How to maintain your to-lust-for bag

Tag : Cotton Suede

MANILA, PhilippinesSo you finally bought that bag youve beenlusting for. You either use it a lot because you want to getmaximum mileage out of it, or you keep that holy grail in yourcloset to admire in private.
I must admit I tend to be the latter. But when I do use the bagoften, I obsess about maintaining it. All right, I am the prisonerof my bag. I know many women can empathize with me. After all, bagsthese days dont come cheap.
Our humid climate is not bag-friendly. That and there are countlessreasons you want to protect your bag, your investment.
Patent bags
Patent bags are not easy to clean. Many patent bags are structured,so be careful where you store your bag. They lose their formeasily, oftentimes permanently.
Stains on patent bags are toughest to remove. Pen marks are nearlyimpossible to erase since the ink seems to seep into the varnishcoat and stay beneath the coated surface.
Patent bags can also get discolored, so store them in a place withno direct light (natural or artificial).
If you accidentally mark your bag with a pen, use baby wipes toclean immediately. Dont wipe it off in different directions lestthe fresh ink leaves a smudge.
Pat it down first to ensure the ink doesnt smear all over beforeyou rub it with the wet wipes. It may not erase the staincompletely, but it could lighten the mark.
Never use acetone. It could damage your bag.
Coated canvas bags
Coated canvas bags are generally the easiest to clean and maintain.They are waterproof or water-resistant. You can even use yourcanvas bag to cover your head in a downpour. Ive done that with myGoyard. You just wipe off the water droplets with a dry cloth.
Louis Vuitton, Goyard, and even some Gucci bags come in coatedcanvas. To keep a coated canvas bag clean, wipe it with a clean,damp cloth, carefully avoiding the leather trims. Dry it off withanother clean, dry cloth.
Lighter colored coated canvas bags tend to absorb color transfersfrom denim or darker colored clothing. So it is always prudent tocheck your bag every so often for stains.
Should there be color transfers on the bag, lather up a soft spongewith white soap (hand soap or bath soap will do). Apply softpressure and clean affected area with the sponge in circularmotions. Wipe off suds with another clean, damp cloth.
Repeat the process as needed, but again, be careful not to soap upthe leather trims. Then use a dry, non-abrasive cloth to wipe thebag clean, and let it air-dry.
Leather trims
The leather trims on your coated canvas bags are a differentmatter. For bags that belong to the classic Monogram line of LouisVuitton, the cowhide (or vachetta) leather trims are very pale whennew. This leather is sensitive to liquids and can retain waterspots, so make sure you wipe your hands clean before you handleyour bag.
The cowhide leather develops a honey-colored patina over time withcontinued use or constant exposure to air and light. I have triedto retard the darkening process by using a non-abrasive, soft whitepencil eraser to erase the dark spots. It had some kind oflightening effect although constant erasing dries up the leather,so its a procedure I dont recommend.
There are serious discussions on how to delay the darkening processby using water/stain repellant/protection sprays (see Internetforums like The Purse Forum, forum.purseblog.com).
Some also turn to non-alcoholic baby wipes. I dont like to usebaby wipes to clean or protect the leather handles. Like our ownskin, constant cleaning of the leather can strip away its naturaloils, causing the leather to dry and crack.
I recommend occasionally wiping the handles and trims with aleather moisturizer if you have already begun applying cleaningagents on the leather. Always leave it to dry overnight (preferablyover 10 hours) before using the bag again.
Smooth leather bags
Smooth leather bags require more care than pebbled leather bags.They are more prone to scratches and scuff if not properly handled.Interior pockets lined in smooth leather also fall prey tohumidity, and end up sticking to each other. I found that smearinga bit of baby powder on the pocket walls can help prevent theleather from sticking.
If you store your bag for a long period, put small silicon gelpackets inside the bag to help absorb humidity. These are availablein hardware stores.
As for scratches, it may not seem like a very hygienic thing to do,but there are times when rubbing the area with your index finger(make sure you have short nails) and a little dab of saliva canhelp clear out the lighter and more superficial scratches.
But as for deep scratches or heavy scuffing, there is not much youcan do except perhaps take it to a bag specialist to assess whetherthe bag can still be restored to its original scar-free state.
Pebbled leather bags
While I refrain from experimenting with cleaning agents on smoothleather bags, I go all out when I clean my pebbled leather bags.There are different textures and thicknesses, and I often trycleaning pastes, erasers on the thicker ones first.
I have even tried a computer-keyboard cleaner on my chalk-coloredbag handles to clean out the dirt from constant handling. Althoughit cleaned the dirt the first time around, the handles eventuallyturned into an ugly shade of algae-green after several cleaningsessions! The chemicals of that cleaning paste must have been tooharsh.
In the end, I found the Apple leather cleaner delicate enough onleather, yet effective enough to clean a layer or two of dirt.
Suede bags
Suede bags are hard to clean and maintain in humid weather. Onceyour bag has molds, there is really not much that can be done toremove the stains.
It is always a good idea to spray your suede bag with a coat ofrain/stain protection chemical. Leave the bag overnight and sprayagain if you deem it necessary.
There are also suede erasers to clear out or lighten scratchesand scuff. Erase the affected area lightly. Vigorous erasing candamage the leather.
Fabric bags
Fabric bags are dirt magnets but can get protected with a spray ortwo of Scotch Gard Fabric Protector to keep it from getting dirtyfast.
There are also fabric bags that can be washed or dry-cleaned. Youcan always ask your local dry cleaners to see if they can clean orlaunder your bag without damaging it.
Metal hardware
Metal hardware on your bags is another thing when it comes tocleaning. Because of the humidity, you may notice the zipper pullsand metal buckles or plates of your bag oxidizing (tarnishing).Dont fret because there is a way to make the hardware lookbrand-spanking new again.
Silver cleaning agents like Glo metal polisher can get the job donefast and relatively easy.
For smaller metal links or zippers, try using a cotton budsparingly dipped with metal cleaner.
And again, be careful not to rub any of this polisher onto theleather or fabric body of your bag because it will stain!
All these cleaning agents are quite toxic though, so be sure towash your hands with soap thoroughly when youre done cleaning thebags.
3 top tips
That said, here are three of my most important tips for cleaningbags and maintaining them in good condition:
1. Always work with a test area on the bag (the bottom corner is agood place to start) and leave that test area to dry overnight tosee if the cleaning agent used was effective or not before applyingit again throughout the bag.
2. Find the time to air out your bags. Take them out of theirprotective cloth cases, and leave them out of your closets everyweek or so. This will allow the bags to breathe as well asprevent molds from growing. If you store your bags in enclosedareas, you can also buy the disposable dehumidifiers and place themstrategically in the room to absorb humidity that can cause moldsto grow.
3. Do your research. Bag forums that tackle cleaning issues arealways a good way to find out the products that people recommend incleaning bags. There are also sites that review cleaning agents andalso provide step-by-step instructions on how to clean your bags.Arm yourself with enough cleaning information. If not, you canalways experiment! And if you do experiment, refer to No. 1 tip.