A white bag is a favorite accessory of many women. It can be suede, leather or artificial materials. This is a classic item that never goes out of style. However, it often happens that due to active use, the accessory quickly turns yellow, becomes dirty at the seams and loses its presentation. How to clean a white bag at home without resorting to expensive dry cleaning services?
Traditional methods
Cleaning light leather at home is not easy, because it is important not to harm the material and paint. But folk remedies are gentle and will help cope with this task.
- Stationery eraser and wet wipes. They effectively remove traces of ink and dyes from clothing. The main thing is that the stain is fresh. When using an eraser, use only the white (pencil) side.
- Onion. Cut the onion into two parts and wipe the product with it. If the fruit has darkened, cut off the layer that has absorbed the dirt and continue the procedure. After cleaning, go over the leather with a flannel cloth.
- Drinking milk. Removes gray plaque that forms after 2-3 weeks of wear. Heat it to a temperature of 30 °C, moisten a cotton swab and wipe the material. To add shine, treat the leather with clear shoe polish. Clean darkened seams with white shoe polish or a cotton swab dipped in bleach.
- Lemon juice. Used to remove yellow stains and add shine. The principle of use is simple: squeeze the juice from one fruit, moisten a soft cloth with it and wipe off the dirt. To extract more juice, scald the lemon with boiling water. Finally, go over the bag with a clean, damp cloth.
- Starch. Suitable for cleaning white suede products (especially from greasy stains). Apply the product to the stained area and leave for an hour. Then carefully, using smooth movements, scrub the stain with a rubber brush. Sweep away any remaining starch.
- The same starch, but with ammonia, will help remove old stains. Combine ingredients in equal quantities. It should be a thick paste. Apply it to the stain and leave until completely dry. Clean off the compound with a soft brush.
How to clean white leatherette
You need to clean stains with a product that is aimed at eliminating contamination and does not deform the leatherette.
An important factor is the color of the product. First of all, the cleaning method depends on this.
For white leatherette products use:
- lemon juice (stains from greens, vegetables and fruits, fat, old yellowness);
- nail polish remover (affects stains from ink, felt-tip pens);
- hydrogen peroxide;
- lemon juice with baking soda (solution).
How to clean a white leatherette bag
If you need to update your white leather bag, it makes sense to make lemon juice. This natural cleaner, applied to the bag with a cotton swab, can not only remove minor dirt, but also add shine to the entire surface. Lemon also perfectly removes stains of grease and grass, and helps make the bag lighter when yellow spots appear.
In everyday life, rarely does anyone manage to avoid abrasions and cuts. And while on the road, you can stain the surface of your bag and handles with blood. You can effectively deal with this kind of contamination by moistening a sponge with hydrogen peroxide. And wipe the dirty areas. Moreover, you should not press too hard on the stains, since peroxide with light contact already has an effective effect. After such cleaning, you should wipe the bag with a soft cloth.
When cleaning a white bag with soapy water, apply it only to the dirty area, avoiding completely getting the product wet.
If there were eye shadows or foundation in the purse and they produced stains or dirt on the outside, then you can also remove the stains with a weak solution of ammonia or vinegar. But at the same time, you need to make sure that the bag does not get completely wet, and that the removal solution gets only onto the stain.
Be sure to dry the product and, to add shine, apply a special care spray for synthetic leather or treat it with wipes containing a care composition. Such products are sold in stores that sell products for the care of leather products, textiles, and leatherette.
How to clean a white leatherette sofa
The beauty of white furniture always remains beyond competition. Soft armchairs, a spacious faux leather sofa - all this fits perfectly into the interior of the living room and bedroom.
But, over time, the handles and backs of such furniture become greasy and turn yellow. And if there are small children in the house, then due to carelessness, stains from ballpoint pens and felt-tip pens may appear on the furniture. How can all these contaminants be removed without damaging the material and the product itself?
First you need to decide on the type of pollution. And consider the following classification of spots:
- lipstick, foundation, eye shadow are dissolved with an ammonia solution, then with soapy water;
- blood - hydrogen peroxide (for fresh stains), ammonia - for dried stains;
- stains from green plants, yellowness from wear - lemon juice;
- fat, oil - turpentine helps remove it (for an old stain), and if it is fresh, then a soap solution.
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There are general rules to follow no matter what stain is on the item or what removal method you choose.
First, you need to wipe the area to be cleaned, then you can moisten the stained area with baking soda, then add lemon juice to the soda and wipe the stain.
Use an absorbent soft sponge to remove any remaining cleaning mixture. Wipe dry. If the stain does not go away, you should use another product adapted for staining.
When caring for leatherette products, you should follow simple rules. Wipe with special impregnated wipes that cover with shine and protect from dirt. Do not forget about precautions when coming into contact with water and hot appliances. Leatherette is practical, easy to use and costs significantly less than leather, so products made from it last a long time with timely and proper care.
