Your Purse Is Filthy. Here Are Some Expert-Recommended Ways to Clean It Up. | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Rose Maura Lorre

Rose Maura Lorre is a writer who has reported on turkey fryers, composters, body pillows, and more.

Cleaning a handbag or a purse is harder than it looks. That’s because purses are usually not designed to be cleaned at all.

Today, many higher-end handbags are intricately constructed, involving fabrics mixed with leathers, dyes that can bleed from one part of the bag to another, and glues and base materials that may delaminate if they come into contact with certain solvents. This can create a litany of problems that make purses tricky to clean, even for professionals.

In addition, care labels are only required on “wearing apparel,” which doesn’t include your purse.

“Manufacturers are not bound by the Federal Trade Commission to put a garment care label on them. That’s the awfulness of handbags,” Jerry Pozniak, CEO and co-owner of the luxury dry cleaner Jeeves New York, said in a phone interview. “You’re not going to get any directions from a manufacturer.”

So handbag makers can leave you guessing about the proper way to clean and care for your purse, and they’re not obligated to tell you what it’s made of in the first place.

“These days, when manufacturers are using different synthetic materials and leather coatings, sometimes the only way to figure out what the bag is made of is to dismantle it,” David Mesquita, co-founder of Leather Spa, said in a phone interview.

The experts we spoke with said that stain removal—particularly on sentimental, vintage, and pricier items—is best left to a specialist at a reputable shoe-repair shop, dry cleaner, or leather-care company. Andrea Barnes, our in-house laundry stain expert, agreed, saying, “If you don't know for sure what your bag’s made of, you should take it to a leather cleaner because you can easily ruin something, especially if it’s dyed leather.”

Keeping bags in like-new condition with a little regular maintenance is much easier than restoring a bag that’s been neglected for too long.

However, there are some lower-risk stain treatments you can try at home that may do the trick (or that will at least prevent a stain from fully setting in before you bring your bag to a pro).

Fortunately, there are lots of easy things you can do to keep your bags well maintained and looking their best. And keeping bags in like-new condition with a little regular maintenance is much easier than trying to restore a bag once you’ve neglected it for too long. Read on for our recommendations on how to clean, spot-treat, and condition handbags and purses yourself, as well as what you should be doing in between uses to help your bags last longer.

If you’re at a bar or restaurant and you spill something on your bag, there are steps you can take to minimize stains before they set in—even when you’re dealing with a prized, pricey bag that you’ll definitely want to bring to a professional for a full cleaning.

“I think the biggest problem I see is people not addressing stains right away,” Zach Pozniak, COO and co-owner of Jeeves New York (and, yes, son of the aforementioned Jerry), said in a phone interview. “Stains only oxidize and get worse over time.”

That can be especially true when it comes to porous textiles like leather, Mesquita said. “It’s like if you get ink on your hands. If you wash it off right away, it comes out faster and easier than if you wait until the end of the day,” he explained. “The longer you wait, the more scrubbing is required to get it out—and you can imagine what scrubbing is going to do to leather.”

Use a napkin to gently blot (not rub) the stain immediately. Mesquita even suggested asking a server or bartender for some cornstarch or baking soda to help soak up the stain without discoloring your bag. Press the powder into the stain, let it sit a few minutes, and then brush it off. You can repeat that process until the powder no longer clumps (this means it’s soaked up as much of the stain as possible).

If you want to try removing a stain yourself—no matter what kind of treatment you’re planning to use—you should first try it out on an inconspicuous part of the bag, to ensure it won’t discolor, warp, or otherwise damage the fabric. An interior seam or flap works, or you can even use the bottom of your bag, if it’s made with the same materials as the sides.

“If it’s a genuine leather bag, you want to make sure you’re not pulling color out,” Zach Pozniak said. “If it’s something like canvas, you want to make sure the cleaning solution won’t leave behind a water ring.”

Andrea suggested applying a tiny amount of your cleaning product to a cotton swab, working it into the material, and then gently rubbing a light-colored rag or another cotton swab over it to check for any color transfer. For leather, you may also need to let the material dry, and then buff it to get the full picture of what it will look like afterward. Zach Pozniak prefers to buff leather with microfiber cloths because they’re less abrasive than other types of rags; in our testing, we found the MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloth to be softer than the competition.

Before you bother with specialty treatments, try tackling stains by mixing a cup of warm water with a squirt of dish soap. This is a trick used by a number of professionals for bags made of all kinds of materials (including leather, but not suede).

“Dish soap has the same kind of surfactants as laundry detergent,” Andrea said. “Surfactants emulsify oil, so they’re really good for lifting stains—but since dish soap doesn’t contain enzymes, there’s no risk of eroding the proteins found in leather.”

In our testing, we found that Dawn is superior to other dish soaps for laundry and textile stain removal.

“When we tested dish soaps as stain removers for our stain removal guide, both Dawn’s Original Dishwashing Liquid and Dawn Free & Clear Dishwashing Soap were best at removing oil, grease, and makeup stains,” Andrea said. Jerry Pozniak’s preferred soap is also Dawn’s Original soap. “We find it outperforms everything else at getting out food stains and even minor oil or grease stains on fabrics,” he said.

In fact, Mesquita added that dish soap and water can work just as well as so-called leather shampoos, with less risk of discoloration. “Nine times out of 10, those [shampoo] products are removing some of the original pigment from the leather,” he said.

Apply the diluted dish soap to the bag using a microfiber cloth. (Never pour or spray cleansers directly onto porous materials like leather, Zach Pozniak said.) If you get a water stain or discoloration, you can even it out by cleaning the rest of the bag.

