Comments on: How to Clean a Leather Purse

By: housemaid

housemaid — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:04:50 +0000

I have ruined many a bag because of lotion leakage or the top coming off a tube of lipstick. Just got my first pricey Fossil bag and am using a vinyl zippered cosmetic bag this time. Even a ziploc bag is better than nothing.

By: Betsy

Betsy — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:03:31 +0000

Before throwing away a good leather purse, I would try a pure enzyme cat pee odor eliminator. I prefer a product like Odormute, which is the least expensive, comes in unscented powder form, and really really works. You have to use this solution BEFORE using any sort of soap because the soap disables the enzyme. Anyhow, soak the lining and lightly wet the leather area you think got the pee smell. Allow it to dry naturally. Pee smell should be gone, and if it isn’t, try another application. I used this to remove cat pee smell and also, spilled sour milk smell, from my car carpeting. It really worked.

By: Ebba

Ebba — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:32:03 +0000

Your best best is to throw the bag away. I have never found any product that will take the smell out. Maybe kitty needs to live on a farm.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 18:52:22 +0000

I got my winter purses down recently and found one (beautiful leather) in the back that had a stain on it. I vaguely remember something on the inside leaked? So I tried the tartar/lemon juice method. Worked great! Yeah! One purse back from the “guilt” pile. (At least I like this one!)

By: Upset

Upset — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:18:40 +0000

DO NOT USE ALCOHOL. I foolishly did not read the comments before trying… and it absolutely ruined my D&B handbag.

By: Christine

Christine — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:17:28 +0000

Hello, I just bought a $300 caramel colored purse… Tongiht when I came home from shopping all day there were stains all down the backside. I have no idea what it is, some looks like blue denim that rubbed off and then there are other dropping stains I’m not sure… What can I do to get rid of it? will they come out?

By: Karen

Karen — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:44:08 +0000

I bought some cleaning solution on HSN from Joy Mongano years ago, it was derived from plant enzymes. I used it on a leather purse that had NAIL POLISH and INK stains on the leather. It removed all stains including the dry nail polish and did not ruin the leather at all. I don’t know if this product is still on the market, but if it is, pick it up. It works miracles on leather purses.

By: Dasha

Dasha — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:39:27 +0000

I have a white leather purse, and with time the leather has started to turn gray. There are no stains, just smudges from daily wear. I’d like to be able to see the clean white leather again!

By: Tabitha

Tabitha — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:41:16 +0000

I used the tip above for ink spots on leather purses, and it totally smeared the color of my leather – the ink is gone but the area where the ink was is all smudged. It was a $350 Dooney and Bourke. UGH!

By: L-Anne

L-Anne — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:51:35 +0000

To Robin with grease stained purse. Magic eraser is better used as a LAST resort, only because it can be the cause of future leather problems. The best method of removing grease from leather (or cloth) is to completely cover the spot with corn starch, patting it into the stain as you apply. For best results, try to remove grease from leather as soon as possible, the older the stain the longer the corn starch will have to remain on the spot for the grease to be absorbed. After a suitable amount of time on the grease stain (an hour, perhaps) remove corn starch completely (but gently), by using a soft brush. More than one application of starch is usually necessary, repeat above steps, if grease is not completely removed.

By: Robin

Robin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:47:13 +0000

I got a grease stain on my purse can I use the magic eraser go get it out? or is there a better method than just rubbing it with a towel?

By: Erica

Erica — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:33:24 +0000

I have big leather bag and my jerk cat urinated inside of it. The liner is what smells most, but the pee soaked a little onto the bottom of the leather part. How can I clean this without damaging the purse?

By: Kal

Kal — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:41:22 +0000

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is where it’s at! Just a little bit of water rubbed on to the stain with it and tada!

By: Olga

Olga — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:06:57 +0000

I just tried removing a pen stain from a dark tan colored leather bag. The rubbing alcohol really worked. Do not panic (like I did) at the “wet mark” left, it did go away when the leather dried!

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:10:43 +0000

To condition your leather you can also polish it with a light coat of Vaseline, works especially great for shining shoes.