One of the most asked questions from my followers and decluttering clients is how to store and organize bags to prolong their lifespan. Of course, when we invest in bags that we love, we want to take good care of them to maximize what we spent!
What’s more, taking care of what you already have is also better for the environment. We all know that fast fashion is literally killing our planet, so investing in prolonging the life of what we own is the way forward… to slow down our impact on our world.
Here are my favorite tips to apply on my own bags and also for my decluttering clients‘S bag collection. I hope you find it useful and please do add other tips or let me know if you have any questions in the comments!
1. Store bags upright, never lying down smushed to each other which can definitely damage the bags.
To help them stand up, I don’t recommend ever using paper or newspaper because these things have acid that can damage/discolor your bags. You have 2 options:
OPTION A: Place perfectly fitting bag stuffers so your bags can stand upright and keep their shape. Then store them in these premium dustbags that have a useful pocket for photos or labels so it’s easy to return bags and wallets to their correct bag, even for your household help.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: When placing bags/wallets in dustbugs, please take them out to air them once or twice a month and have a dehumidifier inside each one. Use a bigger dehumidifier because the small ones don’t really do a good job.
OPTION B: Another option is to remove all the dustbags and use the Bag in Bag method of Marie Kondo. This is good for people who don’t have much space because it reduces the volume of bags into half, while helping bags stand and retain their shape and allowing fresh air to circulate around the bags. This is how to do it:
2. Place Dehumidifiers inside each bag and a dehumifying tubs in each closet or drawer.
Humidity has a tendency to build up in our closets so place one big pouch inside each bag or 2 if you have a bigger bag like this oversized tote, I recommend placing one in the bag and one in the pocket:
This prevents the bag from getting sticky, stinky and developing molds/mildew/fungus. This also prevents the hardware from oxidizing or rusting.
WHERE TO BUY DEHUMIFYING TUBS: Philippines • USA
Always get fragrance free or charcoal dehumidifiers because they do not add to the VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that are polluting your indoor air. Chemical fragrances of personal/household products contribute to the bad indoor air quality of our homes.
3. If your closet has a tendency to develop an odor, you can also place these natural odor absorbers around the closet – Never inside the dustbag/bag.
These odor absorbers will absorb musky odors. You can also put them around your shoe cabinet. But it’s also highly recommended that you reduce your items or arrange items so that they have space to breathe in between them,
Most of the time the reason for the smell/molds is because items are packed together with no room to breath or are in enclosed boxes/bags.
That’s why it’s important to open your bag and shoe closet and hit it with a fan or open all windows and doors to get a through-wind so that the air doesn’t get stale and humidity doesn’t build up.
Like the dehumidifiers these can also be placed under the sun – by a window or on your balcony – for a full day to regain it’s potency! I love this so much because in the past, I would just throw them away! I love that it’s reusable!
4. Use Handle Wraps to keep handles looking new longer.
These handle wraps are washable, color transfer safe. They’re extra important nowadays to not only protect your bag straps from dirt but also from respiratory droplets. You can wash them after every use. Remember, the handles of your bags are one of the dirtiest parts of your bags and even harder to clean so it’s just easier to use Handle Wraps as prevention.
I love having plain handle wraps in mint and champagne because I love light-colored bags. I don’t own a single black bag because brighter colored bags are also less prone to theft. Love My Bags Ph has so many designs though so that whatever your taste, you can find something that you like.
5. Use your bags. Stored bags expire faster than bags that are stored in our humid and warm climate.
Yes this is true! That’s why I’m always wary about people who sell their preloved bags and say that the “Bag is barely used or unused and stored only.”
I always ask, how long the item has been stored because if it’s been stored for more than a year without being used, chances are the glue has come apart, the leather is dried out and brittle.
HOW TO REFRESH YOUR BAGS NOW
So now that we have been on lockdown for 6 months, this is what I recommend:
- Open your bag and shoe closets
- Remove them from their bags/boxes
- Blast them with a fan to get fresh air
- Replace or recharge your dehumidifier pouches
- Throw out the moisture from the dehumidifier tubs and replace the refills. Don’t buy a new tub each time because this is more expensive and wasteful.
WHERE TO BUY REFILLS: Philippines here or here • USA
WINNER OF THE BAG CARE & ORGANIZING PACKAGE
The two winners of the complete package are @cara_jung and @guiaallyza! Congratulations! Not only did they consistently comment and repost on all our Instagrams – LoveMyBagsPH, UnDiplomaticWife and DeclutterMNL – but they also had amazing answers to our giveaway questions!
Winners please send us your shipping address and let’s schedule your Decluttering consult soon! Can’t wait!
For those who didn’t win, you can still get your Love My Bags Ph supplies to organize and care for your bags with a 10% discount applicable that you can use once until 31 Dec 2020. Just use this discount code upon check out: UNDIPLOMATICWIFE!
Thanks so much for joining everyone!
LOVE MY BAGS
Facebook • Instagram • order@lovemybags.ph
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