Caring for your Chanel Handbags

With ever growing prices globally across major luxury brands, keeping your Chanel bag in impeccable condition is a benefit on the secondary market, given that you ever wish to resell. From homespun remedies to expert help, this is how to preserve, properly store and self-clean your Chanel handbag.

Prevention is Key

For maintaining your Chanel bag’s condition, prevention is better than cure. Follow these simple everyday guidelines to make sure your bag doesn’t get blemished in the first place.

  • Keep spillable and sharp objects – nail files, keys, pens – in an extra pouch to protect your Chanel bag’s interior. 
  • Avoid colour transfer. Especially if you have a bright coloured bag, raw denim and dark textiles can leave persistent marks. 
  • Pack a foldable, waterproof grocery bag. If you get surprised by rain showers, use it as an emergency rain cover for your Chanel bag.
  • Never place your Chanel bag on the ground, and avoid bumping it against hard surfaces on the go.
  • Don’t overstuff your bag to keep up its silhouette and shape. 

Tips for Proper Storage 

When you stow away your Chanel bag, it is essential to create the right environment for its delicate leather, skin, or material: 

  • Make sure your closet, storage or shelf is shielded from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. 
  • Carefully stuff your Chanel bag with acid-free tissue paper to support its shape.
  • Avoid imprinting on the leather and store the chain well-padded inside your bag. 
  • Ideally, keep your Chanel bag inside its dust bag and original box or store your Chanel bag upright on a shelf, protected by its dust bag.

Cleaning

Gentling going over your bag with a soft and dry microfiber cloth is an effective, easy and safe way to care for it. More importantly, we do not recommend using water to wipe your bag’s leather. Depending on the water hardness in your region, you might end up with persistent water lines and drying stains.

Instead, we advise you to use a leather conditioner if your Chanel bag’s leather needs at-home pampering.

This is how it works:

  1. Carefully rub the conditioner on your Chanel bag’s leather with a microfiber cloth. 
  2. Let your Chanel bag sit for half an hour as the leather absorbs it. 
  3. Gently remove product residue with a clean and dry microfiber cloth. 

Besides pampering the leather, you can use a dry microfiber cloth to carefully polish-up Chanel hardware.

As every leather, skin, and material demands distinct care measures, we have summed up maintenance tips for classic Chanel leather below.

DO’S: groom with a dry microfiber cloth; nourish with a high-quality leather conditioner once a year; we recommend to hand it in for a bag spa treatment every 1-2 years

DON’TS: keep away from water, acetone, perfume, oils; avoid scratching (especially on lambskin)