Taking care
Because it matters
Respecting what you own is an essential part of sustainable consumption. If the average life of clothing was extended only by 3 months, it would reduce its water and carbon footprints with 5-10 %. Together with Arkivé Atelier leather specialists, we want to provide detailed instructions for each of our materials to help you take the best possible care of your bag or jewellery.
Find your product's materials from its DNA-page.
Care products recommended by Arkivé leather specialists
Furniture excess leather
Furniture excess leather used for Lovia bags is highly protected to be resistant to dirt and moisture. This makes the leather rather carefree to maintain.
BEFORE USE
Apply a small amount of leather cream on a cotton cloth. Wipe the bag using circular motions. Allow the cream to absorb for a few minutes. Polish with a leather brush.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Brush through the surface with a leather brush. Clean with a moistened cotton cloth. Let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Moisture and protect: Apply a small amount of leather cream on a cotton cloth. Wipe the bag using circular motions. Allow the cream to absorb for a few minutes.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a leather brush.
STORAGE
Always clean and moisture the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dust bag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Elk leather
Elk leather has a tight fibre structure that makes the leather more resistant to humidity and rain than many other leathers. Elk leather doesn’t necessarily need any protective spray or cream – just a light cleaning with a damp cloth every once in a while is enough. Due to the fibre structure of this leather always choose a light cream with no solvents and low wax content. Thick waxes and leather lotions can result in an unwanted sticky and muddled surface.
BEFORE USE
Elk leather does not need to be treated before use.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Brush through the surface with a soft leather brush. Clean with a slightly moistened cotton cloth. Let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Moisture and protect: Apply a small amount of delicate leather cream on a cotton cloth. Wipe the leather using circular motions. Allow leather to absorb the nutrients for few minutes. Scuffs can be covered with coloured leather cream.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a soft leather brush.
STORAGE
Always clean and moisture the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Elk & Deer Suede
Suede is a soft and porous material, causing it to get markings a tad easier than smooth leather. However, with proper care and protection suede is a very pleasant and durable material! A soft leather brush, a suitable conditioner and protector are its best friends.
BEFORE USE
Spray the bag with either both a conditioning and protecting spray, or alternatively with a multi-purpose spray. It is best to spray the bag in two rounds, so the spray sets evenly on both sides of the leather fibers. First brush the fibers down. Remember to shake and spray a light layer from approximately 25cm distance. Let dry in between rounds for a minimum of 10 minutes. Next brush the fibers up and spray another layer. Again, let dry for 10 minutes and polish off with light back and forth or circular motions. Protection is especially important during the winter!
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: A light and gentle touch with a leather brush is enough to remove excess dirt. For any stains or impressions, there are special suede erasers and rubber brushes that can help uplift the surface again.
2. Moisture and protect: Brush through the surface in back and forth motions so the fibers separate and repeat the two-stage spraying of the 'before use' section. Make sure to add a protective spray if it is not included in your conditioning spray!
STORAGE
Always clean and moisture the bag, before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Furniture Excess Velvet
Thanks to its dense and textured surface, velvet is an easy material to care for. Dust and dirt stay on the surface of the fabric instead of sinking in between the fibres, making cleaning effortless.
BEFORE USE
For the textile we recommend you to use a protecting spray before use to prevent any stains or moisture absorbing into the fabric.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Upkeep of the surface: To remove any loose dust or other dirt from the surface, use a soft bag brush throughout. With velvet it is best to brush in the direction of the texture. Signs of wear may show themselves on the surface of the velvet as imprints and variations in the colour. You can fade out the imprints using a brush and cloth. Cover the imprinted area with a moistened, sheer light cloth. Leave it overnight. Let the fabric dry and then brush through lightly.
2. Clean: Any stains should be removed as soon as they appear. First, you can attempt to remove a stain with a moistened cloth. If that doesn’t do the trick, you can test out a mild, gentle detergent or soap either by hand, cloth or with a smaller soft brush. Finally you press the soap on the surface and wipe away with a moistened cloth and let dry. Once the fabric is completely dry, you can again brush through with a bag brush so the texture reverts back to its form.
3. Protect: Use protecting spray after cleaning your bag.
STORAGE
Always clean the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Furniture Excess Textile
All materials designed for use in interiors are durable and easy to maintain, even in lighter colours.
