How to Clean a Leather Purse
A leather purse can be fashionable and elegant, but as time passes by, its beauty may be dulled by both dirt and grime. To extend its life and to keep it looking new, regular cleaning of your leather purse is paramount. The good news is that, the cleaning process is so simple and you can do it at the comfort of your home. The simple steps discussed below are what you need to follow to achieve the best results.
Items You Need for the cleaning process:
- Two soft cleaning cloths
- Distilled water
- A small bucket or bowl
- A soft rag or sponge
- A dry towel
- A cleaning solution or a mild liquid body or facial soap
- Warm water
- A water-based leather conditioner or protector or moisturizer
Empty this purse and unzip all its pockets. Shake it vigorously so as to remove any lose debris and dirt. Use a soft and dry cleaning cloth to wipe out the interior of the purse. Now take a damp cloth and wipe the outer part of this purse. Whenever there is a stain on the outer surface, keep rubbing the affected area with this damp cloth until it’s sufficiently damp. Be careful to avoid soaking the area.
Take your soft rag or sponge and apply your cleaning solution to it. Here, you have the option of using a leather bag cleaner bought from the store or making your own solution. In the later, mix your mild body or facial soap with some distilled water using your small bucket or bowl. Preferably two drops of this soap poured to two cups of distilled water. The mixing has to be thorough until it suds form. For the sore bought cleaner, you must ensure that it made specifically to be used on your type of leather. Do not imagine that nay cleaner can be used on any type of leather.
Using the damped soft rag above, wipe this stained area several times until the stains are completely gone.
To protect the integrity of your leather purse, you have to ensure that your wiping motions are perfectly in line with its grain.
Take a clean and dry towel and use it to wipe off any excess moisture or soap residue. Remember to keep this in line with the purse’s grains.
Leave the purse to dry or at least 30 minutes. To make the drying process faster, set it down in front of your fan. Never user a hairdryer because hot air may really damage your purse when compared to cold air. Also, don’t dry it under direct sunlight since this may cause the leather part of your purse to crack or fade.
Take another soft clean cloth and use it to apply a leather moisturizer or conditioner to your purse. This will help keep your purse supple and soft. It’s advised to ensure the rubbing is done in a consistent circular motion.
At this point, your leather purse is completely clean and if you intend to restore its shine and texture, then buffing it with a clean and dry cloth is paramount. It is also advisable to ensure that your purse is always covered when you are storing it. This will help prevent dirt accumulation.