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Create a silica gel packet

Leather is an organic material and in damp conditions, a fertile ground for mold, fungus and mildew. A bit of silica gel will keep the air dry inside your handbag. It can also prevent tarnish and corrosion on handbag hardware.

When you buy a handbag, keep any silica packets you find inside. Store the packets in the handbag cover when you are carrying the bag. When you store the handbag, place a packet within the main compartment and another in the interior zipper pocket most bags are constructed with.

If the packets have disappeared - as they often do! - it's a simple matter to make your own. Silica gel crystals are also used for drying flowers and are available at many craft stores or online. A 1.5 pound tub should cost less than $10.

Be sure to keep the crystals and the packets out of the reach of children. Although silica gel is not poisonous, it can have very unpleasant effects if swallowed or breathed in, because it absorbs so much water from its environment.

To make your own desiccant packet, use a scrap of muslin or flannel about 4 inches square. Fold it in half diagonally, wrong sides together.

Using a zigzag stitch, sew a seam 1/2 inch from the raw edges on one side. Two sides of the triangle are sealed - the fold and your seam. Spoon in a scant tablespoon of silica gel at the open side. Hand-baste the opening shut to keep the gel inside the triangle.

 Sew over your basting with a zigzag stitch to complete the packet.

Before you store

Always empty your bag. As much as I love finding money in a handbag I haven't used for a while, it's not good for your bag to be put away with items inside. Pens can leak, lipsticks can melt, and spare change - well, I don't like to think about it, but it actually doesn't smell very good. Shake out your bag and/or vacuum inside to remove any dust or debris.

Make sure the exterior of the bag is clean. I'm can't recommend any particular leather treatment because handbag finishes are so varied. Check with your handbag's manufacturer or the staff at a fine shoe store. They should be able to make specific recommendations about cleaning or treatment products. I do believe it is always a good idea to use a soft brush on suede bags to refresh the nap before you put them away. 

Don't stuff a structured bag, as that could distort its shape. Do fill soft, slouchy bags with loosely smushed white tissue paper to prevent creases.

Thanks so much for reading! I think that people who appreciate craftsmanship, design and luxury materials - as Threads readers do - must share my interest in conserving garments and accessories. I would be enjoy hearing your thoughts and tips to organize and preserve important items, so please share!

Sarah McFarland, contributor
Posted on Feb 25th, 2010 in tips & tricks, tools & supplies, seam, edge, measuring, storage, organization, marking, handbags, cutting, trimming, accessory storage, muslin covers, accessories

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Comments (12)

joshefmayer writes: I found the post is really great, very informative, I must say if anyone looking for online shopping of consumer electronics like Mobile, Camera, Home entertainment like LCD, LED, Plasma etc then you can choose shopbychoice.com..........

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Posted: 2:12 am on February 24th

Dianasmith070 writes: Nice Handbag.......I love to carry designer handbags of Luluguinness.......
Posted: 4:57 am on December 13th

SCsewer writes: I don't use pins to attach the card to my dust covers because I am concerned about them rusting. I put the description on a tag I make from card stock. I punch a hole in the top of the tag and use a small piece of narrow ribbon to attach them to the drawstring of the bag. I have a storage closet that has a very high ceiling. Where the wall joins the ceiling I attached a strip of pegboard so that I can hang the out of season purses by the drawstring so that they are out of the way and do not get crushed.
Posted: 9:37 am on March 9th

smcfarland writes: Hi, I just wanted to respond to artcat's comment about using a serger for this project - artcat, you are absolutely right! I have a confession to make. My first serger machine is still in the box at my new apartment. I have been sewing for years with the most basic mechanical machine. It makes me feel good to be able to produce just about anything with a basic machine, but I am excited about catching up with the times and using more advanced tools. In the future you'll see serger projects from me, and in the meantime I hope any reader feels welcome to adapt my simple project to their equipment!
Posted: 1:39 pm on March 3rd

AMCartolano writes: Hi I would love to print this article but I am experiencing some printing issue when I click on you your print article button. It only allows me to creat a pdf print of the first page. how can this be fixed? can you supply pdf files as well? i am creating a library of articles. many thanks

Anita
Posted: 11:49 am on March 2nd

Zingen writes: How about a handy snapshot of the item, in a plastic sleeve, attached to the outside of the bag? I'm think of this sort of thing for my silverplated items that I want to put in protective bags.
Posted: 10:37 pm on March 1st

artcat writes: Your instructions are great. But I think if you can use a serger you would have finished seams inside the bag cover, and it would make quick work of the silica bag, too
Posted: 8:45 pm on March 1st

artcat writes: I have been putting a half of a dryer sheet inside stored purses to keep them smelling fresh. Do you think this might not be good for leather or fabrics?

I make a similar drawstring bag for storing shoes or as travel covers. The first one wes only suitable for one pair of women's shoes. Now I make them larger so my husband can use them, too.

I made a fancier one with a pocket for a pair of socks out of a golfing print cotton, and padded it with iron-on craft fleece for protection, and lined it, for my sis-in-law to carry her golfing shoes.
Posted: 8:43 pm on March 1st

naughtymonkeys writes: Great article and comments, thanks! I've been toying with the idea of making dust covers for my bags, and now that you've explained how to, there's no reason for not doing it.

And the stuffing and labeling details -- brilliant!
Posted: 7:06 pm on March 1st

Skymom writes: Embarrassingly enough, I recently opened a stored purse that I hadn't used in a long time, and discovered two balls of wonderful mohair yarn that I bought for my sister probably 7 years ago. So I guess a label or two wouldn't hurt me, either!
Posted: 4:49 pm on February 26th

smcfarland writes: Thanks, Skymom, for the stuffing recommendation! I'm not satisfied with the density of tissue paper and I do worry about the acid content. T-shirts are a great alternative, so I appreciate your recommendation.
I'm also an avid knitter and sometimes I store yarn for a future project in a larger handbag - it cuts down on the amount of storage space I need! I have to label everything, though, or else I have trouble finding that project material when I'm ready to use it.
Posted: 11:00 pm on February 25th

Skymom writes: Thanks for this great idea. This would make a nice gift, too, for friends who collect handbags. You just have to keep a tape measure in your pocket and measure their bag when they go to the ladies' room!

Instead of stuffing bags with tissue paper, I often use old t-shirts that have been laundered a lot. No acid (which some tissue paper has), and there are always a bunch in various sizes in my house, waiting for suitable recycling. Then when I take the purse out, I'm reminded of that time I donated blood, or did a 5K walk for charity, or whatever.
Posted: 4:07 pm on February 25th

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