How to remove mold from your leather bag

A thing that might have happened to most people is to not have been using their leather bag for a while, leaving it in a damp and dark corner. The result? The leather bag gets moldy, litterally. Some little moldy spot appears on it’s surface - but they won’t come off! Before we get into how to prevent these problems let’s see how we can intervene and restore the bag to look as new.

How to remove mold from your leather bag

In most cases removing the mold from a leather bag is really simple and achievable with common household products. Especially if the bag is from high quality leather, t will get as new in few hours. Let’s see how to do it.

You will need a cotton cloth or microfibre (but a cotton wad would be fine too) and clear vinegar. If you don’t have any vinegar, you can use disinfectant, some detergent makeup remover or even some lemon juice.

First of all empty your bag and softly brush it with a cloth or a brush.

Then get your household product (vinegar, lemon juice, makeup remover or disinfectant) and mix it with some water. Damp the cloth in the mixture and softly swipe upon the moldy area. Do not overdo with water, the cloth should be just damp. Excessive use of water could damage the bag.

Once you completed this procedure, dry your bag and let it dry in the open until all water signs have disappeared. The sun will kill the mold. In fact molds are just a type of mushroom that thrives in dark and wet conditions, and will die in the sunlight.

At this point if the mold has disappeared, you can take care of your bag with a nourishing skin product that should make it as new. If the leather restores the natural shine it had when you first bought it, that means that yours is a high quality bag.

If the mold is in the inside, turn it inside out, and apply the same treatment.

How to eliminate moldy smell from your leather bag

The moldy smell should be gone, but if you still smell it spray some deodorant inside your bag and again let it bathe in sunlight. during the most dry and not so hot hours of the day. Do not leave your bag outside during the night, Humidity will worse the situation.

And remember: before beginning any treatment, read the instructions on the label, or ask directly the crafting company.. Do not put it in the washing machine: it could damage the bag more than mold. If you have still any doubt or if the smell persists, bring your bag to a dry cleaning shop.

How to prevent mold from attaching on to your leather bag

To avoid this unpleasant problem you should prevent it, by learning how to to correctly take care of your leather bag with a periodic maintenance. It’s of the utmost importance to know how correctly store your leather bags to avoid mold and humidity.

To avoid bad smell do not leave your bag too long inside a tight space. Once in a while, approximately two times a year, open the closet and let the air come inside it and let the leather soak a little sunlight, It’s important to brush the bag and cure the leather with a specific clueanser.

For other advices on how to maintain your leather bag you can read our guide How to clean a leather bag.