How to Clean a Purse

By eHow Fashion, Style & Personal Care Editor

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Whether you switch purses often or just have a favorite standby, toting a dirty, old handbag is definitely not your style. Keep it clean using the methods below.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Clean Cloth
Mild Detergent
Warm Water
vacuum cleaner
leather cleaner
suede cleaner

Step1

Read any care instructions that came with the purse. Follow them carefully.

Step2

Empty the purse of its contents before you begin. Once it's empty, open it as widely as possible and shake out any dirt or debris.

Step3

If the lining appears sturdy enough, gently vacuum out the interior to remove every bit of dust and dirt. Don't forget those dirty zip-up pockets.

Step4

Dry clean a fabric purse, or spot clean it with warm water and a gentle detergent such as Woolite using a clean, white cloth. Blot - don't rub - as you go.

Step5

Use leather cleaner on a leather purse. Use suede cleaner on a suede purse.

Step6

Wipe a vinyl, plastic or wooden purse with a clean, damp cloth.

Step7

Take velvet or silk purses to the dry cleaners.

Tips & Warnings

Apply a fabric protector such as Scotchgard to a fabric purse before you begin using it. Use leather protector on leather purses, and a protective spray without silicone for a suede purse.
See "Related eHows" for information on removing stains.
To keep the interior of your purse clean, don't put pens inside without caps, keep your makeup in a small, separate makeup bag, put any candy in a zipper plastic bag before putting it in your purse, and be sure any lotion, hand sanitizer or other liquid or gel products are securely capped.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 6/30/2006 Some leathers are just prone to staining. Naked leathers, or as some call them - unfinished leathers and vegetable tanned leathers are all susceptible to absorbing water and oil creating stains. Not to mention what happens with spills like coffee or wine.
Finished leathers (do not darken with water):

1. Use warm water (1 cup) with a teaspoon of vinegar for wiping off dust and some dirt. Make sure the leather is finished (does not stain with water). Leather has a pH of 4.5 and most leather cleaners are at 10. This is OK for car leather, but not for handbags. It will alter the chemistry causing pH damage (recognizable by the spongy texture and cracking).

2. For ink stains: use a white eraser right away.

3. Do not use alcohol to remove ink stains. Do not use saddle soap. It is very alkaline and will attach the leather finish and affect the pH of the leather. It is good for saddles, which are much harder and thicker than handbag leather.

4. For other spot soiling, use the white eraser. It is effective in removing many different types of dirt.

5. For oil stains, use corn starch. Rub it in and let the corn starch absorb the oil. Use a light bulb to create some heat, this will facilitate the absorption of the oil into the cornstarch. Brush off with a soft toothbrush. Repeat until all oil has been removed. This is good for purse handles that have darkened due to hand oils.

6. Keep the bag out of direct sunlight

7. To remove odor from handbags, place a container of baking soda inside the bag. The larger the surface area the better. Heat will help release the odor, so the baking soda can absorb it. You may have to change out the baking soda a couple of times. Then Febreze the interior of the bag, not the leather.

Unfinished leathers (darken with water):

1. If you get oil on your handbag, place corn starch on it immediately. Rub it in and wait for a while, until the oil has been absorbed. Use heat to speed up the process (lamp bulb).

2. For ink stains and other dirt, use a white eraser and erase the spot. Usually if you get the ink right away you can remove all of it. Ink migrates into the leather fibers, so once it is set, you need professional care.

3. For water stains, there is unfortunately no at-home solutions.However, it can be fixed by a professional leather technician.

4. Use a pre-treatment on your handbag as soon as you get it. There are very few available. Scotch Guard can work if sprayed on, or Lovin' My Bags pre-treatment, which is formulated for these types of leathers as a rub on.

5. Do not use any over-the-counter cleaners on your unfinished leather bag. It will stain.There is only one cleaner that we know of that can clean unfinished leathers without staining and that is Lovin' My Bags leather cleaner/conditioner/protector. It was formulated and tested for unfinished aniline and veg tanned leathers.