How to Clean a Leather Purse from a Thrift Store
What’s in this article?
It is always so classy and trendy to carry leather products be it a jacket that you wear, shoes, furniture, Jeans, or your favorite classic bag. A good leather-made product is undoubtedly an investment.
But everything comes with some good and bad sides or pros and cons you may say like that. To keep your favorites for a longer period just like a brand new one, you have to take care of it very firmly and carefully.
We all have been very much exposed to this thrift culture and I am being very honest about it. I prefer clothes and products being thrifted instead of buying them from some big brands.
Thrifting is so simple and satisfying you will get so many good things in a way better price range than any big store, that too of good quality. You can get almost all the trendy fashion statement pieces from thrift stores which you might not get in every big brand’s stores..
Well, let’s get back to the topic, here we are going to talk about how one can keep their favorite leather purses from thrift stores always clean and long-lasting. You will also keep your hobos, your favorite clutches, as well as tote bags looking as new as you have just brought them from the market
The very first thing that you have to be very much aware of to keep your leather purse as good as new is how to Clean a Leather Purse from a Thrift Store: Well, do not use ammonia at all or do not even use any bleach-based cleaners which are available in the market even when they claim to be the best cleaners.
Just do not use any such type of harsh cleaners they have so much potential to damage the surface of the product so, just go easy on your products. Also, do not rely on the water as well because it might end up leaving water stains in your leather. So, now the question remains the same- How to clean a leather Purse?
Cleaning a Leather Purse
- Before cleaning the purse make sure you are taking all your belongings out of. Emptying the pockets should be the first step and then shaking the purse upside down to ensure all the dust particles and debris come out of the purse. You can also pull the lining inside out to clean it as well. You can use a lint roller to make sure that the lining is clean properly. Just in case the lining of your purse doesn’t come out, you can use a vacuum or any fabric brush attached to it.
- Now the real process starts here, to clean the leather-based products you need to mix some lukewarm water and dish soap.
- Now, simply dip a piece of a soft cloth into the solution, remove all the excess water out of the cloth, and wipe the front leather surfaces of your purse.
- Repeat in the same manner but this time use a different piece of cloth to remove the excess water and wipe off the soap.
- Last but not least just use a dry towel to keep it dry.
Note: Luke warm water and soapy water will also remove water stains and scuffs.
Removing Stains From a Leather Purse
It is very common to get stains on your leather products even your daily clothes can get stains and it is super common. Stains can happen to be of many different types. But the stains that are there on your purse, even after being very super careful about it. Now, when it comes to getting rid of such unwanted stains, I have listed out a couple of items below you just have to grab any of these items and follow my lead.
Toothpaste
It’s a fundamental and common thing that you can easily find in your home or any next general store. Just take a small amount of toothpaste on your finger and rub it over the stain using your same finger only.
You just have to rub it very gently with a soft piece of cloth until the stain vanishes. Make sure you are not scrubbing it or using your names else it will lead to leave a scratch or maybe a discolor on the leather. Lastly, just wipe away the toothpaste with any clean, damp cloth.
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Nail Polish Remover or Rubbing Alcohol
Nail polish remover can be a super quick and handy way to get rid of some stubborn stains and scuffs. Now, again dip a cotton pad/swab in the solution/nail polish remover or any rubbing alcohol, and with your hands, do not put much pressure on it just rub it over the stain.
Rubbing it harshly would make the ink spread all over. Blot very firmly until you don’t see any stain left over. Now, at the end simply just damn the cloth and use a towel to dry it out.
Baking Soda or Cornstarch
Now, another very common but masterpiece product that you will find in every kitchen is baking soda and cornstarch. Now, if you have a stain on your favorite leather bag that is all greasy and oily.
Now, to clean such nasty stubborn stains all you have to do is sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on the stains. Now, start rubbing it gently with a dry cloth. Let it sit for a couple of hours or if you wish you can let it settle for overnight as well. This will absorb all the oil, once you see the oil is no longer there then simply just wipe off the powder using any piece of soft cloth.
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Lemon Juice and Cream of Tartar
Again another very common but magical product of our kitchen is Lemon juice and tartar. You can easily get a lemon just out of a lemon by simply squeezing. Now, just mix the lemon juice and cream of tartar in an equal ratio of 1:1 and make a paste out of it.
