Battered bags: How to protect from domestic abuse

Zara Rabinowicz Writes...

I love my bags, in particular there is one bag that is extra special to my heart, my beautiful baby blue leather Nicole Farhi, that has somehow deteriorated over the year into a dirty torn glory of its former self. No longer is it perkily a pick me up, now its colour has faded to a rather dingy shade and it somehow doesn't look quite as cool.

But must I say goodbye to this treasured tote? I investigate the options...

There are many ways to clean the leather of your bag at home, and these are the most recommended ways.

Different types of leather requires different attention, so check out you bag first. For a tanned and pigmented handbag you can try to wipe the stain with a soft damp clothe. If this doesn’t work, try a leather cleaner specifically made for the type of leather you have. Follow the directions carefully. Once the spot has been removed it is a good idea to re-condition the leather to restore the natural luster. Always test a leather product in inconspicuous spot before applying to your entire handbag.

A good place to get your cleaning supplies from is Furniture Clinic as they have specialist bag acre kits which provide you with all the necessary products.

Some tips I've received from other sources include using baby wipes on coated canvas, and hairspray on cotton buds to remove stubborn marks. Strangely Saliva is recommended by any people, including experts as it's used by museums to clean artifacts.

Many bags today have a great deal of hardware. This ironmongery can be an integral part of the design of a bag and if it is looking a little tired it may need a clean. Some people use Silverware cleaner or Brasso wadding for the hardware, but if you do use any of the metal cleaning products be sure you completely cover the leather or other material of your bag with a protective layer of material. By inserting layers of kitchen roll, you can protect any Brasso or silver cleaning fluids going on the bag cloth or leather bag materials.

I'm going to try these, though I may do the spitting in private...

I also found these great tips on how to look after your purchase, which doesn't really help me but is great for future prevention of wear and tear.

10 Tips for Bag Care

Follow or at least consider these tips when you use your handbag. Your priority is to keep your bag looking good and stain free, yet to enjoy using it.

1.Look after your bag and store it in its dust bag cover or use a natural fibre soft pillowslip.
2. Handle your bag, especially lighter bags with clean hands.
3. Avoid handling the designer bag after applying beauty products, face foundations or hand creams.
4. If the weather is really bad and raining consider using a less special handbag.
5. Be careful when you visit a hairdressers with your bag, as hair products can easily splash onto handbags left on the floor at your feet. Clippings of chemically treated hair can land on the bag and leave marks.
6. When carrying a light coloured bag consider using pencils rather than Biros - biro can be difficult to remove. Don't use your bag as a rest to place paper and write notes. Pointed pens can leave impression tool marks through paper rested on firm leathers.
7. If your bag has a chain handle, store the chain inside the bag to avoid scratching the outside leather when the bag is resting.
8. For storage, use bubble wrap to stuff your bags as it does not attract moths in the same way as tissue paper does.
9. If you are doing a big weekly shop then unless you are planning to impress a prospective Mr Right, avoid taking your special bag to the supermarket! Trolleys can scratch your bag and mark it permanently, as can spillages from foodstuffs such as yoghurts, cream, dips, squashy fruit, milk and even leaking cleaning products.
10. For long term storage, undo strap buckles so that impressions are not created. Then if you wish to wear the strap across the body messenger style and need maximum strap length or need to shorten it to wear underarm style at a later date, this unbuckling of the straps before storage will stop areas becoming impressed and unattractive.

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