How To Clean Vintage Suitcase

You just found the most fabulous vintage luggage but it's not as nice as the examples below. What you found is dusty and dirty and smells like old mothballs. Yuck! What to do? How do you clean vintage luggage?

Samsonite Shwayder Marbled Blue Luggage Se

Samsonite Shwayder Luggage Set, 3 pieces $475

Rauchbach Monogrammed "E.C.G." Striped Fabric Suitcase Luggage

Rauchbach Monogrammed Fabric Suitcase $295

Start by vacuuming out the inside and airing it out for a bit. Sunshine and fresh air can work miracles. (Mothballs take a generous amount of days in the sun to clear out.)

Depending on what your suitcase made of, you want to use the right method to clean it properly. If your vintage luggage is made of plastic or soft-sided cloth or vinyl, a damp towel and some mild soap should work well. For stubborn stains try using a Magic Eraser sponge. On plastic, even a bit of a mild cleanser such as Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami can be used.

Vintage Amelia Earhart Tweed Luggage Set - 4 Pieces — Vintage Amelia Earhart Tweed Luggage Set – 4 Pieces $383

If it's leather or canvas over wood you want to be more careful with how you clean your vintage luggage. For leather, a touch of saddle soap and a soft brush should work for stubborn stains. Don't use too much water though, as you want to avoid creating more stains. You may also need to oil the leather with a good quality leather conditioner. Check with your local shoe repair shop for suggestions.

For the old canvas-over-wood luggage, some stains may not come out. If the canvas is in good condition simply clean it with a soft brush or cloth and a bit of mild soap. It the canvas is too damaged, you may wish to remove it and sand and paint or stain the case.

Vintage Samsonite Hand Painted Decoupaged Suitcases

To clean metal hinges, locks, corners, and other hardware, first, use a soft brush and vacuum to get in the crevices, then use a bit of polishing compound or white toothpaste to polish up the metal. Check to make sure the latches work and carefully use penetrating oil as necessary.

Set of Three English Edwardian Leather Suitcases $1950

Now let's discuss the inside of your piece of luggage. If you're lucky there are no stains. If your luggage has stains inside it helps to have an idea what the stains are. Often you will find cosmetic stains in smaller pieces used for toiletries. A good quality stain remover made for delicate fabrics and a bit of elbow grease should remove most of these. In the case of lipstick or similar stains, you may only be able to lighten them. Some light staining can be acceptable depending of course on how you plan on using that particular piece. If interior stains are more than what you deem acceptable, you may want to remove the lining and replace it with something fun. You don't need to recreate the original lining unless you are a master seamstress and want an authentic look. Fabric can be cut and glued in place or you can decoupage the interior with patterned paper such as flowered wallpaper, or the Sunday funnies.

Finally, to make the inside smell fresh, fill your suitcase with a bowl of baking soda and some lavender or your favorite scented oil and close it for a few days. When you open it, you will have a fresh smelling clean suitcase to use as you please. For tough smells, you may need to deploy some Febreze. Vacuum your vintage suitcase once more and you should be good to go.

Now, take your newly cleaned up vintage luggage on an adventure, or maybe use it as a side table, storage for your scarves, mounted on the wall as a shelf, or…

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Pam

Some of my earliest memories are of digging through my Grandma's buttons, hankies, and jewelry. She taught me to see the beauty in everyday items made to last.