LEATHER & BAG CARE

Here's some information about how best to care for your leather items.

Leather care: With great leather comes great responsibility

It might well seem like a faff to do, but if you do follow the advice below, you're more likely to have your St Leonards purchase looking perfect for years rather than months.

As soon as you get your bag, spray it all over with a leather shoe protector spray.This acts as both a water and stain repellent which is essential with our inclement weather and food fights can break out without warning so it's best to be prepared.

It's very important to restore your leather bag's moisture levels every 3 months. Just like your own skin, your high quality leather needs protecting from the wind, rain, sunlight and all sorts of spills. The 250ml sized bottle should last you at least a year. This cream can also be applied to leather clothing, furniture and as well as leather automotive interiors.

St Leonards recommends using Furniture Clinic's protection cream  and you can buy a 25ml pot which is sells online. This will do 1 -2 applications depending on the size of bag you have. To Buy, click on the image:

Recommended treatment:

1   Apply BEFORE first use.

2   Apply a generous amount using a soft cloth with a light circular motion.

3   Allow to dry naturally.

4   Use a shoe leather protector spray every few weeks to top up the water repellency, and then reapply the protection cream every 3 months or so.

5    Step back and admire your protective handiwork.

Everything but the kitchen sink

Of course you want to carry lots of posessions around with you. Naturally, you're a magpie and clutter seems to accumulate within your bag. You just never know when you might need all that stuff. But did you know that the daily over filling of your bag can damage your health as well as your bag?

If you weigh your body down with a heavy bag each day, and tend to wear your bag on the same shoulder or carry it in the same hand, you could end up with anything from minor neck ache to major back and hip problems. When you carry heavy bags on your shoulder your whole body can get misaligned causing your shoulder to dip, and sometimes the hip and pelvis to drop which can have a knock-on effect on your posture and can create pains in your leg and knee joints.

Try to adjust the amount you carry each day. Leave items at work where possible or at least adjust the way you carry your bag to vary the load.

Try using a separate tote along with your normal bag to even out the loads.

Now back to the bag itself. Heavy loads affect your leather too. Give your seams and straps a break by lightening up the load. Putting unnecessary strains on your leather can cause it to sag, distort and even tear depending on its' thickness.

If you do get a mark on your bag that is food or water based then try to wipe the excess off immediately.If you have already protected it with leather spray and cream it should not soak in deeply and can often be removed by using a facial make-up removing wipe - it's very gentle and doesn't normally remove the dye colour.

 If the stain is ink then try using the specialist Leather Ink Remover made by Furniture Clinic. It's very effective, but please remember it will leave a lighter patch than the rest of the bag, as the rest of it will have become dirty and darkened over time.

Just like shoes, it's good to give your bags a rest - swapping them from time to time will prolong their life immeasurably - and who knows? you might even be able to turn your St Leonards bag into an heirloom piece.