Seven effective ways to refresh your leather handbags

• How to care leather handbags in general?
• Do not expose to direct heat and sun shine, avoid extreme heat and humidity.
• Do not expose to rain since it will erode the hardware as well as shorten the life of leather.
• Do not wash the entire leather handbag with water.
• Avoid chemicals, solvents and paints.
• Avoid sharp objects, avoid excessive weight.
• How to store leather handbags?
A dark and dry closet is an ideal storage place.
• Clean the handbag with dry cloth, hold it upside down to shake off any dirt or dust inside the bag.
• Apply appropriate leather conditioner if needed.
• Cover with cloth dust bag that Bonwear has provided you to store, never use plastic bags which can dry out the leather are create mildew. Use cotton pillow shell as alternative.
• Lay them on a flat surface or hang them on wooden hanger instead of stacking them. However if you don’t have much space to do this, you can stuff in enough wrapping paper to fill the empty bags so that you can pile them up.
• How to remove wrinkles on leather handbag?
Normally, you can try hang your leather handbag on a hanger and gently pull the wrinkles, this would straighten them out. If the handbag is large, stuff in some wrapping paper to “balloon” it. If this doesn’t work, try the following iron option.
Always conduct a test on a small area before you apply any thorough ironing procedure!
• Set your iron to “Rayon”
• Flatten the leather area you are going to iron
• Lay a piece of heavy brown wrapping paper on it as a pressing cloth then start to iron
• Process one section at a time and keep iron moving
• Check the leather below the wrapping paper often to avoid overheating, if it changes in color or becomes shinny, stop and adjust the iron to a lower temperature setting. Never use steam setting to unwrinkle leather handbags.
• How to clean leather handbag?
Always conduct a test on a small area before you apply any thorough cleaning procedure!
Place a small amount of a gentle, moisturizing bath soap (I usually use baby shampoo) on a damp cloth and work it into a light lather. Rub the damp cloth on the leather without getting the leather too wet.
Using another clean damp cloth to wipe off the lather. (Never rinse the leather with water!) Then clean the bag with a dry towel. After it has dried completely, treat it with a leather conditioner.

• How to remove stains on leather?
If you are unsure of the following application, there are various leather cleaning shampoos you can purchase in the market, but www.bonwear.com suggest to stay away from chemicals as they could hurt the natural color tone and texture as well as shorten the life of leather.
• blood stain: If the blood is still fresh, use cotton balls to absorb the excess blood immediately, then use a clean and damp but not wet cloth. If the blood is dried up already, use warm damp cloth to soften the soiled area. Blot at the stain repeatedly until it is removed, be patient as this will take a while. Allow it to air-dry and follow up with a leather conditioner.
• juice stain: Wipe the juice off with damp cloth immediately. Apply tiny amount of baby shampoo on a dry cloth and blot the affected area. Use a fresh damp cloth to remove the baby shampoo, then use another fresh dry cloth to remove the excess moisture, let it to air-dry.
• oil/grease stain: Blot the extra grease with a clean cloth first. Then sprinkle cornstarch on it and rub it gently until it absorbs the oil, let the cornstarch sit for at least three hours. Wipe off the cornstarch powder with a clean and dry cloth. Repeat until the grease is removed.
• ink stain: mix one part of rubbing alcohol and one part of water, dip a dry soft cloth into this solution and gently blot on the affected area, repeat with a clean section of cloth until the ink is removed.
• How to remove gum from leather handbag?
There are two methods. First method is to put a well sealed plastic bag that contains ice cubes over the gum to harden it, then pull off the gum carefully. Second method is to remove as much gum as possible when it is still soft, then use clear Scotch tape to remove the remaining gum.
• How to remove the odor of handbag?
Take a sandwich bag or a small container with open lid and fill it with 2-3 tablespoon of baking soda, then place it inside the handbag. Replace the baking soda a couple of times until the odor is gone, usually a batch of baking soda lasts for a week. Store the handbag in a dry and cool place.