I love my Longchamp Le Pliage bags. Yes, I am barat, but I let myself splurge on a few things, and bags are one of my weaknesses 
All my authentic Longchamp bags are bought abroad – the prices abroad are half of what the official price is when bought here in the Philippines at official stores! Wait for sales abroad (pabili sa friends or relatives, and take advantage of duty free privileges and tax rebates!) You can also buy online from Neimann Marcus, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, etc… during sales like Black Friday and have them delivered to your relative’s address, and wait for them to come back to the Philippines. DO NOT have it delivered to the Philippines directly. Philippine Customs horror stories here. The post may be old but everything it’s saying is still very relevant. I have experienced my own horror stories with them, too. You have been warned.
To give you an idea of the price – an authentic regular Longchamp Le Pliage Medium Long Handle bought abroad at an official store is equivalent to somewhere around P4,000-6,000 (on sale/discounted/duty-free). If you find one around that price range, it’s a good price. Last time I checked, authentic ones officially sold here in Manila were selling for P9,500.
I have one fake Le Pliage bought from an online seller – I didn’t know it was fake when I bought it, the seller told me it was an “overrun” but sure authentic daw. Now I know better. It’s fake. I still use it (sayang naman, binayaran ko din yan!) but mostly for low-level errands and when I know I’ll probably get it dirty, and during the rainy season. But don’t use a Le Pliage for shopping in Divisoria or Baclaran because they are a slasher’s dream bag.
Let me know if you want me to write a post about how to tell if a Longchamp is fake.
WHY LONGCHAMP LE PLIAGE?
Anyway, I always find myself using the Longchamp even though I have many other bags to choose from. I just love how I can put everything in it! It can even fit folders and big Manila envelopes – this helps keep my hands free even when I was given some big handouts during events. The bags are also closed with a zipper — this is very important, especially in crime-prone Manila. Zippers are your first line of defense against pickpockets.
I also like the Longchamp because it’s very light. Other leather tote bags are heavy and make what you’re carrying around seem heavier! Some tote bag straps are also painful and cut shoulder flesh, especially when what’s in the bag is heavy! But the Le Pliage’s leather straps are soft and don’t have sharp edges.
With daily use though, the bags have become quite dirty.
HOW I CLEAN MY LONGCHAMP LE PLIAGE BAGS
First of all, here’s WHAT NOT TO DO: The nylon material of the Le Pliage tends to “bubble” when handled improperly. DO NOT put them in the washing machine! Do not make kuskos your Le Pliage, especially when it’s wet!
Here are the things that I use to clean my Le Pliage bag by hand:
- Cleansing ingredient (you can use Ariel, Tide, etc… but I just use Joy because I’m too lazy to get the detergent).
- Clean brush – old toothbrush, old pedicure brush, etc…
- Big enough space to clean the bag without folding it (I clean my Le Pliage on the shower floor, make sure it’s clean)
- Water – a telephone-type shower is best, but good ol’ pail and tabo will work, too
I first lay the bag on the clean tiled floor and wet both sides and the inside of the bag with water. Be careful when handling the bag, you want it to be as flat as possible. Minimize creasing and rubbing it on itself (kuskos) while wet because this will cause bubbling.
Start cleaning the inside of the bag as gently as possible. Keep the material flat while you soap the inside of the bag, don’t forget the inside pocket. You can use a soft sponge if it’s really dirty, but I usually don’t because I don’t need to, the insides of my bags are not that dirty.
Once you’re done with the inside, start soaping the outside. Gently brush the material to loosen any dirt, making sure the material is still laying as flat as possible. Gently brush until you’re satisfied that you’ve removed as much dirt as you can. Do this to the other side of the bag and the bottom part. Do not crumple the material!
Don’t brush the leather — they usually do not get very dirty, anyway.
Start rinsing the bag. Be gentle when handling the bag, avoid crumpling! Rinse the inside, rinse the pocket, rinse the outside, rinse the leathers — make sure all soap has been rinsed off. Again, please DO NOT crumple the bag or rinse it inside a pail. Just rinse it as best as you can while keeping the material as flat as possible.
DRY the bag upside down. I like using the back of a plastic chair for this. I put the Longchamp Le Pliage upside down over the back of a clean monobloc chair and let the water drip down. The bag’s zipper is open and the back of the chair is “inside” the bag. Let it dry like this for a day.
After 1 day (sometimes an afternoon is enough), I hang the Le Pliage on a hanger and let it dry further for another day (especially the insides and the leather straps). Don’t clip any part of the bag! Just let it hang on a hanger with the zipper open.
Once it’s dry, it’s ready to be stored or used!
