My vintage suitcase collection started about 25 years ago.
Back when Uncle Sam moved our military family around, we lived in our share of small homes with limited storage.
At the time, old suitcases were cheap, $2 – $5 at the flea market.
And so, I began buying them up to store things like craft supplies, photo albums, and cassette tapes and stacking them around the house.
The suitcase stacks doubled as our coffee table, end tables, TV stand, and bedroom nightstands. I was the storage ninja of the military wives club.
I have close to 100 vintage suitcases now, all spread throughout the house and full of stuff.
Once our military days were behind us, we bought a grand old house with, get this, limited storage space. Needless to say, these vintage suitcases are just as handy today as they were when I first started collecting them.
To find things quickly, I have a system.
It took me a while, but I finally have a system in place to know what’s inside of each suitcase. I tag each handle with a number and have a spreadsheet with the corresponding number, along with the location, description of the suitcase, and what’s stored inside.
I’m at the point where I don’t need another vintage suitcase,
and this makes my husband exceedingly happy. I rarely buy a vintage suitcase now unless I find one that’s unique or in better shape than one I already have. I have a booth at a local antique mall where I re-sell my old ones, if my daughter doesn’t claim them first.
If you’re new to collecting vintage suitcases, be warned that they’re not cheap. Depending on size and condition, expect to pay $35 and higher at antique malls and flea markets. Sometimes you can get lucky and find them at the thrift shops or tag sales for under $15.
Most vintage suitcases come with a funky old smell.
Like most old things that collect dust in an attic or closet for decades, the interior of a vintage suitcase can smell REALLY bad! I’ve tried many tricks throughout the years to remove the funky smells inside of my vintage suitcases. Here are a few hacks that have worked for me and for other collector friends of mine. For best results, you might want to vacuum or wipe it out first.
- You can open them up and leave them out in the fresh air and sunshine for a few days. Be sure to bring it in at night to keep the dew off. Check the weather report to make sure your vintage treasure doesn’t get rained on. I learned this the hard way with my very first suitcase.
- Same as above but spray with commercial sprays like OdoBan, Fabreeze, or Lysol Spray. I buy the strongest “for removing pet odor” solution.
- If the above doesn’t seem to work, you can put things inside and close the lid tight for a few weeks to several months – things like coffee (ground or beans), scented candles (unlit of course), a bar of scented soap, essential oils, or even some dry kitty litter.
To clean the exterior of the suitcase,
I use leather and vinyl cleaners to clean my vintage suitcases (sold at the auto parts store). For the fabric and paper-covered suitcases, I use a clean damp rag with just enough water to remove the dust and easy stuff. I never scrub them.
Sometimes I have to use luggage stickers to cover ugly stains and blemishes. But you can also use them to add pizzaz to your vintage suitcases too! There are lots of vintage-inspired luggage stickers you can buy online.
Follow this link to vintage-inspired luggage stickers by a nifty company I like called Laughing Elephant.
If you have any tips to share about cleaning or making your vintage suitcases smell fresh, please leave a comment below.
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