Handbag Maintenance

Handbags are like mini investments. We buy them with a purpose in mind and even if it's just for one night out, taking care of our bags is extremely important. These days, bags come in many shapes, sizes, and material, so it will be faulty to use the same care methods for all of your bags, as some may require less or maintenance.

However, just like for all cars, there's a core for upkeep, no matter the car, same goes for handbags. Bags have postures, light sensitivities, and resting points (there is a such thing as giving your bag a break). Most brands have intentional packaging that contributes to the upkeep of the handbag. Some are packaged inside of a dust bag made of a material that will sustain the exterior quality of its handbag and some bags even include dehumidifier packets to prevent excessive moisture.

With the proper storing methods, scratches and unwanted wrinkles can be prevented. The lifespan of your bags depends on its upkeep. Below we will share our maintenance rules sued for all bag types.

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1. Don't Hang It

Hanging your handbag can cause distortion to its exterior material(s) and/or hardware. Using a hanger on its hardware will inevitably cause scratching. To properly preserve your handbag's quality, sit it straight up. Keeping your handbag upward will maintain its posture and overall physique. Carefully place your bags to where the hardware of one is not touching another. Do not leave anything touching paten leather. It will cause color transfer to paten leather to whatever is next to it. Pro tip: buy handbag fixtures!

2. Keep Your Dust-bags

Although handbags are not supposed to be stored in dust bags for long periods at a time, they are essential to keep for relocating handbags (travel), and reducing light damage to premium leathers and exotic materials. In this case, carefully place your dust bag over the bag during the night. Dust bags can also be used as a stuffer. Use extra tissue paper and/or fabric to fill your dust bag and gently use it to stuff your handbag. Also, Keeping your original dust bag can quite literally pay off in the end. When thinking about reselling you bag, consider the value that's added if you still have its dust bag and box. Pro tip: if you don't have a dust bag, use a cotton pillow case in a neutral color to prevent color transfer.

3. Maintain the Shape

As we all know, bags come in many shapes and sizes these day, so maintaining the shape happens to be case by case. Further, here's some pointers: invest in bag pillows for your totes and more relaxed bags. For your bags with more structure, lightly stuffing with your dust bag or another light material should suffice. Upon stuffing, always sit your bag straight up. Avoid over-stuffing your bags, as some leathers are susceptible to stretching. By using tissue paper to wrap your bags hardware, you can prevent the hardware from making imprints on your bag over time. Pro tip: Use acid free tissue paper.

4. Mindful Packing

Be mindful of what you pack your handbag with, some materials are not as forgiving as others. When packing oil based products, make sure they are tightly concealed and/or covered by plastic. Also, beware of ink pins, markers, and other color based, sharp utensils. Holes in canvas can not be repaired and same with scratches on many leathers. Pro tip: Use a microfiber cloth to buff out light scratches on your bag. If your bag is crafted from hard-pressed, grained leather, wipe the exterior of the bag softly with a damp paper towel or an alcohol-free baby wipe. If it is made from natural or untreated leather, or if it is exotic or suede, then dust it with a dry paper towel. Be sure to empty your handbag out of all its contents and follow up with a lint roller.

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