Take any number of your handbags to a local cobbler for cleaning, 9 out of 10 of them will say “Haan Madam ho jayega!”. But there was a voice in my head that just couldn’t dump my expensive handbag at a place with a sign which spelt ‘Cobbler’ as ‘Cobblre’. Also, I just happened to notice one of them scrubbing a pair of crocs and a suede slip-on with the same brush!
Granted, I decided to cave in and take my business to a professional, one who will not turn my expensive handbag into a cheap knockoff. Also, If you think that getting your bag cleaned is a luxury and not necessary, think again. Any professional cobbler or cleaner will tell you that leather bags are so easily affected by use. Depending upon use, handbags need to be cleaned at least once in its first year and after that every 3-4 months. So it helps to have a trusted cobbler on hand for such cases.
I took my business to one of the leading service providers Press To Cobbler and spent some time there talking to their expert on what goes into cleaning a leather handbag. If you are a first-timer, your bag will be assessed by the professional on site for the type of leather it is made of, pigmented, two-tone, pull up leather and others. The bag’s interior and exterior is thoroughly checked for stains, scuffs, discolouration and dirt. Depending on the work to be done you will be quoted a price, which ranges from 600/- to 6000/-, and the delivery time, which is usually three days.
Leather handbags are cleaned using a very mild foam/shampoo which does not wrinkle the exterior when dried. If you have any stains on your bag, like ink, they will be removed with a solution and the spot will be recoloured. The cleaners keep an array of 42 different colours which they can match best with your bag!
The interiors are cleaned with a mix of detergent and steam and blow dried with cold air to protect the fabric. While leather handbags are easy to get professionally cleaned, suede poses a challenge to even the best of the experts. Most leather bags already come with a protective layer on but suede ones are a blank canvas. While they do clean suede bags, the results are not always as satisfactory, to remedy this buy dark suede!
Even though they do a great job, you can expect your bag to turn back into looking brand new after getting it cleaned. Despite that fact, I can honestly say that I made a great decision to get my handbag cleaned by a specialist and here are a few reasons why:
1. They treat your things with care since they themselves have to deliver a particular standard of service.
2. All cleaning and repair products are the best in the industry, imported from countries like UK and Netherlands, these products are the best in the industry.
3. Not all handbags are the same. Depending on the exterior some might need extra care and that can only be recognised by a specialist.
4. You will learn a lot about the proper use and care of a genuine leather bag. For instance, my LV bag handle is made of Vachetta Leather which is easily damaged by my hand’s dirt and oil. A few extra tips to avoid that will always be handy!
5. And last, but not the least, I am assured that my passion purchase is going to be in the best hands and while your leather bag can’t forever be young, at least a proper treatment will ensure that it usable at its best.
There are many professional cobblers and accessory spas available for you to treat your handbag. For someone like me who is obsessed with handbags and has terrible OCD about cleanliness, this experience was like my own Disneyland!
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