UPDATE Nov. 2016: I used laundry detergent the last couple of times I cleaned my Longchamp Le Pliages, and it works a lot better than using dish soap. The bag looks cleaner. Also, DRYING MY LE PLIAGE: I found a way to dry my bag faster. After washing it, I carefully put it in the spin dryer upside down, trying to put it as straight upside down and curved as possible without folding it, and let it spin dry for a few minutes. After spin drying, the bag is actually almost dry! I hang the bag handles on a hanger to dry further, but the bag is totally dry in a couple of hours.
AFTER CLEANING
It has its shine back! The color is also noticeably lighter with all the dirt removed!
After cleaning my bag many times, I noticed that my oldest Longchamp Le Pliage bag has started to fray in some parts – but that’s to be expected from normal wear and tear. I’ve probably cleaned this bag close to 10 times already.
Also, after several cleanings, I noticed that the leather straps are softer (not as stiff as a new bag).
Even though the bags are on the expensive side, they are worth the splurge for me. I love using them! If I use them everyday and nasulit ko din, if you think about it, it’s worth it. Since I love these bags, I don’t have any cravings for other bags (and save money!). Also, the bags are pricey enough to be considered “acceptable” by brand-conscious people watchers (I know we’re not supposed to care what other people think, but…), but not pricey enough that I would get a meltdown if anything happened to them.
So this is how I clean my Longchamp Le Pliage bags. How do you clean yours?
29 responses to “How to Clean Your Longchamp Le Pliage Tote Bag”
Nice advised for bag addict like me..thanks
Thanks for commenting! 🙂
I want a longchamp kasi everyone has been telling me that they are the best “diaper bag”. Kaso takot ako to buy from online sellers. 🙁 Puro fake kasi. And I hate using fake anything. I’d use tatakless stuff but not fake. Feeling ko kasi ang bad ko. Haahhhaha! anyway, do the how to spot a fake le pliage!! 🙂
Yes, this Longchamp bag is the best! It can fit so many things yet it’s very light! Pantago pa ng bilbil pag side view! Hahaha.
I think most of the branded bags sold online are fake. Nadali na ako, kesyo authentic overrun daw. Pabili ka nalang sa mga friends abroad or yung mga pupunta ng HK. Sogo sells it for HK 1,050, a little cheaper than actual Longchamp store in HK. If you have a friend going to Europe, mas mura doon. Last year, a friend bought one for me in Ireland, or maybe London, forgot where… nasa P4,800 lang after discounts + rebates.
The fake Longchamp that I got is a super good fake though! It’s very close to the orig. Ok, I’ll make a post on it soon 🙂 The positive thing about it is that I feel okay taking it to go swimming, to the beach, to the supermarket, mag jeep, mag LRT, hahaha. Mas kebs kasi fake.
Nice one barat queen so love that pantago ng bilbil, haha ganon din ako eh apir!!!! Tnx for ur cleaning tips yeah just to add on sobrang nakakainis bumili online nadale din ako ng fake na champ from lazada and it was too late for me when i found out that it was fake, anyway nagagamit ko parin namn xia pag longdrive kami ng baby ko and need to put all his stuff in one large bag, tnx barat queen – barat mommy
Good one, Barat Mommy! At least, di sayang. 🙂
Haha! Relate. I rather buy secosana than buying the fake ones (thank God I dont have to buy secosana tho. No offense meant).
Haha, I know what you mean! When Secosana started years ago, their bags were actually pretty good. Good quality material, good stitching, affordable at only P150-300 per bag. It’s just that their bag designs in the last few years are something I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in.
My mom still has an old Secosana bag that used to be mine, it was the first Secosana bag I ever bought. The quality of the stitching and the material are actually pretty good, and the design is classic. For me, the quality of the old Secosana bags are near the quality of Esprit or Girbaud bags of that era.
The Secosana bags now are so different in terms of quality and design!
Anyway, I found that the Zalora brand bags are actually quite nice for the price. I was able to buy a nice, big tote for P700. When it arrived, I was surprised, the quality was better than I expected. Near Mango or Zara level. I expected the quality to be like something you can find at 168, but thankfully, what arrived was much better. But, you need to be picky! Sometimes the designs are also so bad. So just keep browsing until you see something nice.
It’s nice to read something like this about Longchamp bags. I have one Le Pliage in navy blue, medium, short handle. I haven’t washed it yet because I don’t know the proper way to do it. Thanks for the tips you shared here esp. the one to avoid bubbling of the material. 🙂
Welcome back, edelweiza! Thank you for your comment! It’s actually easy to wash the Longchamp, konting effort lang kasi manual and not washing machine. Basta wag lang magusot habang basa to avoid bubbling 🙂
Hope you show us your cleaned Longchamp 🙂
Hi! Thanks for this nice article. I have a le pliage medium short handle .. my cousin bought it in germany 3 yrs ago for around P4k-5k. Im sure its orig. Now i just bought a neo le pliage sa friend ko dito for 3,500…my supplier sya sa manila…sabi nya kung ano daw yung nasa rustans same daq talaga and its direct from france. It looks really authentic naman at my bar code pa. Nag tataka lang ako kung bakit super mura compared sa rustans. What should i do ba to know if it is really authentic… thought it really looks authentic.
