How do you clean your leather bags?

[CJ2008]

My Coach bag has white sunscreen residue (I wear sunscreen every single day) in parts where my arms or chest come in contact with the bag.

I ran into one article recommending Coach Leather Cleaner and Coach Leather Moisturizer...

and another saying to use very mild shampoo (like baby shampoo) heavily diluted in water and sprayed onto microfiber cloths.

Have any of you used either of these methods and did you find them to safely remove stains, sunscreen residue, etc.?

I'm also thinking I could email Coach directly for their suggestion on my specific bag...

Thanks!

 

[katharath]

I use Apple Brand Leather Care. They sell this handy little kit that comes with a cloth, a cleaner, and a conditioner, if I'm remembering correctly. (I bought my kit a few years ago and I'm still using the same one).

I use it on my Dooney and Coach bags, I've never used it on my LV bags though. One time, just for fun, I bought a really beat up genuine Coach bag on eBay, I wanted to see how well my apple cleaner would work on it; it was super cheap as it was a white leather bag that showed a LOT of stains and wear, although it was "real" Coach. Overall, after an intensive cleaning, I could see a major difference.

The weather is very dry where I live, all year round, so the conditioner works well to keep my all leather bags from cracking or drying. The apple products seem to help a lot.

Just do not ever use them on suede - you probably knew that, but just in case. They will mess suede up.

I'm sorry if this info isn't super specific to your situation, but it's really all that I know!

 

[telephone89]

I usually just use diluted dawn with a soft cloth. i don't have many light coloured bags, so it does just fine to tidy up the darker ones. I would second a leather conditioner/protector. You can buy them for shoes, and some come with a built in applicator, but I like to use my hands and massage it into the leather. I do this on my leather boots and shoes (along with a nice cleaning) once or twice per year - usually before/after winter due to the heavy use of salt in winter here.

If its a tough stain you can also try a light mix of baking soda and/or vinegar. I've not used it on leather purses or shoes, but have in my car (beige leather). Worked well.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I have used paste black or brown shoe polish for scratches and light stains in bags that color. It works well. Use it as you would for shoes. Put it on and then leave for a few minutes, and then get a polish rag and buff. This is how I refresh my bags.

Annette
I've never had the polish leave a mark on my clothes.

 

[JDDN]

Wow, these are great recommendations.

CJ, I have a white leather Coach bag that got fuchsia stains on it from some cheap pants I was wearing. I used the Coach moisturizer and cleaner and it did a pretty good job at getting the stains out. I had to repeat several times to get the stains out 100%, but I managed to do it. I think by using a moisturizer on your leather, it will help to protect from stains in that it will be easier to remove the stains since they can settle in the cracks/tiny crevices in the leather.