Cleaning a canvas bag is easier than cleaning leather, and that is exactly why people ruin them. Canvas tolerates water, so the temptation is to throw it in the washing machine. That is the one thing that shrinks the weave, warps the leather trim and pulls the shape out of a bag that was fine. […]
Suede forgives almost nothing, and that is the whole problem. The surface you are looking at is not the outside of the hide but the inside, sanded to raise a fine nap. Clean it the way you would clean smooth leather and you will flatten that nap permanently. Clean it the right way and a […]
Cleaning a leather bag is mostly a question of restraint. Most bags that arrive at a repair shop were not damaged by dirt but by the person trying to remove it: too much water, the wrong soap, a hair dryer. Here is the sequence that works on smooth leather, what to keep out of the […]