures your purse won’t bear the worst of it.
Dealing With Stains, Scuffs, and Aging
At the same time, maintenance care won’t do you much good when you’re dealing with a stain or scuff, so let’s talk about how to clean leather and suede.
Cleaning Leather Products
If you’re simply dealing with buildup and dirt, you can just use a standard cleaning practice to bring some life back to your leather purse. Light-colored purses (like our Mini Mandeville Tote in Cream Leather) will show their dirt more easily, so you’ll want to engage in leather care with them more often.
Purchase a cleaning solution and set aside at least a half hour for cleaning your leather bag. Use a soft cloth to create a foam with the cleaning solution and clean both the inside and out. Leave it to air dry for at least ten minutes, and then wipe with a conditioner to seal the leather and moisturize it. Cleaning solutions for leather are mild, but leather is prone to get dried out, so conditioning is essential.
Treating Stains on Leather Handbags
If you’re dealing with a more serious stain, like from lipstick or wine, then you’ll need to do a more intensive job to get it out. You can use rubbing alcohol, but we recommend getting actual leather cleaner. Rubbing alcohol can be tough on the material and dry it out.
Once you notice the stain, resist the urge to pat it down with water. First, you’ll want to dab the stain with a dry cloth. Make sure it’s a clean cloth as well. Dab lightly and try to remove the excess liquid so that it doesn’t sink further into the leather.
Then, blot the affected area with a slightly damp cloth and warm water. We know it can be tempting to start scrubbing here, but you want to use a delicate hand when dealing with leather.
At this point, you can introduce a leather cleaning solution. Work from the outside in on the stained area and dab away. After a few minutes, leave the purse to air dry in a warm room. You can also do a manifestation at this moment if you want. Up to you!
The severity of the stain will always depend on what you spilled on it. Ink stains and nail polish stains are notoriously difficult to get out. If you’re dealing with a grease stain — ugh, the worst — try using cornstarch or baking soda to absorb some of that grease out of the leather.
Treating Stains on Suede Handbags
Leather, as a rule, is pretty stain resistant. Even as soft as it is, it’s actually durable — most of the time, you can wipe away liquid stains.
Suede, on the other hand, is a whole other thing. Suede does not react kindly to liquids. You’ll know well if you’ve ever spilled on a pair of suede shoes. That’s why it's so important to treat your suede bag with care, even if it’s your everyday purse.
If your suede bag gets wet in the rain and lacks a firm structure, stuff it with cardboard or paper while it dries so that the purse doesn’t lose its shape. This can be less of a worry if you have a naturally structured bag like the Kendrick Trunk.
When you notice small stains or dirt, try using a suede brush to brush the stain away. You may be surprised at how effective brushing the stain can be. Only use suede cleaner on suede products if you have to introduce a liquid agent. Suede is so prone to discoloration that it’s not even funny.
When To Take It To A Professional
Sometimes, a DIY job just isn’t hacking it. There are resources you can turn to for professional help if you’re dealing with especially stubborn stains. We’ve had to do this for a few ink stains, believe us.
Professional bag cleaners are experts in stain removal. They can tackle everything from water stains to nail polish spills to scuffs that refuse to buff out. We recommend giving it the old college try at least a few times, just to save money, but if that doesn’t work, then definitely take it to the professionals.
A stain or a torn handle are not worthy reasons to part ways with a purse that you love. An expert can have that taken care of in no time.
Remember, designer bags are investments, and by taking care of your investments, you’ll ensure an even longer life together.
Purse Care Is Self Care
You already know we’re going to be extra with our designer handbags. We even regularly clean our leather makeup bags. Just because she’s functional doesn’t mean she should have scuff marks! We love all of our purses equally — okay, we’ll admit it, we have some favorites — so we care for them equally.
Once you work in a designer’s studio and see just how much thought and intent goes into these bags, you’ll understand why treating them well is so essential. Of course, bags are practical, and yes, they come with us everywhere, but a designer bag is an art piece. It needs regular restoration, just like the famous paintings in museums.
Whether you own a faux leather designer purse or a one-of-a-kind shearling shoulder bag, caring for a designer item is part of the joy of owning one. It’s just like self-care, honestly.
Imagine a Sunday where your besties text you to go out, and you say, sorry, no, I’m conditioning my leather goods. It really does not get any more chic than that.
Sources:
How to Properly Take Care of Your Handbag, According to Designers | Byrdie