The best way to save money on purses is to make the purses that you already have last you longer. Here are some handbag care tips that you can use to extend the life of your favorite purses.

1.    If you carry lots of cosmetics with you, don’t just throw them in your purse. Get a small cosmetic case, which will protect your handbag in case something will leak or spill. The same goes to pens. It is very hard to remove ink stains from your purse, so make sure not to throw them in your purse. If you don’t have a cosmetic case and don’t feel like investing into one, use a simple ziplock bag. It may not be as pretty, but it is certainly functional.

2.    Don’t carry your college books in your purse, even if it is large. Most purses are not meant to carry heavy stuff, so you will end up destroying it. I destroyed a very nice Liz Claiborne purse by carrying my textbooks in it. The handle tore and I was never able to find the same purse again.

Don’t use your nice handbags as diaper bags either. It may be convenient, but there is a reason why messenger and diaper bags were created. They are meant to carry bulky and heavy things while women’s purses are not.

3.    Look at the care tag before cleaning your purse. If it is leather or suede, use cleaners which were made specifically for these materials. God forbid you throw your designer leather handbag into washing machine.

4.    Don’t hang your handbag by its straps. It will wear out the seams prematurely and may deform the bag as well.

5.    Store your handbags in breathable cloth bag, especially if your bag is made of leather. Don’t put it to plastic bag, because it can damage your bag.

6.    Do not expose your bags to direct sunlight, or the color will fade.

7. If your purse is made of suede leather, spray it with suede leather protectant prior to carrying. Trust me, it is much easier to pre-treat suede purse than to clean it.

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