Caring for Leather Jackets and BagsGuest Article: Cleaning Finsished Leather Bags by Barbara and Gary of Lovinmybags.com

 

Here’s a quicktip article from our friends

Barbara and Gary Crouthamel of

www.lovinmybags.com

 

 

FINISHED HANDBAG LEATHERS (do not stain with water) 

  1. For ink stains: use a white eraser right away.
  2. Do NOT use alcohol to remove ink stains. As you can see from the photo it does not work.
  3. Do NOT use saddle soap. It is very alkaline (pH over 10) and will attach the leather finish and affect the pH of the leather. 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 in; let 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 tooth brush. Repeat until all oil has been removed.
  6. Keep 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. Lovin my Bags odor out bag candies are guaranteed to remove smoke odors!

Here is a Celine bag refinished by Gary. The handles were black with soil and dye transfer