Finally, you have got your Louis Vuitton dream bag! Now you want to take good care of the leather to keep it in a pristine condition for as long as possible. How do you safely clean a Louis Vuitton bag at home?

In this article, we'll review the following questions:

• How to Clean Louis Vuitton Canvas
• How to Clean Louis Vuitton vachetta: recommended products, how to remove water stains and clean hardware
• How to Clean Louis Vuitton Vernis
• How to Clean Louis Vuitton VernisEpi
• How to Clean Louis Vuitton Empreinte
• How to Clean Louis Vuitton Exotic leather
• How to Safely Wash and Dry a Louis Vuitton bag
• How to Remove Sticky Residue from the inside of a vintage Louis Vuitton bag

As Louis Vuitton bags are made from different materials, each bag needs its own cleaning methods and products. Here are the main tips on how to safely clean your Louis Vuitton purse at home without damaging its delicate leather.

For this article, in addition to our own designer handbag spa experience, we asked several leather experts for advice. Scroll down to discover the products recommended by the leather care professionals.

NOTE: Our website uses affiliate links. That means that if you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. That does not incur any additional costs for you as a buyer.

How Do You Clean and Condition Louis Vuitton Canvas?

The symbol of Louis Vuitton, iconic Monogram Canvas, is supple and sturdy that is perfect for modern lifestyles.

Is Louis Vuitton canvas made of leather? It's important to mention that Louis Vuitton canvas is not leather. It's a PVC coating. The same goes for Damier Azur, Damier Ebene, Damier Graphite, Multicolor, Monogram Eclipse canvas. Thus, it doesn't make sense to apply chemicals created for soft leather treatment.

Here are some tips for cleaning Louis Vuitton canvas:

• Coated canvas can easily be cleaned with baby wipes, micellar water or with slightly soapy water.
• You can use a toothbrush or another soft brush and micellar water/soft soap to remove dirt from the uneven surface of the canvas but be careful particularly with Damier Azur and Damier Ebene bags because the entire print can be erased very easy.
• Home remedies such as perfume, leather lotions, cleaners, or chemicals, should not be used on any canvas products.
• Contact with highly pigmented materials increases the risk of color transfer onto the canvas and should be avoided. Light-colored canvas such as Damier Azur is the most susceptible to such wear.

Despite a popular misconception, Louis Vuitton canvas doesn't need conditioning. It's not natural leather but PVC so basically there's no good way to condition it.

Recommended Products for Cleaning Louis Vuitton Canvas

1. Micellar Water

That's an unexpected one. Even though it wasn't directly created for leather goods, it's designer to help our skin, the most gentle leather. It helps to dissolve dust, oil and grease. Apply micellar water with a tooth brush and wipe up with a cotton pad or a fabric cloth. Be gentle, especially when it comes to Damier Azur Canvas, as you may rub off some part of the print.

2. Baby Wipes

Baby wipes are by far the most popular way to clean your canvas. Make sure you purchase the no-alcohol ones to prevent damaging the canvas.

How Do You Clean Louis Vuitton Vachetta Leather?

This natural cowhide leather (Vachetta) is deeply rooted in the History of Louis Vuitton. A feature of this leather is the presence of natural imperfections, such as veins or wrinkles due to its lack of a superficial coat.

• If you have a new purse with some vachetta on it, spray it with Apple Garde or another product that has Nano in its name. The vachetta will darken for a few minutes but it'll dry out then.
• The cowhide leather is very delicate. If the leather becomes stained before patina, do not try to clean it. Allow the leather to naturally darken and stains will become less apparent.
• When this leather encounters water, blot immediately with a lint-free light-colored, absorbent cloth. 
• Cleaning with any chemicals is not recommended.
• I think all of us have heard about a Magic Eraser though it is not the best cleaning agent for your LV handbag because it can’t remove all the stains on it. You can find a Magic Eraser here and try by yourself.

Things you never do with Louis Vuitton vachetta:

Do not clean vachetta with soap even if it's gotten very dark. Soap will remove natural oil stored in the leather itself. After that, the leather will become dry and may crack. It won't feel that smooth anymore.

