We love our leather in America. Leather jackets like the one worn by General Patton during World War II and James Dean in the 1950s have popularized leather and made it desirable to this day. In 2007, more than 23 billion square feet of leather were produced. Leather briefcases, leather satchels for men, and leather totes for women are purchased by the thousands every single year.
Leather messenger bags look amazing, and you’ve been getting compliments on yours ever since you brought it out in public for the first time. You want it to have that worn look that makes leather bags that have been broken in so charming. At the same time, you don’t want to be carrying around a dirty bag. You know you’re going to have to clean it, but you’re not sure how.
Leather totes are known for absorbing grease, so you want to handle them with clean hands when possible. Also, soil and water spots should be treated as soon as possible. You don’t want them to settle in. So, here are 7 steps to keeping that leather beauty of yours in top shape so that you can carry it with pride for the long haul.
1.) Try to keep leather messenger bags away from dirty surfaces. Sounds impossible, right? Well, being aware of the environment around you is a sure fire way to keep from dropping your beautiful bag down into a pile of mess that could ruin it straightaway. Kepp your eyes peeled and you won’t be sorry.
2.) Be proactive and take the precaution of using leather and fabric sealers that are designed to protect the material from dropping your bag in the above-mentioned pile of mess. Be sure to test the sealer on a discreet part of the bag to make sure it works well.
3.) For light, everyday type dirt, brush your leather bag with a nice, stiff brush. this will remove the dirt from the bag while not damaging the leather. Do so in a motion that goes with the grain and keep the strokes even.
4.) Get yourself a quality leather conditioner and apply it to the leather as instructed. One leather cleaner might have different instructions than another and it’s best to read and apply carefully. Most of the time, conditioning leather messenger bags is pretty straightforward. just make sure you follow directions.
5.) If your bag gets really wet, as in submerged or soaked from being out in the rain, take everything out and let it air dry. Don’t try to use a machine dryer of any kind. This could ruin the leather. Just let it dry on its own.
6.) If you come up against general stains or blotches, treat them with a bit of water and a damp cloth. Break out the conditioner if you need to.
7.) Finally, treat the metal accents separately from the leather. Use a brass cleaning material to clean them up but keep that cleaner away from the leather.
Enjoy your bag and any leather products you might have. they should last quite a long time if cared for properly.