Imagine your average day. You wake up, prepare for the day, head to work, run errands, perhaps meet a friend for a drink or dinner. The next day, you do it all again. Imagine your average weekend, hopefully, a little more relaxed: coffee dates, jaunts around town, or quick day trips. What is the one constant?
It is your Handbag
You change your outfit daily for work, your mindset on days off, and your setting on vacations. But you rarely change your bag daily, despite it becoming a cultural statement piece. Typically, most adults switch out their handbag—whether a classic purse, athleisure pack, or mail carrier crossbody—every few months to a year.
This means a handbag is an investment, something you depend on for your daily life and trust to be handy (pun intended). It’s essential to keep it in good shape for years to come. So, clean, maintain, and store your handbag with these tips.
Read: How to Style Oversized Clothes Without Looking Frumpy
How to clean your handbag
Before cleaning your bag, determine its material. The most common options are fabric, faux leather, or a polyester/nylon blend. Handbags aren’t legally required to have tags like clothing, but some manufacturers still include them, so check if yours is one of the lucky ones. For the most part, though, you can use your judgment.
- Fabric: When cleaning a fabric handbag, it is best to spot-wash it with soap and water. Dawn soap is the safest across a variety of materials, especially fabric. If it can cut grease off ducks, it can cut through stubborn stains on your handbag. Micellar water (most commonly used as a makeup remover) can work well when cleaning the lining of a handbag.
- Leather: When properly cared for, a leather handbag can be passed down through generations. Purchase a quality leather cleaner to cut through the dirt and grime synonymous with the outside world. First, dust off the area, then test the solution on an unseen part of the bag to ensure no discoloration. Finally, dip a cloth in the cleaning solution and gently clean the handbag. Use a damp cloth to wipe off the excess. A conditioning process will quickly follow this, but we’ll discuss that more below.
- Faux Leather or Blends: Use a non-toxic all-purpose cleaner you trust for non-leather or non-fabric bags. Be stingy with the cleaner and spot-test it on an unseen part of the bag first.
Let’s say you’re out with friends and spill something on your bag. It’s best to spot clean right away. Dab at the stain, never wipe it and soak up as much of it as possible with a napkin. If you are worried about spreading the stain, sprinkling something like baking soda can soak up any liquid.
If your handbag is a significant investment or heirloom, consider taking it to a professional for high-quality cleaning. This can be any leather worker, but it is often found at a shoe hospital or dry cleaner.
How to maintain your Handbag
The easiest way to keep a handbag clean is to keep it maintained. Don’t let stains or daily wear and tear build up over time. Instead, spot-clean your bag when needed to keep anything from spreading. If you have a leather handbag, use a conditioner every time you clean the bag. Cleaning can strip away oils, but leather depends on said oils to last. Conditioning the material adds those crucial oils back.
Condition the leather at least once a year to replace oils that naturally rub away, even if you don’t clean it during that time. If you live in a humid environment, the leather might require conditioning more than once a year.
If your bag rips or a seam unravels, visit a local shoe hospital. These professionals are experienced in working with fragile and micro fabrics.
How to store your handbag
We’ve all seen the shots: Someone on a reality show or social media shows off their dream closets, which are larger than some apartments. Inevitably, those spaces always include individual cubicles for each handbag. The handbags are the focal point of the closet, making it look like a department store.
While having a closet like that might be out of the realm of possibility for everyone, the practice of storing handbags upright is one to mimic. Stuffing them and then placing them upright helps them keep their shape longer.
If you don’t have the space to store bags like this, hang them from hooks, at the very least. This prevents the material from creasing, which can become permanent over time.
Conclusion
Quality functional handbags are an investment that can last for years and years to come. When you find a handbag you love, take care of it; it will take care of you.