Leather care
Leather protection for the longevity of your bag
Each leather product has specific care requirements. That depends on the workmanship, purpose, age, degree of wear and exposure to environmental influences. Factors such as gloss maximization or waterproofness are important in the shoe sector but concerning the care of leather bags they don’t play a major role: Here the focus lies on maintaining the look of the new product and provide protection against abrasion, dirt and discoloration. Furthermore, care products for leather bags can restore and retain the suppleness of the leather and protect it against embrittlement and UV rays.
Our leather bags will accompany you loyal for many years. To make sure that you won’t be able to tell that your bag went through thick and thin with you it needs some care every now and then. Smooth leather bags need a leather grease treatment against dehydration, fading, abrasion and raindrops every six month. We recommend removing minor stains with a mild cleaner before treating the bag with leather grease. However, suede leather bags are prone to dirt and therefore require an impregnation to protect the bag against moisture.
You can hand wash or machine wash extremely dirty bags with a special leather washing concentrate. Just be careful when it comes to the drying process: Let the bag dry at room temperature without sunlight as this might cause the color to fade. In general, it is important to remove dirt before applying any care products.
MyBagFactory has also developed a series of leather care products. You can find our products here.
Care instructions for smooth leather
Leather Grease
This care product makes the leather water-repellent and is highly moisturizing. It protects and maintains the leather at the same time. It is no problem to bring your bag outside on a rainy day if it was treated with Leather Grease beforehand.
Leather Balm
This term labels a nourishing and beneficial care product based on resin and wax, for example beeswax. Applying Leather Balm on smooth leather helps to seal the pores so that the leather becomes extremely water-repellent. Therefore, it is very useful for a solid outdoor leather bag.
Care Lotion
The Care Lotion is a light and moisturizing emulsion consisting of fats or a mix of oils and water. A high-quality Care Lotion has a UV filter to prevent fading and protect the bag from anti-oxidants. Furthermore, the care product mitigates disturbing noises that can occur when wearing leather bags.
Care Cream
In comparison to the Care Lotion, the Care Cream is not as fluid due to the stabilizers added. Therefore, the Care Cream does not penetrate into the pores as deep as the Care Lotion. However, it helps to protects the surface for a longer period.
Care instructions for suede bags
For the care of suede bags we recommend a special leather brush, with which the leather can be cleaned and renewed. It is best to choose a two-sided brush: the wire brush helps to remove coarse dirt and the rubber side is ideal to gently clean the leather. If stains are remaining, they can additionally be treated with a suede sponge, which works like an eraser.
Impregnation
To protect suede leather from moisture it is highly recommended to impregnate the bag with a special nano-based spray that can also be used for suede shoes.
SOS tips for leather care
... For brittle leather
If the bag is an old heirloom and the leather is already brittle, there is no reason to get rid of this bag. With so-called liquid leather even coarse fractures or scratches can be successfully treated. However, you have to take care not to apply too much. In cases of discoloration a treatment with leather freshener is a very effective way to make the bag look evenly. After that the leather should be sealed with a Leather Cream or Balm and maintained regularly.
For bags – made from smooth or suede leather – which are extremely dirty, there are extra mild detergents for leather. The bag can be hand washed or with the washing machine. It is important to let it dry well and treat the bag with a refatting treatment afterwards.
High gloss and patent leather is quite troublesome to take care of: Every scratch is visible immediately. No rule without exception - the home remedy furniture polish (without solvent!) can be used with the blessing of renowned leather manufacturers. However, we advise to do a test on a hidden spot beforehand. For scratches that already exist you can apply a high-gloss seal, let it dry and polish the material afterwards.
Generally, we do not recommend home remedies, such as banana peels or body milk. These products are not suitable for the care of leather bags.