For all you know, your wallet is a plague incubator. Cash is filthy, and credit cards are, too. You slide them into mysterious cracks, where everyone else crams their cards, probably after picking a bottomless wedgie. And where do your cards go next? Right back into your grimy-ass wallet with your grimy-ass cash. And I’ll bet you’ve never once cleaned your wallet, have you?
Well, today’s the day, because Mark Ward of Walletopia wallet reviews is here to share his wallet-cleaning secrets.
For Leather Wallets, Baby Shampoo Is Best
I knew my stockpile of baby shampoo would come in handy someday! “Heat assists in destroying the virus’ outer layer, so applying hot water along with a baby shampoo, which has a PH similar to leather wallets, is the best method,” Ward explains. “Wrap a corner of the cloth around one or two fingers, and scrub in a circular motion, ensuring you’re getting into the corners and tight spots. What do you do about the interior of card slots? If you clean your cards, when cleaned, the residual cleaning solution will help attack any virus that may be on the inside of a card slot.” For plastic debit and credit cards, an antibacterial wipe or an alcohol-based cleanser works well.
Ward emphasizes that, when cleaning, the water should be extra hot, and once your leather wallet is entirely spotless, you should give it a good once-over. “The water used on the cloth should almost be too hot to handle, and once you’ve scrubbed your leather wallet, be sure to wipe off any residual soap with very hot water using a clean cloth,” he says. Then, condition: “After the wallet has dried, you must be aggressive in applying a leather moisturizer to rehydrate the pores of the leather.”
Lastly, don’t be tempted to use a stronger cleaning solution, even if you just jammed your card into an extra funky crevice. “Common sense would say alcohol or bleach would be better, but the risk is these liquids could discolor the leather, so going with a simple, but effective hot water and soap solution works best,” Ward says.
For Carbon Fiber or Metal Wallets, Alcohol Is Best
If you have one of those fancy 007-esque gadget-like wallets, Ward says, “You have more options, where using alcohol, disinfecting wipes or even bleach (although it’s still a harsh chemical and should be used with caution) can achieve quicker results.”
For All Wallets, Cash Freakin’ Sucks
“Once you’ve gone to the work of cleaning your wallet, you might as well stop carrying cash due to it being a carrier material, and then wipe down all your credit cards,” says Ward. “Since most of us use one or two cards most of the time, setting up a time each week to wipe them down will keep you as clean and virus-free as possible.”
Now don’t spend your very clean money all in one place, alright?
Ian Lecklitner
Ian Lecklitner is a staff writer at MEL Magazine. He mostly writes about everyone's favorite things: Sex, drugs and food.
