Today I wanted to share my tips on leather care. I have picked up most of these during my internship at O My Bag and by working in retail. What is important to know is that these tips are only for smooth and uncoated leather, so no suede and no plastic and always, always, always test a product on a small area that is not very visible! This way you can see how it reacts to the leather, creams tend to darken the leather a little even after drying. But that could be a good thing as wear and tear lightens leather over time.

There are two main parts to leather care, prevention and after-care. Prevention is usually done with a leather spray and is to make a bag more water/stain resistant. Depending on the spray the instructions may vary, but a light going over is often enough. Do this preferably before you first use the bag and let it dry over night, after this do it again every once every few months, especially during wet months.   After-care is done by putting a small amount of leather cream on a cloth and massaging it into the leather in circular motions. The dried up leather will regain some moisture and you can buff out scratches, lighten stains and prevent damage. Bags that have been used a lot and are looking a little dull can really be revived with a bit of love.

Other things which are good to know:

While I only mention bags leather care is great for all leather goods, such as shoes and even belts, give it a try!

Some companies don’t advise you to take care of your leather at all saying that the more worn it looks the more beautiful the products get.

If you have a bag that is ruined by a terrible stain you could try dying the bag with a coloured moisturiser of a darker colour, thus staining the entire item. Please consult your local cobbler first.

As long as the leather is of high quality most breakages can be repaired, so if a seam of you bag rips or soles of your shoes wear down chances are they could be repaired. So there is no need to buy new things yet, your favourites can probably be saved!

The bag in the pictures is my Dirty Harry from O My Bag in the Camel colour, I have used this bag a lot for about a year and a half. O My Bag is a lovely company with beautiful leather goods and I recommend anyone looking for a good bag checks out their webshop. Best thing is that they are not only of great quality but that they are ethically and sustainably produced. Learn more here. 

I would love to hear if you have any good tips!

Thanks for reading!