How to Clean a Leather Bag without Leather Cleaner

BY Buffalo Jackson Insight

BY Amanda Uher

You’ve invested in a leather bag. But you’re not up for investing in a pricey leather cleaner. We get it. We also know your bag needs to be cleaned. Here are a couple of ways to clean leather bags with some common household products.

Regular maintenance cleaning:

Olive oil + white vinegar: shake together in a spray bottle, lightly mist leather bag, and wipe clean with a dry cloth.

Moisturizing soap: rub a damp cloth over a bar of moisturizing soap (like Dove), then bring to lather on the surface of your leather bag. Wipe/buff clean.

To remove spots:

Rubbing alcohol: dip a cotton swab into rubbing alcohol and rub over the spot.

Cuticle remover (not nail polish remover): dip a cotton swab into non-oily cuticle remover (again, not nail polish remover); leave it on overnight and then wipe off with a damp cloth.

Lemon juice + cream of tartar: use these to create a paste and work into the spot with a soft cloth. Let sit if needed, then wipe clean.

As always, test any of these suggestions on a small, inconspicuous area of your bag first. Also, if you’re dealing with a particularly difficult spot or stain, it’s worth it to bring your bag to a leather specialist for cleaning rather than risk permanent damage with homemade cleaning experiments.