How to Safely Clean Louis Vuitton Bags

Scoring a deal on a pre-owned Louis Vuitton is a great feeling, but sometimes the affordable price tag comes with a little wear and tear. However, with a little TLC a gently used LV bag can be cleaned, and a diamond in the rough can become an everyday favorite. We asked for some advice from our in-house cleaning specialist Danielle Javete, and she gave us some great tips for safely (and affordably) rehabbing an LV Monogram Canvas piece.  

The Best Way to Clean Monogram Canvas

  Danielle told us that Monogram Canvas is dark-hued and porous, so it often holds onto dirt and residue without you knowing. She uses baby wipes (pictured above) to give our pieces a good cleaning. We use a fragrance-free and alcohol-free brand that won’t dry out the coated canvas. Monogram Canvas sometimes gets white or light-colored scuff marks, especially if it wasn’t properly stored. If there are any spots we remove them using bit of leather cleaner dabbed onto a baby wipe (Apple is our favorite brand).    

 

How to Polish Tarnished Brass and Brass-Tone Hardware

Louis Vuitton uses a combination of brass and gold-tone metal hardware. Padlocks and zipper teeth are typically made of brass, but zipper pulls and handle rings are made of plated metal. Sometimes the Vachetta leather darkens where it comes in contact with hardware, so we use a dry Magic Eraser (pictured above) to gently buff out the discoloration. Since we do not perform full restorations on our pieces, we typically only use baby wipes to remove dirt and debris from bag hardware. If you opt to do a full restoration with a metal polish like Brasso, be careful when polishing hardware that is set next to or on Vachetta leather, as the liquid metal polish can leave stains.  

 

Some Tricks for Cleaning Vachetta Leather Handles and Trim

  Vachetta is an untreated calf leather that darkens over time. Honey-colored patina (pictured above) is probably the most popular hue, especially because it is a sign of an authentic bag. Older bag handles can develop a darker patina from continual contact with skin oils. There are different ways to clean Vachetta… at our store we give our handles a once-over with a baby wipe to preserve the original patina. If you opt to go further and remove the patina from leather handles or trim, there are some easily searched online videos and step-by-step tutorials that show the process. One thing that Danielle emphasizes is not to get nervous if the handles darken after being wiped. The handles will lighten up again as they dry.    

Let us know if you have ever attempted to clean or restore a pre-owned Louis piece, and how it turned out!