Gucci and Louis Vuitton Do Not Clean Their Own Luxury Designer Handbags! Here’s what I did…

I am a true luxury lover when it comes to high-end quality, but you will very rarely see me pay full price. I have a small collection of designer handbags, and many of them are canvas material that, well, as a mommy of four get so dirty the beige color started looking black. Yikes! In an effort to get them back to their “like-new” shape and condition (and to take preventative measures from damaging these vintage pieces), I looked to the retail stores of Gucci and Louis Vuitton in hopes of getting them cleaned through their chains. Little did I know that they DO NOT clean their own designer handbags. After discussing options with the very pleasant and informative Gucci Sales Consultant, he provided the name and phone number of a local shoe and luggage repair store that cleans and repairs luxury designer handbags.

What I failed to tell the Gucci Sales Consultant was that the price I paid for these designer handbags were 20% of the retail value ($200 for the handbag and $50 for the Louis Vuitton wallet). I did not realize how expensive these shoe and luggage repair stores were! The quotes ranged from $150 for one handbag (non-leather/canvas) upwards into the $200 range! Ouch! I honestly had a hard time swallowing such a high amount. We started calling around different dry cleaners, and it turns out, they offer luxury handbag cleaning and repair too!

The winner: Eldorado Cleaners on Eastern/Windmill in Henderson! Not only can you get your garments cleaned for $1.75 per piece (with coupon), you can also get your designer handbags cleaned and/or repaired for an extremely affordable price! I had both my Louis Vuitton handbag and wallet cleaned AND the straps on my Gucci handbag repaired. Prices start at $45 and goes up depending on a variety of factors.

It was as a very easy process:
1. Go into the Dry Cleaners and let them know which specialty items you want cleaned.
2. The dry cleaner will call the vendor or specialist that handles these items to obtain an initial quote
3. Pay a deposit equal to half of the estimate.
4. The vendor or specialist will call you to confirm whether the price is still the same, less, or more before they perform the services. Once you authorize the price and services, they complete the job.
5. The vendor or specialist will send it back to the dry cleaner
6. The dry cleaner will call you once it arrives.
7. Pick up and pay your remaining balance! *Be sure to always inspect your items first before you pay or leave the dry cleaner!

The total cost for cleaning and repair came out to $120 (1/3 of the cost compared to other dry cleaners and leather shoe/upholstery repair shops). So the next time you decide that it’s time to get those luxury handbags of your cleaned – be sure to call around your local dry cleaners, and of course, always try to negotiate the best price possible.