Light handbags made of faux leather are a stylish and elegant accessory. They look beautiful, but dirt accumulates quickly on the white surface. To restore a leather bag and return it to its perfect white shade, you don’t have to go to the dry cleaner. There are ways you can remove dirt from surfaces and your home. We'll talk further about how to do this yourself.
Household chemicals and cosmetics
If the above recipes are powerless, take more radical measures. Household chemicals will be an indispensable assistant in this matter.
Window cleaner . Cleans light leather in minutes. Spray the spray onto a cotton swab and treat the problem area. After 2 minutes, rinse off the composition with clean water.
A concentrated soap solution will help remove stains such as hand marks, ballpoint pen ink, etc.
Toothpaste (with whitening effect). This product will efficiently remove stains of any origin. Wet a soft shoe or old toothbrush with water. Apply a small amount of paste to it and gently rub the leather bag. You can also spread the composition onto the stain and leave it overnight. In the morning, wash off the paste with a washcloth and warm water.
Laundry soap . A concentrated soap solution will help remove stains such as hand marks, ballpoint pen ink, etc. Use this soap as it contains concentrated lye. Grind a small block (no more than 30 g) on a grater and fill the shavings with 50 ml of water. Treat the stain with the resulting solution. If the stain is persistent, rub it only with soap, without water. After 2-3 hours, rinse the treated area. Be sure to lubricate it with colorless shoe polish - this will prevent the leather from cracking.
Makeup remover (lotion, milk). Proceed as follows: moisten a cotton pad with the preparation and gently wipe the stain. Do this with light massaging movements.
Nail polish remover . Suitable for cleaning leatherette bags. Moisten a cotton pad with the liquid and wipe the product. The product contains acetone, which will quickly penetrate the material and corrode the dirt. For natural leather, this method is contraindicated - the aggressive substance will “eat” the paint or leave a cloudy coating.
Read also: How can you wash a bag?
Features of washing suede products
How to make soap from soap remnants at home?
How to clean leatherette
When cleaning leatherette products from stains, you should not use:
- acids;
- solvents;
- alcohol;
- acetone;
- substances containing chlorine.
Regular washing also cannot solve the problem, since leatherette falls apart and becomes deformed under the influence of water and detergent.
Very often, when washing a bag, even using the delicate wash method, the housewife is forced to throw the product away, because when completely wet, the product immediately loses its appearance.
Important! Never fully wash any leatherette product.
Bags and furniture made of dark-colored leatherette are effectively cleaned by several products:
- soap solution;
- special sponge - eraser (small dirt);
- ammonia along with soda (solution).
Cleaning a leatherette bag
Dark leatherette should be cleaned carefully, as the paint may fade and whitish spots may form on the product. If you clean your bag with a soap solution, then when making it you should use laundry soap or soap without dyes.
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Then the soap solution will be neutral in color and will not leave streaks on the bag. After cleaning with soapy water, the bag must be dried immediately. Unfortunately, when the product needs to be cleaned over a large area, you have to wash the bag in soapy water. But for these purposes, it is necessary to tear off the gasket.
Since completely soaking the bag will lead to cracks in the material and deformation. The product must be soaked superficially in a soap solution, without dipping everything into a basin, but using a sponge. The lining can be washed separately, dried well and sewn on. Of course, such painstaking cleaning is suitable for products that you really want to preserve and give them a new look.
Attention! Do not dry the leatherette product or place it on a radiator or near hot heating devices. From such exposure, the product will become deformed and crack, and light colors will receive indelible yellow spots.
Medicines
When the appearance of the bag is spoiled by obvious dirt, try to get rid of it with the help of medical means.
Hydrogen peroxide - used to clean bags made of leatherette and genuine leather. If the stains are old (including yellowed), add 5-6 drops of ammonia to the peroxide. At the last stage of the procedure, wipe the product with a clean cloth soaked in warm water.
Ethyl alcohol – effectively fights non-specific impurities on the skin. Soak a cotton pad in alcohol and gently, without pressing, rub the problem area. Change the cotton whenever it gets dirty. When the stain has dissolved, rinse the material with water to remove any remaining alcohol. To prevent the skin from becoming hard to the touch, treat it with a flannel cloth soaked in Vaseline, castor oil or edible glycerin.
Washing lining fabric
The condition of the white bag must be impeccable both outside and inside. The lining in such products also gets dirty over time. It cannot be unfastened, and the bag is not suitable for machine washing. The only solution is hand washing. In this case, you need to adhere to certain rules:
- Turn the lining fabric inside out and wash it without touching the bag.
- Use only liquid soap. Products containing abrasives can damage delicate fabrics.
- The edges of the lining, sewn to the leather, can be conveniently cleaned with stain-removing wipes.
- Do not blow-dry lining fabric. Let it dry at room temperature.
Cleaning a white bag at home is quite possible. Simple means at hand will help you with this. When choosing a recipe, focus on the material from which the product is made. For bags made of genuine leather, do not use substances such as acetone, vinegar, white spirit, or nail polish remover. They act aggressively and can completely ruin the thing you love.