Whether you buy your Chanel bag from a Chanel store or from a reputable seller on the pre-loved market, a Chanel bag is an investment. You will want to manintain your Chanel bag in the gentlest and most effective way possible.

To store my vintage jumbo black Chanel bag, I protect it the way my mother protected it when she owned it for 20 years. I keep it in its original dust bag inside its original box on a shelf high up in a cubby hole in my closet. When I wear my bag, I do tend to baby it a bit. I try to avoid placing my Chanel, or any other bag for that matter, on the floor. I am aware of the surfaces upon which I place my bag, and I rarely leave it unattended. I try to make sure that the metal on the straps does not hit the smooth lambskin on the purse, and I take care to close and open my bag gently.

Although my jumbo bag is well preserved, with hardly a scratch, and with hardly a sign of wear, I became curious about whether there were ways to further preserve the beauty of my bag.

After consulting YouTube, I came across a video by Nini Girl that has good advice about cleaning brown and black leather Chanel bags. The video recommends that you purchase Cadillac Boot and Shoe Care (white creamy liquid), Meltonian in neutral, and Kiwi Express Shine. You will also need a terry cloth towel, a paper towel and a small white face towel. If you take your bag to the Chanel counter, or a shoe repair shop, the sales rep, or the shoe repair person is likely to recommend these products.

Before you begin the cleaning process, make sure you choose a well ventilated room, and you may want to crack a window. Spread your bag out on a bath towel to prepare to clean it. To begin the cleaning process, apply the Cadillac Boot and Shoe Care to a cloth or a terry cloth towel and gently wipe it on every exterior leather surface of your bag. Let it dry.

To continue cleaning the exterior, condition the bag two or three more times with the Cadillac Boot and Shoe Care. After the last conditioning, and after the purse dries, apply Meltonian to a paper towel and wipe the entire leather exterior of the bag to give the bag a nice sheen. This will help protect your bag from future damage. Do not be alarmed if black marks appear on the towel. This process will not remove the ink from the bag.

After conditioning and polishing your bag, allow your bag to sit for a couple of days out of direct sunlight. After these days have passed, apply Kiwi Express shine gently and directly onto the bag for a finished and polished look.

Warning: This process is not to be used on patent leather bags.

If your bag has scuff marks, you will want to use a black spray paint, which you will dab onto the scuff marks on your bag to camoulflage the damage. Do not spray the spray paint directly onto the bag. Spray a bit of the spray paint into the spray paint can top and then use a towel to dab the paint, and then dab you bag with the paint.

To clean the interior of your bag, you will need a bottle with a misting spray, water, and the essential oil of your choice. Lavendar and Peppermint were used by Nini Girl. Fill your mister three-quarters of the way to the top and then use a dropper to add 10 drops of essential oil to the water. Spray the solution onto a towel and then wipe the inside of your bag. For a lasting pleasant scent, spray old t-shirts with your misting solution and then stuff your bag with the t-shirts for a few days leaving the top of the bag open.

For more information on how to clean and maintain Chanel bags and other luxury bags, consult The Purse Forum website.

Credit to: Nini Girl on YouTube.Com