How to Clean the Inside of a Leather Purse (Easy Steps)

Your purse is not just for fashion and style but also a very practical accessory in daily life. And so it’s no surprise that the poor thing would be abused by the daily grind. It should come as no surprise that the lack of cleaning your purse sees is bound to make it a major bed for germs.

With the spread of the Covid virus, it is a very good time to get started on taking care of your leathered partner and clean her till she is good as new again.

You might be surprised how simple it is and wonder why you didn’t get to it sooner. So without further delay let’s get to how to clean the inside of a leather purse.

Clear Out your Bag

The first thing to do is Damage assessment. Empty your purse of all its contents. Once everything is out, turn it upside down, while it’s still open, and shake it well. This should loosen any debris left behind. This will be the first thing you do before you get started on cleaning the inside of a leather purse.

This will also be a great time to look at the contents and separate the items you need to carry around with you vs the items that should just be thrown out (like old receipts).

What you will need :

It’s best to get started with basic cleaning first and move on to tougher stains later. So for general cleaning, you will need:

• Warm water
• Soft bristle brush
• Leather cream
• Dish soap or baby shampoo
• Clean cloth
• Towel for drying

How to Clean the Inside of a Leather Purse?

Note: If the purse has an inner fabric lining, then try to clean it with a damp cloth only. Getting it wet might damage it.

Cleaning with Alcohol-based products :

Alcohol-based products like nail polish removers or rubbing alcohol are also great for removing stains like ink or lipstick. Use a cotton swab, dip it in the alcohol or nail polish remover then gently blot over the rough stains and keep blotting till you don’t see the stain anymore. Wipe off the purse with a clean cloth and dry with the towel. Finish by using the leather cream for shine.

Clean with Baking Soda :

How to clean the inside of a leather purse using Baking soda, is a perfect way to clean stains of oil-based products from your purse. Make a mixture of baking soda and water then rub it gently over the stains and leave the purse overnight. The oil stain will be gone, absorbed. Then you can wipe off what remains with a clean cloth.

Get rid of smells with Baking Soda :

Baking soda will be your best friend when it comes to getting rid of any unwanted odors from the purse. Sprinkle some in the purse and leave it overnight. The smells will be absorbed by the next day and you can remove the powder with your vacuum.

How to Maintain your Leather Purse

Now that you know to clean the inside of a leather purse and your purse is as good as new, It is the time to talk about how to maintain it in pristine condition.

Use Leather Lotion :

Leather is a very durable material but like all good things, it eventually does show signs of wear and tear. Leather can look really ugly when it starts to crack and it will, especially with the weight of your everyday life in your purse. But there is no need to worry, you can enhance its life by using some leather lotion.

If your leather purse starts showing its age with cracks then you should start applying leather lotion at least once a week for best results. The cracks are the result of the leather drying up and the lotion acts as a moisturizer for your purse. It rejuvenates it, softening the leather and bringing back its shine and color.

Use your Dust Bags :

Most luxury purses come with their branded dust bags, even if you don’t have yours, you can always order one online or get it from your preferred purse retailer. The dust bags are pretty straight forward, as their name implies, they are used to keep your precious purse, protected from dust.

This is especially useful if it’s not a purse you are using every day. Keep your purse in the dust bag and store it in a cool and dry place. Make sure to stuff your purse before storing it, you can use tissues or bubble wrap for the compartments. This will help the purse maintain it’’ shape.

Don’t fill it up to the max :

We understand how it goes, it starts with just the bare essentials, and then before you know it, your purse is filled up to the brim with items you didn’t even know you had on you.

Sometimes this comes in handy when you end up finding spare change in a lucky moment or when you suddenly find your identification when you thought you lost it. But for the most part, it is important for the sake of maintenance, to clean out things you don’t need from your purse on a weekly basis. Just stick to your basic essentials like money, identification cards, credit cards, etc.

You don’t need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. In the long run, your bag and your back will thank you for your weekly maintenance.

Handle your Purse with Clean Hands :

As durable as it is, leather is a sensitive material. It absorbs oils and chemicals very fast which eventually leads to the material quality deteriorating and getting stained. So always make sure, when you are handling your purse, your hands are clean and there is nothing on there that might leave a stain on the inside or outside of your purse.

Our purses keep our secrets, it’s only fair to them that we make sure those secrets are clean.

Store Makeup Separately :

Removing the stains of lipsticks and pencils is one of the more difficult challenges and the chemicals in the products can do damage to the leather and interior of your purse. Some purses have fabric linings in them and here, removing the stains from cosmetics will be near impossible a challenge.

So always store your cosmetic items separately in a small pouch and avoid putting them in your purse where they can cause damage.

Keep your Purse Dry :

Water and leather don’t mix very well. It’s one thing to use water when cleaning your purse and a very different thing when it comes in contact with water in the form of rains or splashes of spilled liquid. If your purse gets wet, dry off the water as quickly as possible, with a soft dry towel.

Never use a hairdryer to dry it, always let your leather purse air dry when it gets wet. The heat from the dryer will only burn away the leather even more making a bad thing a much worse thing. So always try to keep your purse protected and make sure it’s away from water.

Remove Stains Immediately :

It’s only understandable that your purse will get stains on it somehow. You’re only human and it’s okay when it happens. But it’s not okay to let the stain just stay there. So if you ever notice that your best friend has picked up a stain or two, immediately get to cleaning it. Leaving stain will affect the life of the purse and also just plain looks bad for you.

Conclusion

It’s easy to miss simple details like cleaning your purse due to the stresses of every day but as some would point out, the process of maintaining and cleaning your items can actually be a therapeutic process for some. There are no disadvantages to doing it and only advantages galore, plus the maintenance will add to the life of your purse.

Jonathan de Lagarde

Jonathan de Lagarde has been the lead writer at PasUnAutre since 2019. His passion is to help people in all aspects of Feet and Shoes related to feet problems. He is a great Shoes expert in terms of giving you a great advice about which shoes you should purchase.