BEFORE USE
For the textile parts we recommend you to use a protecting spray before use to prevent any stains or moisture absorbing into the fabric. The leather parts can be treated with a thin coat of delicate leather cream.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Any markings on the textile should be removed as soon as they appear. First, you can attempt to remove a stain with a moistened cloth. If that doesn’t do the trick, you can test out a mild, gentle detergent or soap either by hand, cloth or with a smaller soft brush. Rub it gently towards the centre of the stain to prevent any spreading. Finally you press the soap on the surface and wipe away with a moistened cloth, then let dry. If stains have dried onto the surface, a gentle brushing or scratching may be the best method for stain removal.
2. Moisture and Protect: Protecting spray should be used for textile parts after cleaning your bag. For leather parts, apply a small amount of delicate leather cream on a cotton cloth. Allow the cream to absorb for a few minutes.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing leather parts with a leather brush.
STORAGE
Always clean the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Fish leather
As for tensile strength, fish skin is a very strong material. However, the surface of the leather is sensitive to water, stains and drying. This is why you should pay some extra attention to the protection of this leather.
BEFORE USE
Spray the bag with a water protector spray. Spray twice for best protection. Let the leather dry for five minutes between layers. Now your bag is all set and ready for use!
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Brush through the bag with a soft leather brush. Always brush salmon leather in the direction of the scales for minimal abrasive damage. Clean with a slightly moistened cotton cloth. Remember that salmon leather is highly sensitive to water. Be careful not to use too much moisture to avoid any unwanted creases. Let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Moisture and protect: Spray the bag with a water protector spray. Spray twice for best protection. Let the leather to dry for five minutes between the layers.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a soft leather brush.
STORAGE
Remember to clean the bag before long-term storage. Always add the protective spray first after the storage period to let the leather breathe. Store in the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Birch Bark
The weaved panel on your bag is made from birch bark [tuohi]. It is a flexible, durable and waterproof material. The most important factor to consider is to make sure your bag is stored properly. Birch bark loves humidity and in a very dry environment the material may start to crumble and frill. So make sure to also give some moisture to the birch bark when you take care of the leather on your bag. You should also try to avoid too much of direct sunlight on your bag.
BEFORE USE
No need to do anything to the birch bark paneling now.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: You can delicately wipe the birch bark panel with a moistened cloth to clean.
2. Moisture and protect: For the birch bark panel, gently use water and a spray bottle to humidify the surface and let it absorb.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a soft leather brush.
STORAGE
Always clean and moisture the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Organic Finnsheep Leather
Sheep skin is a very subtle leather. Thin, delicate leathers should always be treated with gentle products that contain no solvents and have a low wax content.
BEFORE USE
Apply a thin coat of delicate leather cream with a soft cotton cloth. Massage the cream into the leather in circular motions. Allow the leather to absorb the nutrients for a few minutes and then buff off with a soft leather brush. The delicate cream has a low, protecting wax content so additional protector spray is not needed. Now your bag is ready for use!
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Brush through the bag with soft leather brush. Clean with a slightly moistened cotton cloth. Let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Moisture and protect: Apply a thin coat of delicate leather cream using a cotton cloth. Massage the cream into the leather using circular motions. Allow the leather to absorb the nutrients for a few minutes. Scuffs can be covered with a coloured leather cream. The delicate cream has a low, protecting wax content so additional protector spray is not needed.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a soft leather brush.
STORAGE
Remember to clean and moisture the bag before long-term storage. Store in the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Jewellery and Zipper Pullers
Lovia jewellery is made with care from mostly recycled bronze by our goldsmith Tero Hannonen in Helsinki. Following are instructions on how to make your treasure last a lifetime.
Protection
Always protect your jewellery from scratching, chemicals, sunlight and heat or cold. Store your jewellery in a jewellery box or pouch keeping the pieces apart so they don’t rub together. Your jewellery will age and tarnish naturally. We recommend taking off bronze, silver and rose gold coated jewellery while sweating or swimming in chlorinated or salt water. Avoid nail polish removers, perfume or hairspray getting in touch with the jewellery. To keep your pieces in pristine condition, clean your jewellery regularly.
Different coatings
Our rose gold jewellery has double coating; first layer is 24k gold, topped off with a 18K rose gold layer. We use non-toxic gold coating in our pieces. Our silver coating is made with mostly recycled silver. Silver coated jewellery takes on patina by nature, especially when not in active use.
The uncoated bronze takes on patina by nature.
How to clean
If the surface gets too dark, you can clean it with a polishing cloth. Affected areas can also be gently cleaned with a polishing cloth dampened with mild soap water. If your jewellery needs additional cleaning you can clean it with warm, soapy water, then rinse, let dry, and polish to sparkle.
If the jewellery is heavily affected by scratch marks or the shine wears out, turn to us. To have your jewellery recoated, please contact us for a quote, or take it to your local goldsmith for appraisal.
