How to Clean Vintage Leather Luggage

Vintage leather luggage is a wonderful thing. Not only is it practical, but it looks the part too, adding a historic and traditional feel to your travel, no matter where you’re going. It’s important to keep vintage leather in good condition, however, so knowing how to clean it (clean it properly, that is) is crucial. In this blog, we’ve put together a simple step-by-step guide on how to clean your vintage leather suitcase or other leather luggage items!

Note Before Beginning: Wash by Hand

The first thing to note is that it’s always preferable to clean old leather luggage by hand, as it goes easier on the material and is less likely to damage it.

1. Get a Basin of Warm, Soapy Water

Fill up a basin with warm water, and mix in some gentle cleaning product; a baby soap or non-irritable detergent works well. Alternatively, you can purchase a purpose-formulated leather cleaner, though these tend to be a bit on the expensive side for what they are, especially when the first option works just as well in our eyes.

2. Lather the Area to be Cleaned

Apply your soapy mixture to the patch of leather you wish to clean, gently wiping at it. Be careful not to scrub too vigorously as this can cause damage, particularly to items on the older end of the vintage leather spectrum. Once you’ve tackled that patch, wipe away any excess lather.

3. Rinse the Leather With a Damp Cloth

The next step in how to clean your vintage hard shell suitcase is to wipe down the cleaned area with a damp cloth, before then patting it down with a new, dry cloth so as to remove moisture and dry the treated patch of leather. And there you have it! It’s as simple as that! People often post the question “how to restore an old leather suitcase?” but, in reality, often it’s not restoring that’s needed at all, it’s actually just a bit of a clean!

Final Thoughts…

Vintage leather never goes out of vogue; it offers a timeless chic that’s hard to beat. But if you don’t look after and occasionally clean your vintage leather storage boxes or rolling leather, it might end up deteriorating a lot quicker than you’d like.

Enclosed with all of our old vintage luggage you will find a clear protective cover for your luggage. Please use the protective cover when you need to check-in or think you might be on rougher terrain. Simply slip the cover over your case and whisk it off again when you want to attract the attention of passersby and fellow travel companions.

If you’d like to find out more about Cotrunkage, then we’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email using our contact form hey@cotrunkage.com!