***though it really looks authentic.
Hi Ella 🙂
I’m sorry, I’ve been meaning to post about how to tell if it’s fake. Anyway, since you have an orig Le Pliage, just compare them side by side. For mine, I noticed the size and shape of the flap (the one in between the straps, with the button to close) is slightly different. The handles were also different. The orig one was flatter, while the fake one felt more “springy” and rounder and sometimes sounds squeaky. The strap on my orig ones don’t make any squeaky sound at all.
But otherwise, they look very similar. If I wasn’t really looking for it, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference 🙂
Hi! A friend recently got me a Le Pliage and sent it over through the mail. When I got it from the post office, there were so much bubbles on it :(( Is there any way to fix it? Thanks!
Hi there, Blessie! So sad to hear about your new Le Pliage bubbling 🙁 I found this: http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2014/03/how-to-fix-your-longchamp-le-pliage-bag.html but it’s just a temporary fix.
Longchamp replaces the bags daw but I don’t know the process and you might need proof of purchase, and people have said that the process takes a long time.
I know it’s not a solution, but just FYI in case the only option left is to replace it: Longchamp has already opened stores here in Manila (Greenbelt 5, etc) and their prices are not bad anymore. The regular Le Pliage is now around P6,450. It’s around the same price as buying a Le Pliage in HK (HK$1,050).
Good luck and please update us! 🙂
I appreciate this article being a Long Champ Le Pliage Tote Bag lover myself.
The topics you choose and your style of writing makes us, your readers, empowered 🙂
Thanks!
Thank you for your kind comment, Johanna 🙂
Hmmm yun mga binebenta sa outlet stores sa US are lowest quality and overruns. Madami ng mga journalists ang nagsulat tungkol sa mga bags sa outlet stores. Kung sa outlet stores yan binili, baka authentic nga pero of lowest quality talaga
Does Lazada sell fake Longchamp? I bought mine for PHP2400 only.
Hi! I’m planning to wash my long champ pliage neo rn. Will it be okay if wash ko rin the way you washed yours? Hehe. Thanks
I washed my Planetes the same way din, no problem. So it’s probably okay. Just be gentle with the material 🙂
Hi how do you clean or remove marks from neo.. I have observe when spilled with water afterwards there is a visible marks.. and I don’t like the sight of this marks..
hi thanks for this blog im planning to clean my long champ but i have no idea how.
i hope makapag post ka rin on how to distinguished the fake vs the original one with picture please
thanks
Hi! Thank you for this article. I think I’ve been cleaning my longchamp the wrong way. at first, i was just wiping it with soft wet cloth. but after that it still looks dirty. when i tried washing it, i thought it was already clean after i hang dry but to my surprise, nagbubbles nga. parang mantsa mantsa. i will try your technique to lay flat the bag when cleaning. what i did kasi is i cleaned it like the normal “laba”:P haha. instead of it looking clean, it looks dirty pa because of the “stain-like”bubbles..
Hello! I have read your post only today. And, as of now I already have two(2) purchased longchamp inme. After reading all the comments posted here, I am starting to think that those two are fakes, too. Sad, yes. I bought them in a bazaar I regularly go to. The first one is priced as 1,500.00, while the second one was priced 1,400 (as I can remember) along with a free forever 21 navy blue sling bag (which looks authentic, if I am not mistaken). Anyway, the bottom line of my post is that I find those two(2) overrun Longchamps of mine of good quality. The leather handles look strong and heavy duty. I have been using my first Longchamp for a long time now and still nothing goes wrong with it.
It’ll be my first time to wash my LC Medum Le pliage neo. Mine was bought in Paris when a friend went to Paris. Kinakabahan ako. I have to remove the strap and wash them separately dba? Wala pa naman akong monobloc chair. Hahaha!
Hi lmz,
Yes, wash them separately since the strap is cloth/rope naman, you can do normal laba 🙂
If you have a spin dryer, you can dry it faster (details in the post). If not, just dry it upside down using anything that is clean and won’t stain or deform the bag. 🙂
Hi! Thanks for the info its really helpful. ? love to know i found this article.?
Indeed. Longchamp are the best. Thanks for sharing this tips. Very helpful and reliable.