Bag Care / Cleaning According to Chanel
There is a lot of information online about how to take care of your Chanel bag. With so much advice floating around, it can get really confusing. Today, we're sharing with you what Chanel says in their care pamphlet.
As so many Chanel out there is vintage, it may be difficult to come across one with its care booklet. For this reason, we'll let you know what it says inside about how to care for your Chanel bag.
Always put it away upright, in the original felt case. Pad it with tissue paper to keep the shape. Make sure that the chains are not in contact with the outside, as they might mark the leather. The simplest thing is to put them inside the handbag, in the tissue paper.
Do not over-fill your handbag, as this might spoil the shape irreparably, and strain the chain-fastners, zips and clasps.
The metal parts of your handbag are gilded with an alloy containing 24-carat gold, which is sometimes sensitive to sea air and the acidity of the skin, and may eventually wear off. Clasps, chains and other metal parts can be re-gilded. Ask your CHANEL boutique for an estimate.
The tanning methods used by CHANEL keep the leather soft so that the surface remains alive and permeable. Avoid contact with water, grease, perfume and makeup.
Do not clean with products intended for other purposes, such as polish, turpentine, oil, spot removers, spirit or solvents.
Light-coloured handbags, particularly white and beige, are very vulnerable to dust and marks. Bad stains are practically impossible to remove.
White handbags are extremely sensitive to light, and the leather will turn yellow if it is exposed for too long to spotlights, flourescent lamps, etc.
You can polish the leather gently with a natural-coloured soft woollen cloth. Do not rub with rough or abrasive materials.
If your handbag gets wet, do not wipe it but absorb the water by patting gently with a fine woollen cloth.
Greasy marks can be removed with unscented talcum. Sprinkle on the mark, leave overnight and brush off gently with a perfectly clean makeup brush.
Minor scratches can be rubbed off with a clean, dry finger. Press gently, with a circular movement. The finger should be free of any grease or moisture.
Do not attempt to repair more serious damage yourself. Consult a CHANEL boutique or a good leatherCHANEL bags are mostly made of leather; however, a large number of other materials are available, the most common being jersey and fabrics.
For an extended life, the same care should be taken of these natural (wool, cotton, silk, etc) or synthetic (polyester, polyamide, etc) textiles as that already described for leather items.
It is also recommended that their maintenance be entrusted to a specialist.There is a particular point relating to light-coloured vinyl and patent leather bags: avoid prolonged contact with other dark-coloured materials. Over time, a phenomenon known as "migration" can occur, in which the dark pigments irreversibly colour the light vinyl or patent leather.
This all sounds really serious, but in my experience with Chanel, the bags are quite easy to care for.