How to care for leather handbag...

Written by Peepa » February 2nd, 2011, 10:16 am:Hi,

Any tips on how to care for a leather handbag?
How do you store?
Which leather conditioner to use, if any?
Does it need to be treated with some kind of water repellent?
Anything else I'm missing?

Hi Peepa,

Really if you care for your bag properly you shouldn't need to use anything on it. The best way is to store the bag in its dustbag if available in a dark cupboard away from dust and sunlight. I use acid free tissue paper to stuff my bags so they keep their shape while being stored. Keep the bag out of the rain, in fact, make sure the bag stays dry at all times. Also keep the bag away from radiators and heaters as this can dry the leather.

If you feel you need to put something on it then there are various leather conditioners on the market but always do a patch test first if you want to use them as sometimes the results can be unpredictable. Also if you have an exotic skin bag such as crocodile or lizard etc, be very very careful and don't put anything on the bag without expert advice.

If your bag has a light coloured handle and you don't want it to darken due to the oils in your hands, you can protect it by wrapping it with a twilly or scarf.

Hope this helps.