Recommended Products for Cleaning Vachetta

1. School Eraser

We bet you didn't see this coming. However, a simple school eraser can help you remove grey marks from Louis Vuitton. These marks appear on spots where the hardware touches vachetta on such handbags as Tivoli or Retiro. The only advice is try to lean with a white eraser, just in case.

2. Melamine sponge

Make sure you're purchasing high-quality thick melamine as there are a lot of substandard products. For instance, these sponges are very nice in terms of quality.

You may use melamine together with a leather cleaning lotion. Apply the pea-sized amount of lotion to the sponge, then press the sponge against the handle and rub. That will take away the grease and may also lighten the handle.

3. Collonil 1909 Leather Lotion

This gentle leather lotion will take away some superficial dirt from the vachetta handles and corners. Be aware though that it won't lighten the handles.

Don't damp the leather with the lotion. Apply a pea-sized amount of the lotion onto a cotton pad. Then gently apply it to a vachetta handle, taking the dirt away.

How Do You Clean a Louis Vuitton Vernis Leather Bag

Vernis is a coated vivacious ultra-feminine leather, similar to patent leather, that is embossed with the iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram print.

Here are some tips for cleaning Louis Vuitton Vernis leather:

• The Vernis leather should be kept away from any materials that may transfer color pigments onto the leather, such as magazines, denim, or others.
• Exposure to sunlight should be avoided, as color may fade. Light colors may also patina in time, developing a yellow hue.

Best Product for Cleaning Patent Leather

Here are some products that have worked with us and we can recommend them from the bottom of our hearts.

Collonil Bamboo Lotion

This is a lotion that gently removed dirt from the shiny vernis leather. It's actually pretty universal and you can use it on any smooth leather. After cleansing, remove all you might want to use a cleaning cloth with vernis. Get it on Amazon now.

How to Clean a Louis Vuitton Epi Leather Bag

Despite its rigidity, Epi bags have a natural stretch, which combined with structured quality, make for an interesting silhouette. Epi bags are very popular because they need very little care and they can look new for a lot of years.

• To maintain your Epi leather bag, you just need to wipe down the Epi with a damp cloth 1-2 times each month.
• You should store your bag correctly to avoid losing its shape. In the end of the article, I will mention the tips for proper storage.

Best Product for Cleaning Epi Leather Bags

Here are some products that work for Epi leather handbags.

Luxury Purse Restorer + Polish

This Luxury Purse Cleaner/Restorer works for almost any type of leather. This premium leather cleaner will gently take away the dirt and superficial stains. If you want to make your Epi bag shine, that's what will do a makeover.

How to Clean a Louis Vuitton Empreinte Bag

Empreinte is a luxurious leather from Louis Vuitton. It's is made from supple embossed calfskin, bringing elegance and functionality to your life.

Here are some tips on how to clean Louis Vuitton Empreinte leather:

• Empreinte leather doesn't really need care as such, just avoid placing it on abrasive surfaces.
• Keep your handbag in a closet or such away from direct sunlight from windows/glass doors.

The only downside with Empreinte leather bag is if you wear it crossbody, the embossing will flatten out over time and the LV will become very dull and flat.

How to Clean Louis Vuitton Exotic Leathers Bags

These luxury exotic leathers are very delicate but a beautiful design makes it a top choice amongst fashionistas craving an exotic look for their accessory.

• For keeping bags in a good condition, you need to avoid all contact with water or any other liquids. When your bag encounters water, immediately and gently blot the wet area with a light-colored, absorbent, lint-free cloth.
• Exposure to sunlight should be avoided as color may fade.
• Those bags that include any metallic leathers, beading, feathers, sequins or printing, require special care and should only be cleaned with a soft, light-colored, lint-free cloth.

How to Clean Printed Louis Vuitton Leather Bags

Printed leather bags should be kept away from any materials that may transfer color pigments onto the leather. We advise you to buy a black color bag, so you will not have a color transfer.

The most common signs of wearing are the frayed corners of the bag but this can be removed using the paint we are talking about in our video.

How To Clean Louis Vuitton Hardware Brass

Through the years, Louis Vuitton used a variety of materials for their brass. However, most of them can be easily cleaned by the Wenol brass cleaning paste.

This magic paste will make all hardware shine. If the hardware missed its superficial layer, then it'll make the color even, without further damaging the brass.

You can purchase the paste here on Amazon.

