Faux leather, also known as vegan leather, is produced synthetically using PU (polyurethane). Undeniably, it’s a great option for those who’ve taken a stand against animal cruelty. Bags and shoes made out of faux leather are often cheaper than their real counterparts and require intensive care.

Unlike real leather, synthetic leather doesn't form a patina over time. Instead, the surface starts drying up and cracking after a few months of purchase. Also, synthetic leather is sensitive to staining and hence requires regular cleaning. To take care of faux leather, you must clean and condition it in a specific way. How you clean your vegan leather determines its durability.

This guide will give you tips on how to clean vegan leather bags and shoes so that they remain as good as new for a very long time.

CLEANING

The overall procedure for vegan leather bag cleaning is pretty standard, i.e. you have to clean your bag with a mild laundry detergent or soap which are excellent leather cleaners. Avoid using harsh detergents as faux leather cleaners. Harsh detergents speed up the drying process and thereby work against the faux leather cleaning process. Use a non-abrasive material like microfibre to apply the soap mixture on your bag.

A couple of bags have significant metal-plated fasteners or chains. Speak to a vegan leather expert or search the internet for care recommendations. Every other day, give your bag a delicate sweep with a dry cloth—this won't take more than a few minutes anyway but will protect your vegan leather.

The most important thing to remember is never to wash your synthetic leather bag in a washing machine. Machine wash can harm your faux leather during the agitated cleaning cycle. Moreover, the machine's dryer can crack up the surface of your faux leather bag.

CONDITIONING

Vegan leather tends to dry out after some time, but a conditioner as a moisturiser for it. To prevent chipping and wrinkling, rub a little conditioner softly all over the bag. Use mink or neatsfoot oil, which impersonates and supplements the typical oils of vegan leather. Leave it on for 10 minutes and in the meantime, tidy the build-up. Then dry it out. Conditioning your vegan handbag every month or so will help the bag stay as fresh as ever.

STAINING

No matter how thorough your leather bag cleaning routine may be or how much you care for your vegan leather items, you can’t protect it from mishaps like water harm or stains. There are, in any case, a few safety measures that you can take to remove stains. These are the best ideas you can use to clean faux leather.

• Oil: To remove stains, we generally apply hand cream, little knowing that it could be leaving stains on the handles of your bag. What can we do about this? Experts propose rubbing the spot with cornstarch and let it be for 2 minutes and then rub the stain slowly and softly. This is the best way to get rid of nasty oil stains.
• Ink: Pen marks aren't easy to get rid of. Try not to eliminate the stains yourself as it will often worsen it. Take your vegan leather to a specialist or refer to the internet, and they may have a possible solution to remove it. Regular conditioning can lighten the pen marks.
• Water: Usually water spills fade away but if they don't, buff out any lingering spots with conditioner.
• Other stains: Common stains from food or blood can often be ousted with chalk powder. Crush white chalk, let it sit on the stain for now, and dust it off after 10 minutes.

All stains have unmistakable synthetic organisations, which is why they require different treatment techniques. Standard conditioning provides unbelievable support against the absorption of colour or oil. If these home fixes don't work, take your bag and items to a vegan leather care professional for capable treatment. And avoid cleaning vegan leather with alcohol, turpentine, or other mineral spirits as they will stain and dry out vegan leather.

When it comes to faux leather care, cleaning is paramount. Without the implementation of suitable clean procedures, your vegan leather will wear & tear and start looking dull. However, if you do follow the tips that this article has shared on how to clean vegan leather, your faux leather will maintain its durability for a very long time.