How to Care For Leather Handbags
A good quality leather handbag can last you a lifetime. That is, if it’s properly taken care of. There’s a vast difference between caring for an original leather product and a synthetic one. From the price difference alone, it’s pretty apparent that it takes a lot to come up with one authentic leather product.
Having paid such a steep amount, you would expect nothing but the best in terms of quality. However, a bag can last you as long as you’re willing to take care of it. Contrary to popular belief, a leather bag won’t last longer than a synthetic one because it’s an original product.
The genuineness of one makes it a lot more susceptible to wear and tear. Leather ages and is prone to damage from several factors. On the other hand, it looks, feels, and styles better than any other bag in your wardrobe.
Don’t be wary of buying leather hand bags Just follow this guide on how to care for them properly!
What Can Damage a Leather Handbag?
Some things would damage any handbag; reckless use, stains, leaks, and other wear and tear. However, other factors are leather handbags get damaged a lot more than synthetic ones—for example, by sunlight, and moisture. Leather has pores in it that absorbs moisture and oil from all sources – especially our hands.
Leather care experts would always advise that the user properly wash their hands before using their bags. Unclean hands could damage any bag, but the pores in a leather one absorb and retain that dirt; therefore, they prematurely age.
If sunlight can damage your skin, it can also damage your bag. Excessive use in the sun will make your bag shed off in places and look like it was taken out of a bargain bin instead of costing a few hundred dollars.
Then other factors would damage any handbag, such as:
- Makeup products.
- Pen leakage.
- Improper storage.
- Dust and dirt.
Using Dedicated Products
While synthetic bags do not usually come with dedicated products for their maintenance, leather ones do. Think of caring for a leather handbag as the same as caring for your skin. To avoid cracks on your skin, you would moisturize it often. For trouble areas, you would use products specifically for your face instead of your body.
Similarly, you would want to go for a dedicated leather moisturizer, cleanser, and conditioner for a leather handbag.
- Leather Moisturizer – A leather moisturizer can be used every other day or week to maintain your leather bag’s natural sheen. There are certain varieties of leather (such as calfskin) that retain sheen longer than other varieties. It doesn’t have much to do with wear and tear, rather the leather’s intrinsic properties. A moisturizer does, however, provide a layer of nourishment to the leather handbag.
- Waterproofing – We’ve talked about the pores on a leather handbag and how it might be troublesome to use the bag in conditions where it could retain dirt and moisture. The best thing to do would be to keep it in clean conditions, but you could also go about adding a layer of protection such as a sealant to waterproof it.
- Conditioner – A leather conditioner is more of a ‘deep-cleansing’ product and can be used once or twice a year to clean the handbag properly.
- Cleaner – Leather cleaners, on the other hand, can be used almost daily to keep the leather from staining.
A leather handbag is an investment given its steep price. It should therefore be kept in conditions that can last a user for a long time. Improper care will lead to premature aging of the product.
