Even if you are the most careful handbag collector in the free world who painstakingly checks-over each and every item you put in your precious bag before leaving the house…well, it can happen to you too. Just about everyone has experienced the heartbreak of having something open-up inside your favorite designer bag, sullying the inner cloth lining.
You may have even been lucky enough to have gotten away with it; the exterior of the bag still looks pristine! However, just because everyone else can’t see that oily lip gloss stain all over the inside pocket of your bag doesn’t mean it’s not really bugging you.
Before you wring your hands in despair, we’ve scoured the net on your behalf (okay, maybe we really need to clean our bags too) and come up with a few tricks that you can use to clean the inner lining of your favorite handbag.
1. If you are able, turn the lining of the bag inside-out. This will enable you to really focus on any areas of particular worry.
2. Turn the bag over and expel any remaining dust and debris that may be hanging-on to the inside of the bag.
3. Vacuum the lining of the bag gently to remove all dirt and debris.
4. Choose an appropriate cleaning agent to attack your particular brand of problem.
- Oily stains (cosmetics like lip gloss) are best removed with a product that is meant to cut grease like dish-washing liquid.
- For mildly soiled bags, a gentle cleaner suitable for delicate bags works well.
- For more difficult stains like ink or marker, there are many specialty products on the market, although hairspray has been reported to work well for many types of ink. However, if your stain is in a difficult to reach area, it’s best to consult a professional. Sometimes stain removal can be more damaging than the stain itself.
5. Whatever you decide to do, always test any cleaning product on a small area in a non-visible part of the bag.
