The only maintenance faux leather goods require is regular and frequent cleaning as faux leather items. Learning how to clean a faux leather purse will suffice to keep it looking fresh, shiny, and durable.
Unlike genuine leather, it gathers stains, dirt, and scuffs over time, making it wear out faster. Not to worry; you can restore the showroom’s shine with the right cleaning approach.
This guide will walk you through the process of cleaning faux leather purses and bags while avoiding stripping and cracking the material.
Let’s start.
Gather Cleaning Materials
Meticulous preparation before fixing anything is half-done. So is the case with cleaning your worn-out purse, wallet, and bags. When dealing with delicate materials like faux leather, we cannot afford making the slightest error. Gather the following materials:
Baby Shampoo soap or Mild Dish Soap – these two are the most effective cleaning agents as they will break down any dirt or stone without cracking or harming the material.
Warm Water – Notice, I have mentioned warm water, not hot water. Not hot nor cold water. Lukewarm water is ideal because hot water will break the leather and cold water cannot clean effectively.
Microfiber Cloth – Take a soft and non-abrasive microfiber towel. It works magic in removing dirt and wiping scratches.
Soft-bristled Brush – It’s not essential if the surface of your faux leather purse is not pebbled or textured. A Bristled brush will efficiently eliminate debris and dust from grooves.
White Vinegar or Rubbing Alcohol – Either of the two will work wonders when the item has stubborn ink stains or mold out of grease and dirt. But you must apply them sparingly.
Faux Leather Conditioner or Baby Oil – While not essential, mild conditioning of the purse will add a brand new shine to it and effectively prevent drying out of it.
You can find the best synthetic leather conditioner for purses that will go the toughest on dirt and grease sitting on the leather surface.
How to Remove Stains from Faux Leather Purse Easily?
Now that you are prepared, it’s time to start cleaning the items. The whole process is broken down into three steps so that you can perform it easily.
Wiping off the Surface
The most common elements a leather purse gathers on the surface are dust, fingerprints, and grime. However, a quick cleaning of the surface will suffice to wipe them down. Here is the simple hack:
Make Soapy Solution – Take warm water in a small bowl and drop a little amount of mild soap in it. Stir the mix gently until the suds form.
Dab a Microfiber Cloth with the Solution – Now, take the microfiber cloth and dip it into the soapy solution and wring the towel thoroughly. Thus, it is damp now but make sure it is not dripping.
Wipe in Circular Motion – Start wiping the surface in circular motions. It should be a gentle rubbing across the surface. Rub the spots you frequently touch – handles, strap, and the likely spots coming into direct contact with your hands, particularly fingers. The parts of the purse tend to collect dirt and oil faster than you think.
Remember the Bristled -brush? – Now, it should play its part. If your faux leather purse is embossed, textured, and accentuated with stitching, the bristle brush will do its magic now. It will lift debris, dust from hard-to-reach spots with bare hands.
Recommended Read: How to Paint Faux Leather Furniture?
Deal with Stubborn Stains
If your loved purse has ink stains, grease, and scuff spots, wiping off the surface will not do for cleaning. Mild soapy solution cannot deal with stubborn stains like those. This is when you need to learn how to get stains out of faux leather.
Apply Rubbing Alcohol – Take a cotton swab and anoint it with rubbing alcohol. Now, press the alcohol-dubbed swab against the stain. Let the alcohol sit for several seconds, and it will make the stubborn stain removable with a gentle rub.
Microfiber Cloth Wiping – Now,take your damp microfiber towel again and start wiping the ink stain. Thus, the ink stain shouldn’t be there anymore.
Be careful to rub in a gentle way. Otherwise, softenned ink may spread elsewhere on the purse’s surface to create an unsightly look.
When to Use Cornstarch/Baking Soda? – But if it is a grease or oil spot, alcohol-dabbing will not do. It’s time to sprinkle a little cornstarch over the greasy or oily part of the purse to sit for 15-20 minutes.
Baking powder will also do the task if cornstarch is unavailable. Either powder blots the oil without harming the surface. Now, take a dry cloth again, not a damp one, to wipe the residue away.
You May Need Non-gel Toothpaste treatment – It can be scuff, refusing to yield to both the aforesaid treatment. In that case, a small amount of non-gel toothpaste dabbed on a microfiber will do the magic.
Now, apply a mild buffing over the spotted area. Keep buffing until the scuff mark has faded away. Then, wipe clean and eliminate the residue.
Dry Out Properly
All the cleaning agents and stain removers used by now – alcohol, cornstarch, alcohol, and soap – tend to leave residues if not dealt with properly after using them.
In that case, the purse will be clean of dirt, dust, or any types of spots but may not look as lustrous as it should. Here, a thorough rinsing out is the way out. Once the purse is rinsed properly, it’s time to dry it out.
Soft Towel Patting – Pat drying with a dry and soft towel is the best bet as rubbing again may stretch the purse, causing it to be resized a bit. Gently press the dry towel across the surface. Thus, the towel should absorb the additional moisture.
Air-dry the Purse – After the excess is absorbed completely, lay the clean but still damp purse flat in a well-ventilated room. Make sure it is away from direct sunlight or heat sources.
Air-drying may take a full day, so let it be. Otherwise, speeding up the drying process by using a hair dryer will weaken the material.
Bring Back the Shine
Yes, you have guessed it right. I will suggest a conditioner, though like real leather, faux leather items don’t require heavy-duty conditioning.
But if you want to keep the soft feel and textured flexibility of your faux leather bag, jacket, or purse, a little care goes a long way. A small amount of baby oil or faux leather conditioner is enough.
Just Do it – Smear the microfiber cloth with a little conditioner or baby oil. Gently buff the surface of the purse with the oil-smeared part of the microfiber. When buffing is complete, let the conditioner sit for a few minutes.
That way, the material will absorb the conditioner. Now, it’s ready to use again with its lustre back.
Recommended Read: Dyeing Leather Jacket in a Few Simple Steps
Expert Tips: Keep Your faux Leather Purse looking Great
Leather items, real, hybrid, and artificial, are meant to get dirty, dusty, and greasy over time. But, simple care can leave them the least affected by the element they are regularly exposed to.
Proper storage is the key. Keep your purse stored inside a dust bag or pillowcase when not in use. Thus, it will stay safe from dust and moisture.
Do not over-stuff it. Overloading your bag or purse makes the material stretch, causing it to get loose over time. Also, overstuffing will cause the stitch to tear and the seams to break apart.
But avoid rough surfaces while hanging or resting the faux leather jacket, purse, or bag on when in frequent use. Rough or uneven surfaces will cause scratches or peeling off, which is unsightly.
How to Wash Faux Leather in Washing Machine?
Usually, it is not advisable to machine wash a faux leather jacket, purse or wallet. Manual cleaning is the best solution.
But some manufacturers declare on the product label if the items can be machine-washed or not. So, check the label for any statement against or for machine washing.
If they say that you clean it using a washing machine. Put the machine in a mild-washing setting. Otherwise, the softness and textured surface, faux leather purse is so loved for will be damaged.
Heavy washing even weakens the material to tear or warp faster than its usual life cycle.
Removing Stains from Faux Leather Purse: No Damage
Yes, faux leather items need low or minimal maintenance, but efficient and regular cleaning is a must to keep them looking shiny and durable. However, cleaning a faux leather purse and other items is an easy hack. As you have seen above, the process entails several easy-to-follow steps. So, cleaning and conditioning a leather purse is covered now.
It’s time to master how to clean a leather purse at home.
