How To Remove Mold From Your Leather Bag (Quick Steps)

Most women (and some men) have at least three leather bags in there wardrobe. This is usually because leather lasts a long time if you take good care of it!

Here Is Some Easy Fixes To Remove Mold From Leather:

If you have noticed mold or mildew on any of your leather bags or purses, there are some really easy quick fixes.

Removing it with a damp cloth is a great start, and then the next step is to disinfect the leather. A great way to do this is with vinegar and water.

This is the short answer. In this article we are going to talk about why leather goes moldy, how you can easily fix it to look like new, and then how to prevent it from happening again.

Let’s get to it!

How To Remove Mold From Your Leather Bag?

When removing mold from a leather bag, you want to be sure that you clean all of it to catch all the spores and stop mold from spreading.

First, empty all of your belongings out of the bag to keep them safe, then lay the leather bag down on a flat surface space.

Start by wiping over it with a damp cloth to remove as much of the mold as you can initially, since sometimes the residue will appear dusty or powdery.

Then, to disinfect the leather and kill the mold, you can make a remedy with everyday household products.

You can use a mixture of vinegar and water, or rubbing alcohol, or lemon juice, or even makeup remover. You don’t need a lot to remove mold from your leather bag, just enough to soak a cotton ball in.

Rub the cotton ball across the material, even on parts of the bag that don’t look moldy. You’ll be able to see the white mold coming off as you clean the bag, so keep gently wiping it down until all the mold is gone.

After that, dry the bag with a clean cloth so that no residual moisture is left on the leather, because a moist, damp environment is the perfect place for more mold to grow.

Can Mold Be Removed From Leather?

It is absolutely possible to remove mold from leather, even if it has spread across quite a bit of the fabric.

But it is always best to get rid of mold as soon as you notice the first patch because it will spread quickly otherwise, especially if you are keeping the bag in a dark, damp environment.

Catching it sooner saves you work and lowers the risk of the mold spreading inside the bag and damaging it or any of your belongings.

Following the process of wiping down, then disinfecting, and then drying, you’ll be able to properly treat the leather, get rid of the mold, and prevent more from growing back.

After that, keep your bag in a different place and always ensure that you dry and air it out if it ever gets wet, even just a little bit. Mold can be removed, but you don’t want to deal with a reoccurring mold problem.

Why Is My Leather Bag Moldy?

There are two main conditions in which leather becomes moldy: damp and dark.

Mold spores grow on leather when the item, in this case a leather bag, is kept in too humid an environment, which causes excessive moisture or damp.

Leather should ideally be kept at a temperature between 40% and 60% because anything exceeding 70% indicates poor air circulation and is a perfect breeding ground for fungi and bacteria.

Another of the easiest ways for a leather bag to become moldy is if it doesn’t get enough light.

Of course, too much sunlight has the potential to cause the leather to lighten in color, but leaving a leather bag in a dark space actually facilitates the perfect environment for mold to grow.

A lack of light means that the bag is more likely to become moist, allowing bacteria to grow on the fabric.

Mold will cause a musty, unpleasant smell, so you should start to notice it before any white patches appear on the material of your bag.

This is a sign that you are storing your bag incorrectly and that you need to move it to drier, brighter conditions. Doing that will greatly reduce the risk of your leather bag becoming moldy.

How Do You Remove Black Mold From A Leather Bag?

Black mold is, as the name implies, darker than the typical mold that you’ll find growing on your belongings.

Black mold is considered to be more dangerous than other types of mold because of the potential health hazards associated with it, so it’s important to remove it from a leather back quickly and effectively.

Luckily, the removal process for black mold is much the same as for regular mold, but you may need to get a bit tougher with cleaning the black mold off.

A solution of equal parts water and rubbing alcohol is probably the best disinfectant that you can use on black mold.

If a cotton ball is not sufficient to scrub the mold patches away, you can use a cloth, which will allow you to add more pressure to a wider surface area.

You can also use a brush with soft bristles to dust over your leather bag to really catch any dust or dirt because you want to avoid black mold as much as possible.

How Do You Get Mold Out Of A Purse?

Purses are smaller than other typical leather bags and they are also more likely to have tight, difficult corners that you can easily miss while cleaning them out.

This facilitates the growth of mold, which can then spread across whole sections of your purse. That is why regularly cleaning over the inside and outside of your purses is so important.

You should also try to air your purses out.

You don’t have to do it super often, but emptying out the contents of a purse and then letting the entire item get some fresh air will allow the material to breathe and also prevent any bad smells from building up and getting trapped.

But if mold has already appeared, you’ll need to go about disinfecting the purse before it gets ruined.

You can start by brushing over the tighter corners of the purse with an old toothbrush because the bristles will scrub away any dirt or residue that is still on the surface of the fabric.

After that, soak a cotton ball or a soft cloth with diluted vinegar, or another similar solution of your choice, and wipe down the purse.

You should try to patch test the solution first on a discreet part of the purse just to make sure that it won’t harm the material.

Diluted vinegar is one of the best remedies recommended for removing mold from any leather item, but you don’t want to risk ruining a purse while cleaning it.

If that patch looks fine, proceed to wipe down the entire purse, not missing any corners, and then dry it and air it out to get rid of the smell of vinegar.

How Do You Remove Mold From A Louis Vuitton Bag?

You should remove mold from a Louis Vuitton bag the same as with any other leather bag, but as these are more expensive and delicate than the typical leather bag, you will need to be extra careful when cleaning it.

Never push too hard with a cloth or cotton ball on a leather bag because you could crease or dent the material.

With the Louis Vuitton bag, you may even want to up your regular cleaning schedule and wipe over the bag once every fortnight to make sure it is clean.

Louis Vuitton also advise that you never store their handbags inside a closet, so hanging the bag up somewhere safe is your best bet for keeping it free of mold.

If you do choose to put the bag inside a dust bag or other wrapping to protect the delicate leather, ensure that it is made of a breathable material and never wrap the bag up in it too tightly.

Cotton materials are the best choice for wrapping up a leather bag for safekeeping because the material is soft and breathable.

Using a leather conditioner on a Louis Vuitton bag will also give it a bit more protection.

You should never try to use a leather conditioner to remove mold from any bag, but consistently caring for a Louis Vuitton bag will inspire you to keep it as safe as possible from mold and any other harm.

How To Prevent Mold On A Leather Bag?

To prevent the problem of damp causing mold, keep your leather bag in a well-ventilated environment.

This is easiest if you hang it up somewhere as opposed to packing it away inside a closet or cupboard.

And if you do put it away somewhere, ensure that the space gets plenty of air circulated through it and avoid pushing the leather bag in with lots of other items that will block it from the air.

If you take your leather bag out with you and it rains, empty the bag and immediately hang it up to dry as soon as you get home.

Once the bag has dried itself naturally, clean over it with a cloth or even a little bit of a disinfectant solution. Using some leather conditioner will give your bag an extra sheen against water, though you should try to keep it as dry as you can even when out in the rain.

You should also keep the bag in a light, airy place to ensure it remains in the best possible condition. You should try to clean your leather bag on a regular basis too, at least once a month.

The bag may not be moldy, but brushing over it gently with a cloth regularly should help to keep potential mold of the material.

You can also use a small amount of beeswax and massage it into the material of a leather bag.

This will not prevent mold from ever growing, but it will give the bag some extra protection, like a leather conditioner. The more actions you take the protect your leather bag before mold has appeared, the lower the chance of it growing.