Now, apply the same paste on the affected area/ Stained area and let this mixture settle on it for a good 30 minutes. Now, simply use a dry piece of cloth to take out the paste. Using lemon juice and cream of tartar here as a cleaning agent is because of its mild bleaching property, so make sure you are only using it on light-colored leather.
Rubbing Alcohol
Now, when we are talking about removing such a bad stain, especially from any leather item then I think this is the first thing that comes into everyone’s mind. Alcohol has the best cleaning properties among all of the above-mentioned methods.
So, now do you wanna know how can we clean the mold off the leather? You just have to mix the alcohol with water in an equal ratio of 1:1. Once you are ready with your mixture all you have to do is to dampen a piece of dry cloth with this mixture of alcohol and water and gently wipe it on the affected area. Use another piece of cloth to wipe and clean it with another damp cloth. This will also remove mildew.
We have learned about the very common types of stains that can take place on your leather purse but now, let’s talk about some particular types of stains that are rigid but very common to have on your purses.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I have got some dark stains that look very stubborn and just don’t go away no matter how much I try removing them.
Now, this is very common to have and also simple to remove. All you need to do is take one portion of lemon juice and one portion of tartar mix them well together and simply rub it off on the stain and let it settle for about 10-15 minutes. After some time apply another layer of the paste, and repeat the process. Lastly, you just have to damp a piece of cloth and top it with any moisturizing soap.
I see some small water stain patches on my leather purse but every time I try to clean it, it again leaves the spot. How can I remove it?
Again another very common type of stain- water spots can be easily removed from your leather purses by moistening the affected area again by simply using a small amount of normal water to it. You use a blow dryer for drying it or else can just leave it under the sun to dry by itself.
While eating at my friend’s place I mistakenly dropped the pasta on my purse and now there is an oil stain, which looks very bad. How can I remove it?
Now, this is bad but there is nothing to worry about it. Removing oily or greasy stains from leather can be tricky but trust me it is very simple and fun to do. Just sprinkle a little bit of baking soda or cornstarch on the oily spot. Try to rub it in, using your firm hands. Let it settle for a few hours or leave it overnight. These products have oil-absorbing properties. So, just let it absorb the oil completely and then wipe off the powder with a piece of cloth.
I am a teacher at a nursery school so, it’s very obvious for me to keep pens in my purse and see there is an ink stain on it. How can I remove the stain?
Remove ink spots from leather by dipping a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and gently blotting the stain. Dry the area with a blow dryer. If the stain remains after drying, apply a thick coat of non-gel, non-oily cuticle remover. Leave on overnight, then wipe off with a damp cloth.
I got a mold stain on my bag how can I vanish this stain?
Now for the mold stain, you have to mix equal portions of rubbing alcohol with one part of water. Now, simply damp a clean piece of cloth with the alcohol solution and wipe off the spot area. Now, clean it with another piece of dry cloth. This will also remove the stain completely without even putting in extra effort.
Leather material has its shine which makes it look luxurious and charming. Now, once you use cleaning agents to remove the stubborn stain you have to make sure you are using a proper conditioning agent as well for maintaining its softness and shine.
Conditioning for your leather purse.
Now, right after cleaning your leather purse, you gotta apply something to maintain its softness and shine. You can apply leather conditioners to help it not dry out or crack its surface which also helps it resist any future stains.
There are some commercial leather conditioners available in the market you can buy and use them as well or else you can make your leather conditioner. All you need to do is mix the vinegar with 2 portions of linseed oil. Now, simply apply this mixture to your leather and allow it to settle for 15-20 minutes, and wipe with the clean dry cloth until the leather shines just like a new one.
It is very important to maintain the shine of your leather products because once they lose their charm then there is no going back, You will not be able to use them or carry them like before.
Conclusion
I hope you have gone through the entire article and are now mindful of how you can clean your leather products using various methods. We all have to agree with the fact that leather wear is so sassy, fashionable, and trendy.
It has been in trend for ages now, but the charm of wearing/ carrying leather is so catchy. The real pain behind wearing/ carrying leather has always been the spots but now that you are very well aware of how to not just remove the spot and keep your leather products spotless you are also aware of how to maintain the shine of your leather products.
I have mentioned various ways to clean the stains that are there on your leather bag you can opt for any of them because they all work just fine. All you have to take care of is what type of stain you have on your leather bag and accordingly, you can use the most preferred method.
However, we are not limiting these methods just to leather bags or purses you can also use these methods for other types of leather products like furniture, Shoes, jackets, etc. You can use these cleaning methods for those products as well.