If diluted dish soap doesn’t do the trick, we think our top-pick stain treatment—Amodex Ink & Stain Remover—is a good next step. In our testing, we found that it “handles a wide variety of common stains well [and] made an admirable dent in some of the most stubborn stains we tried it on, including tea, red and white sparkling wine, and turmeric.”

It’s especially effective on ink and permanent marker, and it’s safe to use on leather (but not suede) and some silks. (Again, always do a spot test first.)

A few possible drawbacks: Amodex has been less successful at treating food-based stains in our testing, and it can require a lot of elbow grease to eliminate a stain. “You need to work Amodex through the stain and blot it with a paper towel or washcloth, repeating until the ink is gone,” according to our guide. “Though the process is tedious, it does work.”

If you’ve still got stains that won’t budge, or you’re just nervous about inadvertently damaging your purse’s fabric, we really recommend you consider taking your bag to a pro instead. “I have definitely accidentally ruined leather bags trying to get them clean, so I would just be really nervous,” Andrea said. “I always suggest not doing too much; let a professional handle it.”

The good news about purse linings is that they’re typically made of easier-to-clean fabrics. (One notable exception, Mesquita said, is rayon, which can require professional dry-cleaning solvents to de-stain.) The bad news is that, thanks to things like mascara, lipstick, and leaky pens, linings are usually the most disgusting part of a purse.

“So many bags are a horror show on the inside,” Jerry Pozniak said. “I’ve seen a few over the years where I just can’t believe how bad it looks.”

To best clean a lining, try the following:

First, turn the lining inside out, and wipe off any dust, lint, or crumbs. In many cases, a bag’s lining isn’t sewn into the bottom of the bag, so it can be pulled out and laid flat alongside the bag’s outer shell for easier cleaning.

Next, try brushing or scraping off stains. In our testing, we were pleasantly surprised to see how much stain removal could be achieved just by taking a stiff-bristled brush or the dull side of a knife to a bag’s lining. This trick worked even on old makeup stains. It might not completely remove a stain, but we found it to be a worthwhile first step.

Tamp out stains with micellar water. Jerry Pozniak said that micellar water contains “both a mild organic solvent and surfactants,” so it’s ideal for getting out stains. After squirting it onto the stained area, tamp it with the back of an old toothbrush to push the stain through to the underside of the lining. (Place a clean, dry towel underneath to soak it up.) Don’t scrub with a back-and-forth motion, which “is just going to turn that stain into a giant splotch,” Zach Pozniak said.

We especially like this trick for linings that can’t be turned inside out and taken out of the shell of the bag, because micellar water doesn’t need to be rinsed out the way soapy water does. Even when we weren’t able to squarely place a microfiber cloth underneath a sewn-in lining, we were still able to get out a good amount of stain using micellar water and tamping.

If you still have stains, you can try the dish-soap trick again. Since linings are usually made of durable materials, you can scrub in some Dawn (diluted or not, depending on how bad the stain is) with a soft-bristled brush, like an old toothbrush. “In our testing, Dawn and water worked great even on very old lipstick and foundation stains,” Andrea said.

To prevent stains, get some smaller bags for inside your bag. The easiest way to avoid disastrous stains is to stash pens and makeup in small, non-porous pouches before putting them in your purse. A purse organizer will do the trick while also taming clutter and chaos. Senior staff writer Jackie Reeve likes this Ztujo organizer.

Conditioning leather bags is important because it keeps the leather malleable and supple, so it’s less likely to flake or crack. Conditioning leather also helps minor surface imperfections blend in and become less noticeable.

However, even though you can wipe down and clean your bag as often as needed—to deal with dust, dirt, or stains—Zach Pozniak cautioned that you shouldn’t condition a leather bag too often or it could start to feel tacky. About once a year is usually sufficient, but if the leather starts to look faded or feel dry before that (this is likelier in hotter, drier climates), Mesquita said you may need to condition two or three times a year.

After doing a spot test, use a microfiber towel to apply a dab of conditioner. (Bickmore Bick 4 leather conditioner is a favorite among Wirecutter’s hardcore leatherheads.) Rub it in well, and let it sit until it’s dry. Then lightly buff the leather with a new, clean microfiber towel, which should give the leather a smooth, lustrous look and feel.

We’re all guilty of flinging our purses onto the nearest chair or table the second we walk through the front door. However, if your bag is a pricey investment that you want to protect—or you just love it and want it to last as long as possible—taking an extra moment to put it away properly will pay off in the long run.

Once a bag loses its shape, it’s challenging-bordering-on-impossible to fully restore it (especially if it’s leather or suede). So when you’re not using your bag, you should stuff it, to help it maintain its structural integrity. You can stuff it with packing paper, tissue paper, old T-shirts or towels, or any other cheap, malleable materials you have on hand. If possible, place the bag on a shelf, instead of hanging it from a hook (but if you need to do the latter, at least take out any weighty items, so it doesn’t get stretched out).

Bags made of porous materials should be stored in a cool, dry place to prevent mold, and they shouldn’t be left touching other bags because there’s a chance that color will leach from one bag to another. One way to avoid this is to keep purses in dust bags, which are sold rather inexpensively on Amazon (though any drawstring bag made of breathable material will work). Jerry Pozniak cautioned that if you come in from the rain, before you store your purse in a dust bag, you should first leave it out in the open, so it can fully air-dry (stuffing your bag with crumpled newspaper can also absorb moisture and help it keep its shape while drying).

This article was edited by Alex Aciman and Sofia Sokolove.

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Rose Maura Lorre

Rose Maura Lorre is a senior staff writer. Her byline has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Salon, Business Insider, HGTV Magazine, and many more. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, and lots and lots of houseplants.