Keeping your luxury bag brand new and scratch free is a huge responsibility. Whether, it's bags, shoes, and dresses. Treating your luxury items with care and love is essential to respect their beauty and elegance. When someone buys a designer bag with their hard-earned money, they understand how crucial it is to take care of them and clean them whenever needed.
Suppose you buy a Chanel classic flap bag; although it will remain in top-notch condition for decades, it keeps its worth even better with proper care. Of course, don't baby it, but you must understand how to clean and store your designer bags.
Luxury bags, such as Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton, are popular as they are investment bags. To retain their resale value, you must keep them in good condition.
Dust and grime from the atmosphere can gather on the exterior of luxury purses and make them look filthy. Sweat and oil from hands can also deteriorate the stuff and lining. Here, I've compiled several cleaning methods and tips on how to store designer bags.
How to clean designer bags (Step-by-step guide)
1. Daily cleaning
Daily care of your luxury items is the foremost step in keeping the integrity and extending the product's life. Avoid extensive strain and stress daily. Don't overdo it, but ensure you avoid keeping open pens, lipstick, and other staining items in your bag.
2. Clean the interior of bags
Empty your bag and dust off all the debris. Next, turn the bag upside down to remove the remaining litter. Now, remove the liner from the inside and use a lint roller to clean it up. You can also use a vacuum brush to clean the bag from any missed debris. If the bag's lining is made of leather, it's apparent that you can't turn the lining inside out. In that case, use a brush attached to a vacuum or lint roller to remove the dust particles from the corners.
3. Clean the exterior
Over time, debris accumulates on the exterior design and, if left uncleaned, becomes hard to remove. Different materials are used to craft designer bags, and cleaning them depends on the fabric.
1. Leather
Clean the leather exterior with gentle brushing and a soft towel regularly. Use warm water with soap flakes to remove stains and spots. Leather usually dries on its own so avoid using the dryer. You can also clean them with the help of baby wipes. Make sure the wipes are fragrance-free and devoid of alcohol ingredients.
After cleaning, apply a leather conditioner to save the material from drying out.
2. Fabric
The bag's exterior, made of fabric like satin, silk, jersey, and canvas, can be cleaned with a lint roller. Use a tweezer to remove adherent dirt particles.
Use OxiClean on black fabrics, as it can leave a staining mark.
3. Suede and Fur
The best way to clean bags of fur and suede is to use a brush in the direction of the hair. Remove stains and dust with the brush and use a suede conditioner after cleaning.
4. Canvas
Designer bags come with basic cleaning instructions, making washing your bag easier. Before scrubbing, do a small cleaning test to ensure the vibrant colors aren't fading away. To perform this test, dip a small part of the purse for 10 to 15 minutes in the water. Also, clean each stain before washing the whole bag. Ensure not to wash luxury bags in a washing machine; always consider hand washing. Remove dust with the help of a lint roller and wash the bag in soap water. If your bag has a stubborn stain, use detergent and scrub gently with a brush.
4. Clean the hardware
Clean the hardware with baby wipes and dry with a soft fabric. You can also use Brasso on oxidized or tarnished metal hardware to polish them. Beware of applying polish on material other than the hardware as it can stain them badly.
How often should you clean your designer bags?
How often you should clean your designer bag solely depends on how you usually wear them. If you use them daily, clean them every other day to minimize wear and tear. However, cleaning them three to four times per year would be more than enough if you're using them only on significant occasions such as weddings and outings. Yet make sure to clean the base, handles, and corners of the bag after each use, as these sites are more vulnerable.
How to take care of your luxury bags
Follow these essential tips and easily maintain the shape of your designer bags.
1. Avoid light exposure
Avoid keeping your designer bags in the sun and moisture. Place them in shades as sunlight can fade the colors of the exterior. Further, protect the bags from humidity to avoid molding.
2. Avoid hanging
Avoid hanging your designer bags on hooks and door handles, as it can stretch the leather straps. Always place your luxury bags on a shelf.
3. Avoid using plastic bags
Avoid using plastic bags as dust covers. Over time the plastic melts and sticks to the leather. Moreover, plastic poly bags aren't aesthetically appealing, so consider a dust cover to keep your designer bags dust-free.
4. Dust bag is a must
Most Chanel bags come with a dust cover. It's an excellent option to save the pack from dust and harsh environment. However, if your designer bags isn't featured with a dust cover, consider buying a dust cover to keep them clean.
5. Maintain the shape with a bag organizer
Nothing hurts more than using a distorted shape purse. Use sweaters to avoid this inconvenience but don't overstuff them as it can damage the form. You can also use a bag organizer to save the bag from spilling items. A bag organizer protects the lining and provides extra pockets and compartments to easily store the object.
6. Repair as soon as possible
Avoid waiting a long time and piling up multiple tears. Make sure you fix the repair as soon as possible. Contact your designer outlet, any leather repairing shop, or online sites to fix the damages.