How to Clean Charles David Handbags
Charles David handbags feature classic shapes, wonderful leathers and clean designs. If your favorite Charles David suede or leather purse is in need of a thorough cleaning, you can easily wipe the dirt away with common household products. For soiled silk, beaded and exotic handbags, however, only the careful touch of a professional handbag repairer can effectively clean your pricey designer purse. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Vacuum cleaner attachment
- Lint roller
- Suede eraser
- Vinegar
- Water
- Mild detergent
- Clean white cloths, rags or old T-shirts
- Small bristled brush
- Pencil eraser
- Cheesecloth
- Clear cream polish
- Premoistened leather cloths
Instructions
-
-
1
Remove lint from the interior. Gently pull the inside lining out of the handbag. Using a lint roller, pick up debris. To remove heavy-duty dirt trapped inside of the purse, use the fabric-brush attachment on your vacuum to remove hair, lint or dust.
-
2
Clean patent leather with vinegar and water. To restore shine to patent leather Charles David bags, mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar with 1/2 cup of water. Clean the leather with a clean, white rag or old T-shirt to remove any traces of vinegar residue.
-
-
3
Keep leather bags spot-free with mild soap and water. For leather bags, wipe clean with a soapy mixture of water and liquid detergent. Mix 1 tablespoon of detergent with 1 cup of warm water. Dip the edge of a white cloth into the soapy water to clean. Pat-dry using a clean cloth.
-
4
Remove dirt from suede with a small bristled brush. Using a back-and-forth motion, brush your Charles David suede handbags with a bristle brush to remove dirt trapped in the nap. Remove light dirt stains with a pencil eraser.
-
5
Handle exotics with care. Gently rub a snakeskin or alligator-leather handbag with cheesecloth to remove dirt and dust. Have your exotic-skin bag professionally cleaned once a year to maintain luster and keep the skin from drying out.
-
6
Take your Charles David handbag to a purse professional for cleaning. Silk, beaded, embellished or canvas bags should be professionally hand-cleaned by a professional bag repair company, not the dry cleaner. Artbag and Avelle provide cleaning, restoration and repair of designer handbags. In 2010, the cost to clean or repair a designer handbag ranges from $45 dollars to $300 dollars, according to the experts at Bag Vanity.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use premoistened leather wipes to clean your handbags as an alternative to soap and water.
For scuff marks, apply a clear cream polish to your handbags. Dark or colored polish may rub off onto clothing.
If water or anything wet spills onto suede, it is difficult to remove with a suede brush. Take the soiled suede handbag to a purse-repair specialist immediately.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Housework Handbag image by sarkee from Fotolia.com
