I got a question in the mail this week.

“I have this mini lin in dune (white), but don’t use it much because it does get dirty easily. it picks up the blue wash in jeans, so when i use it, i make sure i’m wearing light colored clothes. The white kind. Its kinda dirty. Would you know how to clean it?”

Thanks for the query and although I am not a Louis Vuitton specialist and I do not run a laundry shop, I also was curious because most of us have white bags and because of ignorance, we send them to the dry cleaners or even bleached them. How do we really clean white bags?

Two words - soap and water

I made this favorite white bag of mine an example before talking to a LouisVuitton.com specialist who advised me NOT to send your white bag to the dry cleaners because they use chemicals to clean clothing and that will damage your bag. The brass might tarnish and the shape will sag. Of course she was referring to this stunning Louis Vuitton Mini Lin Speedy in Dune whose canvass is made out of cotten and linen orgarnic fibers. 

The areas that get dirty first are the four bottom corners then the zip top closure area until it goes all the way down again.

Their instruction was to use a cloth dampened with water that was mixed with a neutral soap to wipe down the canvas gently, and then wipe it down again with a damp cloth (only water this time).

From the Louis Vuitton Specialist:
Louis Vuitton products are made to the highest quality and should, given care and attention, provide you with many years of pleasure. For long term maintenance, all items will benefit from storage away from direct sunlight or moisture, as excessive exposure to these may permanently alter the color of your piece. Even though the canvas is protected by an anti-stain treatment, light colors remain sensitive to dirt. You can clean the canvas by delicately wiping it with a slightly humid and soaped cloth (neutral soap), avoiding contact with leather. If the leather gets stained, delicately wipe it with a dry, soft and light-colored cloth.

We do not recommend any chemicals or cleaners as these may adversely affect the canvas or leather.

Washing is recommended because the more linen is washed, the softer, more absorbent and more luminous it becomes. Do you have a better way of cleaning your white bags? I’m scared of using bleach on linen; and, after cleaning this bag it wasn’t really the same from the first time I had it. Oh, well.