 |
| Time to get our fancy plastic gloves out, and clean our purse's act!! |
To put it simply, we all have germs and bacteria not living, but thriving in the inside and the outside of our fancy, and not so fancy bags. I read that experts recommend cleaning the outside of your bag on a daily basis with a bleach wipe, and because I suffer from CCD (compulsive cleaning disorder), I've already put a box of good wipes by my switcheroo box. I think it's a good way to keep your bags clean.
These are the steps I use when I get a new bag from a vintage or Thrift store:
 |
| What you need to clean your beauties is right here! |
First step
Dilute vinegar*** in water (1 part vinegar, 2 parts water). Use this combo by slightly damping a cotton cloth and wipe all surfaces as a first step. Murphy's oil soap works well, too. Not only does it soften the leather, but it also cleans it. Still, I always start with my V&W combo.
Step two
Use a dry cotton cloth to dry all surfaces and making sure you've cleaned all parts of the bag, including the inside.
Step Three
Step Four
Here's the last touch: Lemon Oil by 'Now' (organic aroma therapeutic oil). The label doesn't say a thing about using this product to clean vintage gems or purses, but I can tell you this: It erases the annoying wax marks most thrift store bags have for pricing and leaves a lovely scent behind. The label clearly says that it should be diluted depending on the use, but then again, a drop or two on a damp cotton cloth seem to do the trick for me. It also disinfects. If you keep your purses in a specific space, like let's say... a china cabinet, then put some drops on a cotton ball, leave it on a shelf and your whole cabinet will smell deliciously fresh.
Step Five - For Leather only!
I like to gently massage Mink Oil on leather, it's a great leather conditioner. Most vintage leather bags look dried out, so this is a great product to inject life back into them. Mink Oil is also water resistant, so you can treat your leather bags, and go crazy on your boots too! Treat your bag regularly to keep it soft and conditioned. Remember that this is not for suede or dull-unfinished natural leathers.
There you go, all done! Happy cleaning, darlings!
 |
| Hand model: Moi! Please admire my pink glove... it's not every day I get to share its beauty! |
Instead of the vinegar, you can use baby wipes to disinfect your beauty (again, I like to use both, and in this order). Jackson Reece, bio-degradable baby wipes are great. They are alcohol, parabens, SLS or SLES free. We know what wipes are meant to clean, so they should be good enough for our purses. Wouldn't you say? Make sure you dry all surfaces well after this step.
 |
| Wipes at work... remember the inside of the bag. |
Here's the last touch: Lemon Oil by 'Now' (organic aroma therapeutic oil). The label doesn't say a thing about using this product to clean vintage gems or purses, but I can tell you this: It erases the annoying wax marks most thrift store bags have for pricing and leaves a lovely scent behind. The label clearly says that it should be diluted depending on the use, but then again, a drop or two on a damp cotton cloth seem to do the trick for me. It also disinfects. If you keep your purses in a specific space, like let's say... a china cabinet, then put some drops on a cotton ball, leave it on a shelf and your whole cabinet will smell deliciously fresh.
 |
| Lemon essential oil at work... it's magic! |
I like to gently massage Mink Oil on leather, it's a great leather conditioner. Most vintage leather bags look dried out, so this is a great product to inject life back into them. Mink Oil is also water resistant, so you can treat your leather bags, and go crazy on your boots too! Treat your bag regularly to keep it soft and conditioned. Remember that this is not for suede or dull-unfinished natural leathers.
 |
| Oil Mink is lightly applied with a soft cloth. Repeat this step if leather needs more conditioning. |
 |
| Voilà... de toute beauté! |
