Everything is accustomed to wear and tear and leather is no different. If the wear and tear goes unnoticed then the chances are that your leather handbag doesn’t stay your companion for long. What does one do to ensure that your travel companion travels far with you? The modern day fast paced living has made it even more difficult to take care of your belongings and as such they bear the brunt when they are neglected. Well it’s not as dreary as it seems as you can still safeguard your leather bag if you had the will. And where there is a will there is surely a way. Let us spend some time here to dispel any notions that you might have connected to your leather handbag maintenance.
Cleaning your leather handbag is easier than you thought it is. It is just a matter of going that extra mile to flaunt your prized possession the way you did when you bought it originally. To retain the love for your leather handbag let’s get down to some work basics. Here is the list for a better bargain of your leather handbag’s life.
The exterior must look like the exterior
An old saying states that the first impression is the last impression. Well it’s time we abided by that. The exterior of your leather handbag is often times subject to the severities of the external environment. These could be in the form of the drastic weather conditions or even through touching with your skin which carries natural oils. Cleaning its exterior once in a week would suffice. A few drops from your mild liquid soap bottle will do the magic here. Mix these few drops with two cups of warm water until it foams up. Immerse a soft cloth in this ready mix and wipe your bag’s surface with the damp cloth. After a while just buff dry with another dry piece of soft cloth and you are done.
The interior needs more attention
While the exterior falls prey to the external factors, the interior succumbs to wear and tear owing to large variety of utility tools that you tend to carry wherever you go. First things first, empty all the occupants in your leather handbag before you start the cleaning operation. The edges in the interiors of your bag are the chief culprit here. They tend to swallow the dust and dirt in such a way that they are not noticeable easily. Well there’s the catch, your vacuum cleaner will play the army here. Allow it to suck the dust particles through the hose so nothing of the dirt remains. Once the dust has been taken care off, it’s time to get back to the soft cloth business. Use the damp cloth dipped in the liquid soap and warm water mix to clean the interiors and any stains which might be rusting there. Allow the bag to dry for a while before the usual inhabitants go back into place.
The various stains and their equivalent pains
The way you use your leather handbag will determine the amount or kind of stains that it is susceptible to. Given the outgoing nature of your handbag, in most cases it is bound to become a victim of these dreaded stains. While stains can vary from being heavy stains to deep stains, they both require your equal amount of attention. On a genuine leather handbag it will be easy to wipe off the grease stains. To clean off the ink stains you will need to take a cotton swab and dip it into alcohol. Use the swab that is dipped in alcohol to gently rub the ink stain until it disappears. Now just let it dry. The deeper stains such as the ones resulting from food, wine and blood would require an additional effort. Prepare a paste with one part tartar and one part of lemon juice. Now apply this paste liberally onto the affected surface and let it stay there for about ten minutes. After ten minutes, just wipe it off and clean the handbag in the routine way as described above with a soft cloth.
Even the leather requires re-conditioning
Finally even the leather requires the re-conditioning like we all do. The after effects of re-conditioning are that it offers flexibility to the leather and provides resistance against the terrible stains. To make this happen, mix one portion of white vinegar with two portions of linseed oil. Dip a piece of soft cloth in this solution and apply it in the form of circular motion onto your leather handbag’s surface. Allow the solution to seep into the leather for fifteen minutes. Now use a dry cloth to buff the leather handbag and restore its beautiful shine. Do this step twice a year and make your companion travel far with you.
