A few months ago I found this yellow leather handbag by Cynthia Rowley at T.J. Maxx and simply HAD TO HAVE IT. It was a little pricier than I normally pay for a purse, but not as astronomical as if I had been paying RETAIL. I just couldn’t resist the soft yellow color and the overall shape and design of the bag. It quickly became my very FAVORITE purse!
Unfortunately, after several business trips (including 2 to New York City) it was looking pretty abused. As much as I LOVE the color of this bag, it’s also incredibly impractical for keeping clean. Especially when I’m dragging it through airports, shuttle buses, taxi cabs, parking lots, restaurants, etc.
Before my most recent trip to Austin, Texas for BlogHer Food ’13 I sadly emptied my favorite purse and hung it up in the laundry room until I could figure out what to do with it. I just couldn’t take it with me. I felt terrible.
Ever since then, every time I walk by it hanging on a peg in the laundry room I hear it calling out to me, “Help me!” lol. But I had no idea what to do! Earlier attempts at spot cleaning were not successful and it needed a lot more than just SPOT cleaning now.
I probably should have taken it to a professional leather cleaner (not that I’ve ever heard of one of those before), but you know me, I want to do it myself. (Hmmmmmm…just realized that the acronym for “do it myself” is DIM…maybe we’re onto something here! lol)
So I devoted some time out of my crazy busy day yesterday to research how to clean a leather purse, because my yellow friend was depending on me! After many, many unsatisfactory answers, I came across a post by Serene at Elegant Bohemian about how she washed her leather Coach bag in the WASHING MACHINE!
Related: How to Clean Leather Furniture
At first I was certain I had read it wrong, but no, I hadn’t. She had taken a leather Coach bag that was in much the same shape as my beloved Cynthia Rowley bag (basically headed to the donation pile) and decided to give it a spin in the washer. Since her post only shows “After” pictures, I had to take her word for the results. But with a name like Serene, how could I go wrong! ;-) So off to the laundry room I went, to either give my purse a new lease on life or sign it’s death certificate.
Serene used Murphy’s Oil Soap to wash her bag, but I’ve never been much of a fan of MOS, so I decided to try some of my trusty Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap.
Instructions:
HUGE DISCLAIMER: This worked for me, but that certainly doesn’t guarantee it will work for everyone. As a matter of fact, I can hear professional cleaners all over the world GROANING after reading this post. It’s definitely a method to be reserved for items that are in that “what have I got to lose?” category. Proceed at your own risk. :-)
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Completely clean out your bag. Make sure you check all those little pockets!
Pour about 1/4 cup castile soap into the washing machine, drop in bag, set washer to GENTLE CYCLE (or hand wash cycle…something along those lines), and turn it on.
Now walk away go douse yourself in Zen essential oil blend to quell the anxiety you are now feeling! :-) Breathe deeply too!
When the cycle is done, you can either toss the bag in the dryer on LOW heat with some big, fluffy towels for 5-10 minutes, then hang to dry….OR…you can take it outside (if it’s a nice, sunny day like it was at my house!) and let it dry in the sunshine.
When your bag is completely dry, protect it with some leather conditioner. (I haven’t done this step YET.)
As you can see, the washer actually WORKED! Much to my surprise there was a HUGE improvement! Not PERFECT, but vastly improved and definitely good enough to take out in public again! :-)
I might have gotten a little choked up as I hung it back up in the laundry room last night, restored to it’s former glory. I think I might have even heard it humming a happy little tune. ;-)
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mary hunt, in her ‘everyday cheapskate’ newsletter a few days ago, recommends using a mr. clean magic eraser sponge–dampen the sponge with water, then ‘go to work’ on your purse–she’s had excellent results, provided the problem is dirt, not wear.
machine washing sounds much labor-intensive, though!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Mr. Clean sponges are abrasive, so care is required…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.NEVER use Mr Clean erasers on leather!!! Please learn from my mistake.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I took those magical little wonders to my 18 year old gorgeous leather sofas. At first they worked like magic, taking away all that deep grime on the seats. I was so happy with myself. However, I quickly learned that my magic eraser took off the top protective layer of my sofa. I’ve ruined them. 6 mo later they started cracking the seats are cracked beyond repair. (I did condition them after I cleaned them with the erasers.. But the damage was done). So sad.
Thanks for the tip Jillee. Love your blog.
I wash some leather items in the machine, and so far all have come through just fine. I figure cows get wet outside in the rain and don’t seem the worse for wear!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Of course, lol.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I never thought of it like that before lol
Your point is true — yes, cows DO get wet and they survive. lol. Seriously, I searched high and low about 18 months ago for how to clean some Ugg suede boots (a beautiful golden-brown color) after I’d spilled olive on them accidentally while cooking for my mother.
I came across one website which stated that washing suede or leather with a MILD soap would remove the stain. Do not be afraid because these are animal skins. They get wet while the animal is alive, right? Care should be taken with dyed skins, however, so test on a hidden area first (unless you don’t mind losing a bit of color). The trick is to be sure to wash the whole item, NOT just spot clean it, because you want one uniform color when finished.
Drying the item for a bit in the dryer on low setting, with some type of cushioning such as old (colorfast) towels can be done, but ONLY to for a bit. I found air drying worked best for me, but NOT in the sun. The sun will fade your colors and could possibly “yellow” your lighter colors (such as white, off-white, etc.). Putting a small towel(s) inside the purse to retain its original shape helps a lot, too, while it is air drying.
Alternatively, it is also possible to pull the lining inside out from the bag and wash it separately if you have hard-to-remove stains on the interior. Be sure not to get the cleaner you are using on the leather or suede, however. Using an old toothbrush or soft brush on ink stains, lipstick, etc. helps. I’ve had linings come out super clean and looking great. Air dry after the hand-washing, and be sure to rinse well before drying, patting excess moisture with an old, white towel (again, stay away from the main part of the purse if it’s leather or suede).
Don’t be afraid to try this, especially on your favorite light-colored bags that are ruined by brushing against your blue jeans, or a vivid color ruined by ink stains. If you’re not using that purse because of its stains, you have nothing to lose, right?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ooops, sorry…. I forgot to add that after washing a leather purse, etc., you MUST use a good conditioner on it to replace the oils that were washed out. I forget what I used on those boots, but after re-conditioning them I Scotchguarded them as well. They’re holding up beautifully. On my Coach purse I used a Coach conditioner then some other type of sealer I purchased online that had to be rubbed in then lightly blown dry with a hair dryer to seal it. I think a lemon-oil based furniture polish would work just fine, too, like I read on another site.
Jillee, your purse looks mahhvelous!
How do you get the ink stain out of a cream colored lining in a MK Hamilton tote. Thank you
That’s what I was thinking, too! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It looks as though your handbag is rubbing on denim jeans. You will definitely need to protect it by coating it with a product like dubbin (used for saddles).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Good job
Maggi, South Africa
It looks great! Did this bag have a cloth or satin type material lining? Or was it just unlined leather?
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