Quarantine: Best time for accessories care

Stylists and designers share tips to infuse a new lease of your life into your prized handbags, belts and shoes

With nowhere to go, our closets seem to be gathering dust, of late. It’s the ideal time to care of our ‘it’ designer handbags, leather belts and shoes, which always needed our attention, but never got. Quarantine is the best time to infuse a new lease of life in our accessories closet, which we’ve cultivated and cherished with love over the years.

Here’s how you can take care of your bags (Photo: IStock)

Designer Aniket Satam suggests making a good use of the sunlight and replenish our silk pump toes or clutches, which can be treated to the mild sun. “Don’t expose them to the harsh afternoon sun. However, a moderate exposure to sun will help kill the unwanted fungus and bacteria growing on the animal hide,” says Aniket.

Celebrity stylist Devraj Das suggests spraying your worn-out handbags with a spray repellent, which is easily available so that the stains don’t become permanent. “Try not to place handbags on tables or surfaces. Organic stains from food or blood can often be removed with chalk powder. Crush white chalk, let it sit on the stain overnight and dust it off with a clean cloth,” says Devraj.

Stylist Pranay Jaitly suggests, “Keep your embellished bags sheathed in a cover inside your wardrobe. Use damp earbuds to clean the nook and crannies of the beaded bags, but the best is to just keep them clean and covered all the time.”

Designer Prreeti Jaiin Nainutia suggests, “Knowing that a sanitiser is a quickest option to pick to disinfect surfaces, make sure your solution does not contain isopropyl alcohol which is a poison for any product. A glycerine soap can however be used to wipe the dust off the bags successfully. Take care of your leather belts by wiping them with a damp cloth followed by drying with a dry cloth immediately. Don’t forget to hang it properly. It is best to use a clothes hanger rather than looping them or rolling them up in a drawer. This keeps them in shape too.” To get rid of the moisture in the bags, throw in some silica bags/tea bags.