Even though I am not what I would call a “fashion person”, I have a weakness for purses. Well any bag really! And when it comes to purses I am pretty brand loyal and I love a high-quality leather purse. Since purses are a high-use, easy-to-get-messy items, knowing the proper way to maintain them is important. When you are investing in a quality leather purse, you need to know how to take care of it so today I’m showing you how to clean and condition a leather purse to extend its usefulness.
I had an accident with one of my leather purses a number of years ago and just set it aside until I had the time to deal with it. And I was so overwhelmed with the idea of cleaning the purse myself that I took it to a local cleaners to get it cleaned. They refused to clean it! That just increased my anxiety about cleaning it myself. How I wish I had done just small amount of research back then to do it myself! Instead I let the purse languish in a bin in my laundry room for 3 (yes, three) years!
Then a couple of weeks ago, I was cleaning out the laundry room and came across the bag again. It was time to get this figured out! And so I did! And I have two ways to clean leather to share with you. Both are incredibly easy to do, but one involves purchasing a couple products and one the other uses an item you likely have in your home right now. I recommend you try cleaning your bag with the first option and following up with the second option for more stubborn dirt and stains. I used a combination of both processes to clean my purse.
Option #1 – Dove Moisturizer bar soap and a microfiber cloth.
To clean using the Dove bar soap, dampen (do not soak) your microfiber cloth with water and rub the bar with the cloth. You don’t want a ton of soap on the cloth, just a little bit. Massage the leather with the microfiber cloth and soap. As you do this, your purse will actually start to look worse than when you started. You will see the dirt coming out of the leather and it will look a LOT darker. Make sure you get all the areas that are handled the most (the straps, the bottom, and the opening). You can either spot clean with this process or clean the entire bag this way.
Option #2 – Chemical Guys Leather Cleaner, Conditioner, and two microfiber cloths.
To clean with the Chemical Guys leather products, first spray the leather cleaner on a microfiber cloth and rub over the surface of the leather. You can use the cleaner to spot clean or you can clean the entire surface of the leather. After it dries, apply the leather conditioner to another microfiber cloth and rub over the surface of the leather. You do not have to wipe it away and you can do another application if you want to. When you use the conditioner, you will notice that it makes the leather much softer and more natural. Note: both of these products say, “Shake well” before use.
I am so happy with how my purse turned out! It truly is a simple process and it is so worth it to maintain and care for my investments. You can also use these products and processes to clean other leather pieces in your home. We recently got a leather sofa and have an old leather library chair that we are taking care of the same way.
Leah
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Keeley A. says
August 12, 2014 at 11:57 amSo, do you rinse the Dove soap in any way?
Leah Hudson says
August 12, 2014 at 1:56 pmYou do not have to, but you can go back over it with a wet cloth if you like, Keeley.
Niki says
August 12, 2014 at 8:33 pmAny idea how to get a pen marking out? I think it’s raw/untreated leather.
Leah Hudson says
August 21, 2014 at 11:43 pmI would recommend that you try the same process(es) as in the post. But recognize that you will likely not get the scratch from the tip of the pen out of the leather. I am not sure it will get the pen out. I would try marking up my purse for you and then cleaning it, but I like my purse too much! Good luck with your piece!