Follow the product instructions to the letter
I must warn you never to inhale any stain repellent spray products. Always use a well ventilated area and wear a mask. I have to say after my head and neck cancer experience, I would never now use an anti repellent stain as I believe certain products sometimes contain carcinogens harmful to the body – just my opinion. I am particularly thinking of old cans of stain repellent product you may have tucked away in a cupboard, but which were bought 4 or 5 years ago in UK before new recommendations were introduced. Play safe if in doubt.
Other treatments that people recommend, include using baby wipes on coated canvas, and hairspray on cotton buds to remove stubborn marks.
Saliva is also also a suggested method by museums to clean leather, particularly carved leather in panels in ancient homes. Such carved leather panels may be dirty with age and smoke. So this ’spit’ technique should also work on leather bags.
Saliva is used too by those who sew, to remove a fresh blood stain from a pin prick stain mark that can happen when sewing. But you do need to act quickly so the saliva can in effect digest the blood. So you can see where this idea is coming from – it’s a very old method which may seem distasteful, but which can work when all else proves futile. Always trial any cleaning or repair method on an inconspicuous part of the bag and make sure you do not get bits of lipstick in the mix if you do try the saliva method!
Many bags today have a great deal of hardware. This ironmongery can be an integral part of the design of a bag and if it is looking a little tired it may need a clean. Some people use Silverware cleaner or Brasso wadding for the hardware, but if you do use any of the metal cleaning products be sure you completely cover the leather or other material of your bag with a protective layer of material. By inserting layers of kitchen roll, you can protect any Brasso or silver cleaning fluids going on the bag cloth or leather bag materials.
If you are not sure what I mean, test the idea on an old bag you have no care for. You will see how black marks can be left if you are not super careful. Also watch where you do this cleaning as it’s very easy to also stain a pale kitchen work surface with these products as well as your hands! I suggest laying things on an old towel kept for household jobs. Tiffany silverware cleaner is also used for chains and locks.