If you have leather items that need to keep their shape, long-term storage can be risky. If you have a leather handbag, this is especially true. Here are a few tips that will help ensure your bag remains in good condition, no matter how long it sits in storage. 

1. Clean your items.
Before storing your items, clean them thoroughly. Remove dirt and dust, as both can be detrimental to the integrity of your leather items. 

2. Recondition the leather.
Leather is made of a lot of water. In a dry storage unit, this water can evaporate, which means your leather items will dry out. Dry leather shrinks and cracks. In order to prevent this, you should recondition your leather every year to help it retain moisture. 

3. Stuff your handbags.
If the bag collapses in storage, it can develop irreversible creases. Avoid this by stuffing the bag to help keep its shape. Don’t use newspaper, as the ink can bleed into your bag.

4. Place in a cloth bag.

Designer handbags usually come with a cloth bag for storage. This will protect against dirt and dust. If you don’t have a cloth bag, you can use a pillowcase! 

5. Place your leather items on a shelf.
Make sure to place your leather items off the floor, in case of flooding or other natural disasters that could harm items on the floor.