Taking Care of Leather

Taking care of leather bags, or in general, any leather products, can be a bit tricky. Especially, if you do not know how to do it. If you perform a search for “Taking care of leather bag”, you will come across millions of articles of two pages or longer. All of them will give you a detailed explanation that can be overwhelming. I mean, would you buy a leather bag if it needed more care than a toddler? Taking care of leather is in fact not that difficult. Think about leather bags as your second skin, and apply the same methods and principles when taking care of it. Therefore, read on and find out what is the most important when taking care of leather.

It really all boils down to two main points when taking care of leather:

1. Moisturize
2. Avoid water

Moisturize

As you wear your leather bag, with time it loses moisture and oils, just like human skin. It eventually dries out and the surface starts to wrinkle, flake and even break. Once again, similarly to human skin. Therefore, replacing those oils is essential to maintaining a leather bag in a healthy state. You should moisturize the bag regularly so it can serve you a lifetime.

If you search for products to take care of leather, you will come across wide array of oils, creams and waxes with beneficial properties. However, we recommend to keep it simple. A high-quality leather balsam will be all you need to keep your bag in the best shape ever. It contains all necessary natural oils and waxes.

[Our best product: Leather care products complete set]

The application is very simple. Simply dip a soft cloth or the application sponge into the balsam and apply it gently over the surface of the entire bag. Your leather bag will absorb as much as needed. If there is some left on the bag that is not being absorbed – it means you used too much balsam. Wipe off the excess. Repeat the process once or twice every two months.

If you purchase a leather bag somewhere on the internet or a leather shop, make sure you pre-treat it. On the other hand, our leather bags will reach you with a healthy coating of balsam. Ready for use.

Avoid Water

Applying water on a leather bag would seem like a logical solution for taking care of leather. However, it actually does the opposite. Water dries the leather by washing off the natural oils off of it. Just like with the human skin. Constant hand washing (of course, soap is often involved) will dry up your skin as well. It works even worse with the natural vegetable tanned leather. It will discolor and wrinkle the bag if it is drenched. It’s one thing to be caught up in the rain for a short period of time. However, washing it with water is much worse.

[Interesting: Can you wash leather?]

If you moisturize the bag dutifully with our recommended balsam, it will work as a somewhat barrier against moderate amount of water. However, if you want to be romantic and go sing in the rain for your loved one, leave the bag at home. Because leather is not waterproof, and this article covers this fact in a greater detail.

If it so happens that the bag gets soaking wet, let it dry up naturally. Wipe it with a dry cloth and leave it in the room temperature. Make sure it is properly shaped as it dries out. Because if you leave your bag crushed while it’s drying out, it may be impossible to return it to its normal shape afterwards.

Do not dry your bag with a blow drier or placing it on a radiator. And especially do not leave it out on the sun as it may lose some of its color.

[Relevant: How long does it take for leather to dry]

Few Extra Tips

Cover Up

When you store your bag, keep it in the original dust bag that comes with a package. Make sure it is placed out of direct sunlight and humidity. You can keep some books inside so the bag maintains its natural shape. Just avoid putting newspaper in for stuffing, as they will smear. Also, take it out every few weeks so it does not mold.

Avoid Alcohol

The two most commonly used chemicals that will surely to damage your leather bag are alcohol and acetone. Try putting your bag away as you prepare yourself for a vodka night.

Stretch Marks

Do you know those stretch marks that kids get as they start growing too fast? Well, leather bags do get those stretch marks as well. Not from growing of course. More like from overloading. Therefore, while leather bags are meant to pack a lot of stuff, do not overdo. Use common sense. As once those stretch marks appear, there will not be much you can do to undo them.

Smells

As time passes, the bag will gather the signs of life, including smells. To get rid of the smells, especially if they are not the most pleasant ones, a simple housekeeping trick will do the job. Put an open container of baking soda inside of your leather bag and leave for a day. The soda will absorb the smells.

Follow these simple tricks and advices, and watch as your bag becomes more beautiful with time. Like a good bottle of wine.

Taking Care of Leather

As you can see, taking care of leather really boils down to two things. They include applying moisture and avoiding water. In other words, it’s almost a reflection of your own natural skin. You would see that using too much water actually cleans away your natural moisture. And as the result you will have dry skin. Applying these two key principles of taking care of leather and throwing in a tip or two from extra tips section, you will see just how awesome and long lasting your leather bag can be.

If you already have a bag and want it to really last and stay in good shape, consider ordering our leather care balsam.

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