So, I was rummaging through the back of my closet the other day, you know, looking for something completely different, and stumbled upon this old Francesco Biasia purse. Honestly, I’d forgotten I even owned it. It must have been tucked away for years.
It looked a bit tired, really. Covered in a layer of dust, and the leather felt kinda stiff and dry. Wasn’t terrible, just neglected. The shape was still good, classic design, nothing too trendy, which is probably why I bought it way back when.
What I Did Next
I figured, well, it’s here, might as well see if I can clean it up a bit. Didn’t want to do anything drastic, just give it some basic care. So, here’s what I did, step-by-step:
- First, I emptied everything out. Just some old tissue and a random pen cap inside. Gave it a good shake upside down.
- Then, I took a slightly damp cloth – just water, nothing else – and wiped down the entire exterior. Got rid of all that surface dust and grime. You could already see a bit of difference.
- The main issue was the leather. It needed moisture. I found some leather cleaner I had for my old boots. Put a little bit on a soft, clean rag and worked it into the leather in small circles. Focused on areas that looked particularly grimy or dry, like the bottom corners and straps.
- Let that sit and dry for a bit, according to the cleaner instructions.
- Next step was conditioning. Used a separate leather conditioner. Again, small amount on a clean cloth, rubbed it all over the bag. The leather seemed to just drink it up, especially on the handles. I made sure to get into the folds and seams.
- I let the conditioner soak in properly, maybe for about an hour. Then I took another clean, dry cloth and buffed the whole purse gently. This helps remove any excess conditioner and brings up a bit of a shine.
- Finally, I tackled the metal hardware – the buckle and zipper pull. Just polished them with a dry microfiber cloth until they shone a bit more. Didn’t use any metal polish, just elbow grease.
How It Turned Out
And you know what? It actually worked out pretty well. The purse looks much better. It’s not like brand new, of course, it still shows its age, but the leather feels so much softer and more flexible now. It’s got a nice, subtle sheen instead of that dull, dry look.
The color looks a bit richer too, I think. The dust is gone, the stiffness is gone. It feels like a usable bag again, not some relic I dug out of storage. Took maybe an hour or so altogether, mostly just gentle rubbing and waiting for stuff to dry.
Overall, I’m quite pleased with the result. Shows that sometimes these older leather goods just need a little bit of attention to bring them back. It’s a solid, well-made bag, this Francesco Biasia. Good quality leather they used. Definitely worth the small effort to clean it up.