How to Remove Stains from Vachetta Leather

One of the best products tested by our team is Collonil 1909 Leather lotion. To remove water stains, try the following steps:

1. Take a cotton pad and squeeze pea-sized amount of lotion. 

2. Distribute it evenly across the cotton pad, the cotton pad should be barely wet.

3. Apply the cotton pad to vachetta on a spot that is not visible. It should be very superficial, without pressing the cotton pad into the leather to avoid damping it too much.

4. If it works well on you bag, repeat the procedure on a water stain.

Did it work well for you? Let us know in the comments!

How to Remove Sticky Residue from Louis Vuitton bag inside

With some vintage Louis Vuitton bags the inside will be peeling. Not only the purse looks bad with these insides, the lining is also not suitable for use as it's sticky.

Is it possible to remove this sticky peeling? Yes! And it's not as hard as you think. All you need is some alcohol. Put the gloves on, apply it with a sponge, slowly taking away the sticky coating.

It might take a while before you completely remove it, however, the result is worth it. Under the sticky top coat, there's a nice fabric lining.   

How to Clean a Louis Vuitton Speedy Bag

• To remove patina on your LV Speedy bag will help a saddle soap
• Baby wipes or a damp cloth will clean stains
• A hairspray will get rid of inks
• And a cleaning agent like Brasso or Wenol will restore the metal hardware.

How to Clean a Louis Vuitton Neverfull Bag

As a LV Neverfull bag is made from а supple Monogram canvas with natural cowhide trim, you should follow the tips of cleaning a Louis Vuitton Canvas leather. They are mentioned in detail at the top of the article.

How Safely Wash and Dry a Louis Vuitton Bag

• If accidentally your Louis Vuitton bag gets wet with water, carefully clean it well with a towel and then do the hair dryer for a few minutes on low heat inside the bag. Do not put on a radiator. Put a clean white washcloth or some paper towels inside to keep its shape. After some days it will look awesome as before!
• But if the liquid is juice or milk, wet down the whole thing entirely so it would patina evenly and then do the same steps to dry it as in the previous situation.
• How you SHOULD NOT do with your Louis Vuitton bag is to put it in a washing machine. Most likely something would come off the bag. Authentic LV bags are made by hand and are more delicate. Don’t risk!

How to Protect and Care for a New Louis Vuitton Bag

Buying a new Louis Vuitton bag we all want to the leather of the bag does not darken quickly and doesn’t have watermarks on it.

• For better protection your new LV use an Waterproof Protector spray. Apply it and then dry off the bag with a dry cloth. Even though the handbag will not be completely water resistant but the leather will be less absorbed.

How to Clean an Old Louis Vuitton Bag

• If the leather of your bag is very dark, I recommend you to use a saddle soap. Wet and put the saddle soap on your hands and wipe the dark places but be careful because the soap dries the leather of the bag. After the usage you should put a Mink Oil to make the leather moistened.

• Notice that once the leather of your LV is dark you will not be able to lighten it anymore.

How Much Does It Cost to Repair a Louis Vuitton Bag

If you can't clean the bag the way you want, you can always come to the store and replace the most used parts of the bag.

Here are the prices of an official Louis Vuitton repair service. Let’s see how much does it cost to have a Louis Vuitton bag repaired.

• Handle Replacements   $150 per strap
• Small Straps   $150 per handle
• Large Straps   $250 per strap
• Zip Replacements   $180+
• Hardware Replacements   $50+
• Piping Replacements   $250+
• Pocket Replacements   $200+
• Lining Replacements   $350+

How to Store a Louis Vuitton Bag Safely

 If you want the bag to have an attractive appearance without cracks and breaks, it is useful for you to know how to store your handbag safely.

• Always store your Louis Vuitton in their original cloth bags or in a pillow case. Don’t put it in plastic bags because polythene bags can be imprinted on your LV (particularly on Epi leather and Canvas leather bags).
• To help retain the shape of the handbag stuff it with soft materials such as crushed stuffing papers.
• Air your bag once every six months, even if you don’t use it very often.
• You shouldn’t keep a LV bag in humid places because humidity will speed up the patina process as well.

We have tried all of these tips on LV bags and the result is really amazing! We hope this article would be useful for you too!

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