Care products recommended by Arkivé leather specialists
Furniture excess leather
Furniture excess leather used for Lovia bags is highly protected to be resistant to dirt and moisture. This makes the leather rather carefree to maintain.
BEFORE USE
Apply a small amount of leather cream on a cotton cloth. Wipe the bag using circular motions. Allow the cream to absorb for a few minutes. Polish with a leather brush.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Brush through the surface with a leather brush. Clean with a moistened cotton cloth. Let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Moisture and protect: Apply a small amount of leather cream on a cotton cloth. Wipe the bag using circular motions. Allow the cream to absorb for a few minutes.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a leather brush.
STORAGE
Always clean and moisture the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dust bag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Elk leather
Elk leather has a tight fibre structure that makes the leather more resistant to humidity and rain than many other leathers. Elk leather doesn’t necessarily need any protective spray or cream – just a light cleaning with a damp cloth every once in a while is enough. Due to the fibre structure of this leather always choose a light cream with no solvents and low wax content. Thick waxes and leather lotions can result in an unwanted sticky and muddled surface.
BEFORE USE
Elk leather does not need to be treated before use.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Brush through the surface with a soft leather brush. Clean with a slightly moistened cotton cloth. Let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Moisture and protect: Apply a small amount of delicate leather cream on a cotton cloth. Wipe the leather using circular motions. Allow leather to absorb the nutrients for few minutes. Scuffs can be covered with coloured leather cream.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a soft leather brush.
STORAGE
Always clean and moisture the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Elk & Deer Suede
Suede is a soft and porous material, causing it to get markings a tad easier than smooth leather. However, with proper care and protection suede is a very pleasant and durable material! A soft leather brush, a suitable conditioner and protector are its best friends.
BEFORE USE
Spray the bag with either both a conditioning and protecting spray, or alternatively with a multi-purpose spray. It is best to spray the bag in two rounds, so the spray sets evenly on both sides of the leather fibers. First brush the fibers down. Remember to shake and spray a light layer from approximately 25cm distance. Let dry in between rounds for a minimum of 10 minutes. Next brush the fibers up and spray another layer. Again, let dry for 10 minutes and polish off with light back and forth or circular motions. Protection is especially important during the winter!
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: A light and gentle touch with a leather brush is enough to remove excess dirt. For any stains or impressions, there are special suede erasers and rubber brushes that can help uplift the surface again.
2. Moisture and protect: Brush through the surface in back and forth motions so the fibers separate and repeat the two-stage spraying of the 'before use' section. Make sure to add a protective spray if it is not included in your conditioning spray!
STORAGE
Always clean and moisture the bag, before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Furniture Excess Velvet
Thanks to its dense and textured surface, velvet is an easy material to care for. Dust and
dirt stay on the surface of the fabric instead of sinking in between the fibres, making
cleaning effortless.
BEFORE USE
For the textile we recommend you to use a protecting spray before use to prevent any stains or moisture absorbing into the fabric.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Upkeep of the surface: To remove any loose dust or other dirt from the surface, use a soft bag brush throughout. With velvet it is best to brush in the direction of the texture. Signs of wear may show themselves on the surface of the velvet as imprints and variations in the colour. You can fade out the imprints using a brush and cloth. Cover the imprinted area with a moistened, sheer light cloth. Leave it overnight. Let the fabric dry and then brush through lightly.
2. Clean: Any stains should be removed as soon as they appear. First, you can attempt to remove a stain with a moistened cloth. If that doesn’t do the trick, you can test out a mild,
gentle detergent or soap either by hand, cloth or with a smaller soft brush. Finally you press the soap on the surface and wipe away with a moistened cloth and let dry. Once the fabric is completely dry, you can again brush through with a bag brush so the texture reverts back to its form.
3. Protect: Use protecting spray after cleaning your bag.
STORAGE
Always clean the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Furniture Excess Textile
The textile parts are excess upholstery fabrics and the leather parts excess leather, both
from the furniture industry. All materials designed for use in interiors are durable and
easy to maintain, even in lighter colours.
BEFORE USE
For the textile parts we recommend you to use a protecting spray before use to prevent
any stains or moisture absorbing into the fabric. The leather parts can be treated with
a thin coat of delicate leather cream.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Any markings on the textile should be removed as soon as they appear. First, you can
attempt to remove a stain with a moistened cloth. If that doesn’t do the trick, you can
test out a mild, gentle detergent or soap either by hand, cloth or with a smaller soft
brush. Rub it gently towards the centre of the stain to prevent any spreading. Finally
you press the soap on the surface and wipe away with a moistened cloth, then let dry.
