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We’ve covered caring for your leather bag in order to keep it at its full beauty potential. But when an occasional stain creeps in, and they always find a way to do that, you find yourself in need of a more hands-on approach. This is how you get the most common types of stains off your leather bag:
Dirt Stains
Brush loose dirt off the leather with a soft bristle brush or an old toothbrush.
Mix 1 tsp. mild liquid dish soap into 1 qt. of water. Dip one corner of a lint-free cloth into the mixture and squeeze out the excess liquid.
Blot the embedded dirt from the leather with the damp cloth. As the dirt releases onto the cloth, fold it and rewet another area with the soapy liquid. Wring the cloth, and continue lifting the dirt from the leather until completely removed.
Wipe the leather dry. Water has a tendency to dry leather’s natural “oils”, so to keep it supple, add a coating of leather balsam.
Oil Stains
Try to treat the stain immediately.
Blot the stain with a microfiber cloth. Remove as much of the grease as possible.
Cover the stain liberally with talcum powder or another absorbent powder, such as cornstarch or wheat germ.
Allow the powder to sit on the stain overnight. The powder will draw the grease and moisture out of the leather.
In the morning, brush off the powder and the stain will be gone.
Things to keep in mind:
Get it while it’s hot - in many cases, a stain that is not cleaned within a few hours is likely to make itself a permanent home on your leather bag.
Keep it damp, not wet. Water is not a friend to your leather, so keep it at minimum and use leather balsam once the procedure is over, to restore its elasticity.
When it comes to stains, never forcefully rub or pound—this further ingrains marks. Instead, always blot.
The only fabric that should be used on leather for treatment is a lint-free soft cloth such as a micro fiber cloth.