Besides the usual keeping it away from humid/sunlit areas, what else do you do to prevent leather bags from cracking etc? Do you use special cleansers meant for it? I'm the type of person who is lazy to maintain my bags, and I have a Dior leather bag (pebbled and croc leather) and I'm not sure what to do, since the product care booklet didn't mention anything else besides cleaning it with a slightly damp sponge.

roxiehart, welcome to tPF - looks like you've been here a bit, though. THEN - you know we've got lots and lots of responses to your question - I did a search and these are the results:

http://forum.purseblog.com/search.php?searchid=21914595

I clean my leather bags with Pond's Towelettes. The ones for makeup removal. I figure if it can gently remove make from my face, It can remove anything from my leather bags. Works perfectly!!!!

Read this website :

http://www.ehow.com/how_5063422_care-leather-bags.html

Originally Posted by IzzeyAnn

I clean my leather bags with Pond's Towelettes. The ones for makeup removal. I figure if it can gently remove make from my face, It can remove anything from my leather bags. Works perfectly!!!!

wow what a great idea! thanks for the tip!

I take my Hermes bags in for a spa treatment twice a year or as needed..

My BV I use meltonia if needed.. but I store all my bags in their

dustcovers & use acid free tissue which I change twice a year..

I don't use endust, towlettes, baby wipes etc... that's just me...

if it works for others that's fine

You could check the brand forums for care instructions. I general I use clean white cloths and products designed for leather. The specific care instructions would depend on the kind of leather (what animal) and any treatments or finishes. Like hotshot I don't use household cleaning products or face wipes on leather. The leather cleaners don't cost much more and to me it's worth it to care for bags that cost that much.

I'm not sure if I read it in this forum or elsewhere, but I bought the Apple care products and have used them on various bags that I own (Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. leather) and they also have a Microfiber cleaner too. It worked wonders on the items and I wasn't scared to use these items for cleaning.

You may wanna look around in other forums/online, though, as I'm not particularly sure about your bags.

I use fiebing's reptile cleaner for reptiles, meltonian for lambskin and other leathers, and have blackrock's as well. It really does depend on your bag's leather and recommendations.

I regular clean with cloth.

I know you are not supposed to use alcohol on leather because it dries it out and can ruin your leather handbags, but for very, very stubborn stains, I think alcohol works best. I don’t use pure alcohol but a product that contains some alcohol such as nail polish remover. I would dab only a little bit of alcohol on the stain and wipe it off with a clean white cloth or tissue. Then IMMEDIATELY, will wipe the alcohol away with a little water so that no alcohol residual remains on the bag at all. This has worked very well for me.

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http://www.mysacks.com

Originally Posted by aluv123

I know you are not supposed to use alcohol on leather because it dries it out and can ruin your leather handbags, but for very, very stubborn stains, I think alcohol works best. I don’t use pure alcohol but a product that contains some alcohol such as nail polish remover. I would dab only a little bit of alcohol on the stain and wipe it off with a clean white cloth or tissue. Then IMMEDIATELY, will wipe the alcohol away with a little water so that no alcohol residual remains on the bag at all. This has worked very well for me. ---- http://www.mysacks.com

"Common “Remedies” that ruin leather:

Nail Polish Remover
1. Fingernail polish remover – Do not attempt to use fingernail polish remover to get a stain or mark off your leather. Fingernail polish contains acetone, which removes all color from leather, creating a large bleached looking spot around the area where it is applied."

" The two most commonly used chemicals that will cause severe damage to your leather are alcohol and acetone."
http://www.fibrenew.com/blog/frequen...-ruin-leather/

Thanks guys this info is very helpful