Preloved lambskin purses can sometimes look tired to to wear and tear and superficial scratches. Here are five easy techniques on how to protect lambskin leather from damage and deal with minor scratches.
Why Deal With The Lambskin Scratches Yourself?
I still remember the feeling I got when I first touched an expensive lambskin bag. It was Lady Dior. If you ever had a lambskin bag, you know that lovely supple lambskin feel. It's butter-soft and you instantly know the bag is expensive.
You buy the bag and make it your holy grail. I mean it's sitting in the closet for several months because you're afraid to touch her. Then you attend a special event and scratch it with your new manicure. Or even worse: a lady in a pompous sequin dress bumps into your new handbag.
All in all, there it goes. A scratch that's driving you insane cause the bag's not perfect anymore. And it should be perfect.
The most stressful part about the damage is that if you go straight to the Chanel, Dior or whatever fashion boutique, they won't do anything about the wear and tear. They surely can replace any part of the bag which will cost you a fortune but they won't recolor the bag (except Hermes).
So here are your options: you either find a good leather surgeon and send them the bag or try to minimize the damage at home. Obviously, there are pros and cons to both options but you can definitely try to remove the wear and tear and if it doesn't work, then ask for professional help.
Here are 5 ways for you to how to minimize the damage or even remove it, with little or no investment at all. We'll start with general tips and then move on to the best lambskin care products that help to protect your precious purse's lambskin leather.
How to Protect Chanel Lambskin Leather Bag From Damage
Lambskin leather is a luxurious and delicate material that requires special attention in order to keep it looking beautiful for years to come. Here are five techniques on how to protect lambskin leather from damage, so you can ensure your leather goods stay pristine.
Avoid Contact with Water, Grease, and Oils
Water and leather don’t mix! Avoid contact with rain, snowfall, swimming pool water, and any other liquids that could damage the soft surface of lambskin leather. If you do get caught in the rain, be sure to immediately dry off your leather items. Grease, oils, and other harsh chemicals can also damage the texture of the leather.
It would be great to avoid the contact with the grease at all, unfortunately, every time you take the bag, it draws up oil and dirt from our hands. One solution to this could be using a handle protector. There's some choice on Amazon and you can choose from Twillys, leather covers etc.
Clean Regularly and Gently
Regularly and gently cleaning your lambskin leather is one of the most important steps in protecting it from damage. Use a soft cloth and a mild, fragrance-free soap solution to lightly clean any dirt or debris from your leather. Follow up with an unscented conditioner to keep your leather looking shiny and prevent drying or cracking.
When it comes to cleaning, our favorite product for lambskin is Collonil 1919 Leather Lotion.
Protect from Sun Exposure
Another important step to protect lambskin leather from damage is to keep it out of direct sunlight. Sun can cause fading and discoloration, so if you do need to store it in a sunny location, make sure you cover it with a cloth or other protective layer. Additionally, make sure your leather isn’t exposed to high temperatures that could cause it to dry out and crack.
The only thing to do here is to keep your bag away from sun at home.
Use a Hydrating Conditioner
To help protect lambskin leather from damage, use a hydrating conditioner to keep the fibers of the leather soft, supple, and strong. Look for products that are designed specifically for use on lambskin leather to ensure they won’t harm the delicate fibers. Conditioners should be applied regularly and in accordance with the product instructions.
No matter how good the conditioner is, the most important rule is to test on a small piece of leather first (preferably on a spot that is not directly visible).
Here are some of the best products we have tried on our Chanel handbags that we're still happy with.
Apple Conditioning Kit
When it comes to gentle lambskin, conditioning is as important as moisturizing your own skin. You need to moisturize it with the right product to avoid
This Apple set has a polishing cloth, that will help you to minimize the superficial scratches on a purse.
Take Care Seams and Zippers
Despite lambskin being so vulnerable, zippers sometimes might be first to break.
Regularly inspect and care for the seams and zippers on your lambskin leather items. Reinforce them as needed with a light application of hot glue or contact cement to ensure that they remain strong and secure. Be sure to use a product that is designed specifically for repair of leather items, so it won’t damage the leather itself.
How to Deal With Existing Scratches On Lambskin With What You Have At Home
You don't always need expensive products to fix a minor issue on you purse. Here are 2 ways of dealing with the products with what you have at home.
Note that minimizing scratches with unproven ways can be tricky. You should be very careful. Try first on an invisible spot.
Option 1. Use your natural oil
This is not the first option you wanna try on your $6000 bag but hey - let's discuss it first.
Lambskin is leather. Like every leather, it needs an oil that's why it's recommended to always condition your bags to prevent them from drying. You can't make it worse.
- take a cotton bud
- rub it gently against your forehead
- buff the scratch gently against the direction of scratch to smooth the tiniest leather bits back down
- repeat again if necessary
If the scratches are superficial, they will likely disappear.
Option 2. Use your body lotion.
Any brand will do but the cheaper, the better. Why? It doesn't contain a wide array of chemicals we don't need. Nivea thick body cream would be perfect.
- take a half pea of the lotion
- massage it onto the scratch
- repeat if necessary
The scratch or corner fade will become less visible.
How to Minimize Oil Stains On Lambskin
Grabbed a Big Mac in McDonald's and then it dripped through the paper bag onto your expensive lambskin? Use talcum powder to get rid of this stain.
- Put talcum powder on a stain and leave it on for several days
- Repeat the procedure 5-6 times
The stain won't be gone straight away but in 5-6 iterations, it should work. Talcum powder won't hurt your purse in any way so if it doesn't work, you can turn to handbag spa professionals.
How To Treat Color Transfer Stains
The best way to avoid color transfer on your bag is to spray your bag with a protector before you take it out for the first time. It can be Apple guard or Collonil, just be sure that
If you haven't done it and the purse already has color transfer, let's try to save it. Never try this on a gentle lambskin purse. However, if your bag's leather is firm and nice, you can use alcohol-free baby wipes and gently remove the color transfer.
It's very important to never use wipes that contain alcohol because these take away the color easily.
Be gentle! If you can't see the wrong color on your cotton bud, stop the experiment.
Summary
We hope that you learned a few things on how to protect your lambskin bag and minimize its minor scratches. If you have Louis Vuitton handbags you'd like to refresh at home, read our other articles on handbags maintenance:
How to Clean Louis Vuitton Bag Handles
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