How to Care for Expensive Handbags

Carrying a beautiful handbag can make you feel special and powerful, so take that expensive bag you love out of the closet and use it! A few simple maintenance tips and some sensible precautions can keep it looking great for years to come.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Leather conditioning cream
• Cheesecloth
• Chalk
• White vinegar
• Suede brush
• Silverware or brass cleaner
• Flannel dust pouch or cotton pillow case

1. Apply leather conditioning cream with dampened cheesecloth to any leather bag three or four times a year. It will protect the leather from drying out and cracking.

2. Clean your handbag with caution. Clean up fresh food or blood stains with a damp cloth. For greasy or oily stains, grind up blackboard chalk and sprinkle it over the area. Leave on for 24 hours and brush off.

3. Use a rag dipped in white vinegar for general cleaning of calfskin and patent leather. For suede, place your bag about a foot away from a humidifier to loosen the dirt and brush it gently with a suede brush.

4. Clean hardware with silver or brass cleaner, after completely covering the leather or other non-metallic material with a protective layer to prevent staining.

5. Protect your bag from common hazards. Handle it with clean hands. Carry an alternative bag when it rains. Be careful of potential spills in places like grocery stores and especially hair salons.

6. Store your bag when not in use in its own flannel dust pouch or a soft all-cotton pillowcase. If you are storing it for more than a day or two, stuff it with tissue paper to maintain its shape, undo strap buckles so impressions aren't created and store a chain handle inside the bag to avoid scratching the exterior.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're caught out in the rain with your bag, don't feel foolish asking a nearby shop for a plastic bag big enough to protect it.
• You can drop your bag, complete with contents, into its dust pouch whenever you're at home to keep it from getting scratched up and spilled on in the course of everyday family life.
• If moths are a potential problem in your home, use bubble wrap instead of tissue paper to stuff your bag in storage. Bubble wrap doesn't attract moths.
• Some people say giving your bag regular vacations helps keep it looking like new. Use your favorite for a few weeks and then switch off for a while.
• Don't store your handbag in plastic bags or other non-porous covers which encourage the growth of bacteria and mildew that ruin leather.
• Never expose your bag to caustic household cleaners, turpentine, waxes or silicones, makeup, skin or hair products.