How to Properly Care for a Designer Handbag

It’s likely that before you purchase a designer handbag, you always think long and hard about it. Since it’s quite the investment, it’s not typically an impulse buy. And once you make said purchase, you want it to last a while. And the way to keep your fabulous handbag lasting as long as possible is to care for it properly.

Typically, designer handbags will come with a dust cover. And there’s a reason for that. When you’re not using your bag, it’s a wise idea to put it in its dust cover to store it. That way, it will, quite literally, avoid the dust that lurks anywhere and everywhere, and it’ll keep the bag from getting dirty or rubbing up against any other bags or accessories in your closet.

Depending on the silhouette of the bag, it might be necessary to keep the bag stuffed when it’s not in use. Try to avoid stuffing with newspaper, as the ink can possibly rub off onto the inner lining of the bag. You can stuff it with white tissue paper, plastic grocery bags, even old wrapping paper that you aren’t using anymore.

This should be rather obvious, but you don’t want to store your bag in a place that gets humid, such as the bathroom. Every time you shower with hot water, the room will steam up, and that’s not good for your bag. Store it in a dry place (ideally a closet – on a shelf).

When it comes to the actual use of your new handbag, there are a few big no no’s. Don’t put it on the dirty floor when you’re out at a restaurant/bar. Either put it on a chair, hanging on the chair, on a hook (that are underneath most bars), and many restaurants now offer ‘bag racks’ that they’ll bring to your table. Secondly, if you just put on lotion or perfume, do not immediately go to touch your bag or the strap (only use clean hands!). These items can stain the bag or discolor it. And when carrying around these products, make sure they are within a cosmetics bag in the main bag, in case they spill.

If, in fact, your bag does get dirty, you must clean it with the right products. Do not just grab any old cleaner from under your sink, as the chemicals in many can really harm the bag. You should find out from where you purchased your bag what the best item to clean it is.

A designer handbag is an investment piece and you want it to last a lifetime. If caring for it properly, it absolutely will.