Vegan Handbag Care 101

It always starts with a small scratch or stain, we’ve all been there. Your favorite handbag slowly becomes littered with marks and scratches leaving it a remnant of what it once was.

Neglecting to keep your bag well-maintained is something we’re all guilty of, but if you’ve had to let go of a purse you once loved due to not taking care of it then you know how important it is to take care of your handbags.

We’ve put together some information to ensure that you can easily care for your non-leather purses or handbags so they’ll last for years. We’ll take a look a how to clean the exterior and interior of your vegan handbag, how to store your handbag and some quick tips!

How to Clean Vegan Leather

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It’s actually very easy to care for your vegan handbag. All you have to do is follow these easy tips:

• If you see light amounts of dust or dirt on your handbag, simply take a damp, soft cloth and wipe your bag down.
• For more stubborn marks on the bag, you can add some dish soap to your soft cloth and gently rub at the marks. Since this will involve a little more elbow grease, please be sure to use a soft, non-abrasive cloth so you don’t damage the surface of the bag.
• If you have a vegan handbag with a textured surface, you can take a dampened soft toothbrush and lightly clean between the grooves.

How to Clean Your Vegan Leather Bag’s Interior

Cleaning the interior of a handbag is a lot more difficult than cleaning the exterior of the bag. You can’t remove it for easy cleaning and you can’t send it to the dry cleaners. So, you may be wondering, what do you do when you find a lipstick smudge or an ink stain on the inside of your purse?

The first thing you can do is empty your bag and use a small vacuum to vacuum out any dirt, crumbs, or dust. Depending on your handbag you can either flip the lining inside out or you can just stick the vacuum inside of the purse. Be sure to be gentle during this process.

Use dish soap for greasier stains like lip balm and other oil-based makeup and baby shampoo for non-oil-based makeup stains like blush or powder. Put whatever liquid you need on a cloth, rub the mark gently, and then wipe with a clean cloth. You may have to do this several times if the stain is old or stubborn.

However, it’s ideal if you can prevent stains as a whole. To do this:

• Treat the inside of your vegan purses with a waterproofing spray before using it.
• Carry pens, makeup, and other products that can cause stains in a pouch to avoid damage.
• Avoid throwing anything wet or damp in your bag. If you do, it can cause color transfer onto the interior lining.

How to Store Your Vegan Handbag

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 To give your designer handbags and accessories a long lifespan, it’s important to cycle them out. So, what’s the best way to store your vegan handbag?

• Don’t stack bags and other accessories on top of each other; this can cause the bag to warp and zippers and hardware can become damaged.
• Don’t store your non-leather handbags in a place where it gets a lot of sun exposure. This can dry out the materials and cause cracking.
• If possible, store your handbag in dust protection bags. It will prevent dust and dirt from piling up.

Quick Tips

Here are some more quick tips for keeping your vegan leather handbags in top condition.

• To make sure stains aren’t permanent, be sure to act fast! Wipe off any stains as soon as you see them.
• Do not stretch the material. Overfilling your handbag can damage the vegan leather and can cause your bag to lose its shape.
• To prevent slouching, fill your handbag when putting it in storage. If you don’t fill the bag, it may even become misshapen which can cause surface cracks later in its lifespan.
• Never ever use bleach on your handbag! You do not want to dry out the vegan leather; bleach is very good at doing this so be sure to keep it far away from your bag.

Final Thoughts

We hope this vegan handbag care article helped you properly care for your designer vegan handbag. Here on the Doshi Blog, we want to encourage and support people in buying and wearing vegan and ethical products.

Are you interested in getting a vegan handbag? We offer a variety of vegan handmade designer options. Try our Weekender Tote, Lady Bag 2, and Little Camera Crossbody Bag.

For more tips on how to take care of your handbag, check out this article.