It’s been an interesting week so far….

It began with a call from a clothing rental company. “We’re getting calls from concerned customers about renting the bags asking if they’re treated to prevent transmission from household to household… just in case? Can you help?”

Well, I only work on bags unless it’s a color, finish , stain or a leather damage issue; there are plenty of qualified shops in NYC that can fix stitching and replace hardware, so I’ll leave that to them. That said, I usually have a few cross my bench each month. A Tom Ford tote just went back to it’s owner.. I’ve a Bottega Venetta in process next to me. I’m taking a breather here while it’s curing. But this was not the usual inquiry, and it got me thinking…

There are a goodly amount of institutional -grade disinfectants out there, but there are very few that are safe to use on most leather. I happen to possess a decent amount of one brand, which I’m told is now…like masks, wipes and possibly toilet paper from what I’ve read… sold out everywhere.

A hospital-grade product not only kills bacteria…like our bathroom cleaners at home…but also kills viruses, a “virucide’. Some home cleaners are virucidal as well, but they can’t be used on leather.

This situation is a first for most of us. Panic accomplishes nothing. But if an individual wants to go the extra mile of precaution for their peace of mind, so be it. Where to start for the average leather handbag or backpack? Hopefully, you’ve done regular cleaning and conditioning. If so, your item is considerably less germy than one that was neglected and will be easier to clean. But how to zap corona virus that may have possibly alighted on the surface while you were on the subway or in the Uber without ruining the bag? Alcohol is very risky as it will dissolve most finishes. I use it constantly in my work and there’s a time and place for it…but it’s for pros. You won’t be able to get the industrial stuff mentioned above, but I’ll tell you what you can do to greatly minimize the virus living for up 9 days on your leather and it’s FREE…yes, FREE!

Ever hear the old saying “sunshine is the best disinfectant”? Nowadays it’s usually used to refer to bringing transparency to an issue; but sunshine…AKA UV light…is indeed an excellent virus killer! Placing in direct sunlight near a window (without UV protective film!) and rotating over a period of a few hours will do for the outside. But exposure has to be thorough, even if it means propping the bag open with a pencil or bamboo skewer for the sun to shine inside as well. You can prop outer side pockets open with popsicle sticks or toothpicks… tilt toward the sun if you need to… you want as little sun blockage as possible. This is IDEAL for viruses on leather gloves as well…which we’re all likely going to extend wearing this Spring… an hour or so on each side, spread the fingers then wash your hands! A smart home practice is to have a spot on a counter or table away from food prep with a small towel the bag/gloves can rest on at home, and the towel can be changed and washed with bleach as often as you’re comfortable with.

3/27 UPDATE- Your leather jackets, coats and other accessories can be treated the same way. Make certain every inch had been exposed to sunlight for a minimum 15 minutes. Jackets and clothing: turn inside out and repeat this step to treat completely…the inside of cuffs, sleeves and hems are germ concentration points. Clip up sleeves if needed so the sunlight can reach under sleeves.

3/31 UPDATE: In a USA TODAY article 3-30-2020: While the article focused on sunshine on the human body rather than items, there is still significant debate. Historically, sunlight has been an enemy of viruses. This article suggests the Covid-19 virus requires stronger UV exposure than sunlight…such as professional UV light treatments…which would cause the body to sunburn. As we are focused on leather articles, I’ll stand by prior suggestions in this post, but will update it as facts present themselves. It will take a while for definitive data on this particular strain to emerge. In the meantime, we will…like others… go by existing data on the related SARS and H1N1 viruses until proof of otherwise. View their article here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/03/30/fact-check-sunlight-does-not-kill-new-coronavirus/2931170001/

NOTE: For ANY treatment of anything in the home: use only products and mixtures recommended by the CDC and WHO; however, their list left out several other products (mostly institutional) with proven anti-viral abilities. You can check your own products or those being advertised by Googling the product’s name + MSDS (Master Safety Data Sheet). That sheet, while lengthy…is the bottom line on whether the product is a virucide, killing 99.999% of viruses. If there’s no mention, it doesn’t. There are companies out there claiming to offer various sanitizing/disinfection services. Insist on seeing the data sheet of the products they’re using.

While Covid-19/coronavirus on leather furniture may not be a priority unless in a hotel lobby, restaurant or conference room, it requires a pro…at least initially…to treat and create a corona virus protocol going forward. So it appears I’ve added a few services to the roster I could never have imagined.

Hopefully they’ll be short-lived! Stay well, we’ll get through this together!