Most of us will be familiar with silica gel – it is those white little sachets you sometimes see in food packaging or new bags or wallets that clearly say “Do Not Eat”. The purpose of these sachets is as a desiccant where the silica gel within absorbs the humidity in the air and keeps the products fresh for longer. When humidity decreases, the incidence of mould similarly decreases. There are a myriad of uses of silica gel but what I’m primarily telling you about today is about the use of this silica gel to reduce the incidence of mould on your leather bags.
After doing quite a bit of research, I found out that there are some silica gel that will change colour when they have absorbed the moisture from the air, so you can then change the beads when necessary. I also found out that one of the easiest places to find these silica gel beads is at a photo shop!

Leather holds moisture, and persistent moisture poses a mildew risk. Mildew can grow on any wet surface under the right conditions. Leather naturally consists of mold-friendly nutrients, so if you want to avoid mildew growth on your leather bags, jackets or other leather articles, you must take proactive measures to keep the material clean and dry.

Typical humidity levels in Singapore may hit as high as 90% RH, this is bad for storage of such goods; it could cause your branded handbags, shoes, precious accessories, and collections to turn moldy, deteriorating, discolouring, aged, oxidized, stained, rotting, getting bad odours, or loosening their lustre. These damages not only affect the value of your precious items, but also waste your time, effort and money to correct the problems, e.g., repair, maintenance, cleaning up. Therefore it is so important to invest in a quality dehumidifier to preserve your quality luxury goods. The usage of a dehumidifier at settings 30~50% would be best to maintain leather and faux leather products. (Note: Humidity set too low will cause leather to crack easily.)