If stains have dried onto the surface, a gentle brushing or scratching may be the best
method for stain removal.
2. Moisture and Protect: Protecting spray should be used for textile parts after cleaning your bag. For leather parts, apply a small amount of delicate leather cream on a cotton cloth. Allow the cream to absorb for a few minutes.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing leather parts with a leather brush.
STORAGE
Always clean the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Fish leather
As for tensile strength, fish skin is a very strong material. However, the surface of the leather is sensitive to water, stains and drying. This is why you should pay some extra attention to the protection of this leather. We will advise you how to best take care of your bag and in this way maximise your years of life together.
BEFORE USE
Spray the bag with a water protector spray. Spray twice for best protection. Let the leather dry for five minutes between layers. Now your bag is all set and ready for use!
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Brush through the bag with a soft leather brush. Always brush salmon leather in the direction of the scales for minimal abrasive damage. Clean with a slightly moistened cotton cloth. Remember that salmon leather is highly sensitive to water. Be careful not to use too much moisture to avoid any unwanted creases. Let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Moisture and protect: Spray the bag with a water protector spray. Spray twice for best protection. Let the leather to dry for five minutes between the layers.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a soft leather brush.
STORAGE
Remember to clean the bag before long-term storage. Always add the protective spray first after the storage period to let the leather breathe. Store in the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Birch Bark
The weaved panel on your bag is made from birch bark [tuohi]. It is a flexible, durable and waterproof material. The most important factor to consider is to make sure your bag is stored properly. Birch bark loves humidity and in a very dry environment the material may start to crumble and frill. So make sure to also give some moisture to the birch bark when you take care of the leather on your bag. You should also try to avoid too much of direct sunlight on your bag.
BEFORE USE
No need to do anything to the birch bark paneling now.
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: You can delicately wipe the birch bark panel with a moistened cloth to clean.
2. Moisture and protect: For the birch bark panel, gently use water and a spray bottle to humidify the surface and let it absorb.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a soft leather brush.
STORAGE
Always clean and moisture the bag before long-term storage. Store inside the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Organic Finnsheep Leather
Sheep skin is a very subtle leather. Thin, delicate leathers should always be treated with gentle products that contain no solvents and have a low wax content.
BEFORE USE
Apply a thin coat of delicate leather cream with a soft cotton cloth. Massage the cream into the leather in circular motions. Allow the leather to absorb the nutrients for a few minutes and then buff off with a soft leather brush. The delicate cream has a low, protecting wax content so additional protector spray is not needed. Now your bag is ready for use!
CLEANING AND SEASONAL CARE
1. Clean: Brush through the bag with soft leather brush. Clean with a slightly moistened cotton cloth. Let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Moisture and protect: Apply a thin coat of delicate leather cream using a cotton cloth. Massage the cream into the leather using circular motions. Allow the leather to absorb the nutrients for a few minutes. Scuffs can be covered with a coloured leather cream. The delicate cream has a low, protecting wax content so additional protector spray is not needed.
3. Polish: Finish by polishing with a soft leather brush.
STORAGE
Remember to clean and moisture the bag before long-term storage. Store in the Lovia dustbag and place in a cool and clean indoor location with balanced humidity.
Jewellery and Zipper Pullers
Lovia jewellery is made with care from mostly recycled bronze by our goldsmith Tero Hannonen in Helsinki. Following are instructions on how to make your treasure last a lifetime.
Protection
Always protect your jewellery from scratching, chemicals, sunlight and heat or cold. Store your jewellery in a jewellery box or pouch keeping the pieces apart so they don’t rub together. Your jewellery will age and tarnish naturally. We recommend taking off bronze, silver and rose gold coated jewellery while sweating or swimming in chlorinated or salt water. Avoid nail polish removers, perfume or hairspray getting in touch with the jewellery. To keep your pieces in pristine condition, clean your jewellery regularly.
Different coatings
Our rose gold jewellery has double coating; first layer is 24k gold, topped off with a 18K rose gold layer. We use non-toxic gold coating in our pieces. Our silver coating is made with mostly recycled silver. Silver coated jewellery takes on patina by nature, especially when not in active use.
The uncoated bronze takes on patina by nature.
How to clean
If the surface gets too dark, you can clean it with a polishing cloth. Affected areas can also be gently cleaned with a polishing cloth dampened with mild soap water. If your jewellery needs additional cleaning you can clean it with warm, soapy water, then rinse, let dry, and polish to sparkle.
If the jewellery is heavily affected by scratch marks or the shine wears out, turn to us. To have your jewellery recoated, please contact us for a quote, or take it to your local goldsmith for appraisal.
