Clean and care for your designer handbag and it will last much longer

If you invest good money in a handbag, you should also be willing to invest some time in keeping your handbag looking good. There are specific methods for keeping your designer handbag looking new and fresh, no matter how long you’ve had it.

Cleaning

First, if you have a leather handbag, clean it every few months with a good quality leather cleaner. The cleaner will not only help to keep the leather clean, but will keep it supple and prevent it from cracking or drying out. The cleaner can also buff out small imperfections that appear when you use the bag.

When you use leather cleaner, use a small amount and a clean cloth to smooth it in.

If you have a canvas or cloth bag, you can use nothing more than a mild soap (like Ivory) and a soft cloth to clean your bag. Be sure to use just a little bit of soap so you don’t leave a stain or have to clean longer to get the soap out. If you have a stain you want to work on, try a Shout wipe or Tide pen. Again, use just a bit and clean it well.

To clean the hardware on your bag, use a good quality brass cleaner or metal polish. Because you don’t want the cleaner running onto the fabric of your bag, try using a paste cleaner as they are cleaner and easier to work with than a liquid cleaner. Use a Q-tip or cotton ball to get the cleaner into the small metal pieces on your bag. If you do accidentally get cleaner onto the bag, wipe it off quickly with a barely damp clean white cloth.

Storage

If you buy an authentic designer handbag, it should come with a dust bag. Use it, and make sure you keep the dust bag closed while the handbag is being stored. If your bag didn’t come with a dust bag, or you can’t find it, use a pillowcase, but twist the pillowcase top and tuck it under the bag so you keep the dust out.

Before you store your bag, fill it with tissue paper or crumpled newspaper so the bag can keep its shape while it’s in storage. Don’t put any items on top of your stored handbags as that can crush them.