I agree with all of the above but I also wouldn't have any problems dunking a lined bag that the color was such a close match. I should put a disclaimer, however, as I ran a bag with legacy stripe lining through the washing machine.

I would dunk first (again, note my above disclaimer) because sometimes I feel like too many attempts to clean with other solvents set the stain. That's me though, I'm NOT the most conservative rehabber.

Originally Posted by NCBDTeam

WILL DO! Thanks a ton! I have never given a bag a bath....kinda nervous AHHH

Giving a bath to a lined bag isn't usually my first choice but I have done it several times without any problems. At the link below are pics of a dark brown soho flap bag with tan lining that I dunked. The first 2 pics in the album are "after" pic and the other are before. This bag was in much worse shape than yours but it came out okay. Good luck!

http://s1226.photobucket.com/albums/...pBrown_F10910/

Originally Posted by NCBDTeam

WILL DO! Thanks a ton! I have never given a bag a bath....kinda nervous AHHH

If you do dunk, pull the lining out completely when you lay it out to dry. I bathed a bag that had a dark lining and the dark lining bled a tiny bit onto the leather which I could have avoided if I had pulled it out during the drying process. I don't think you will have any problem though because it is unlikely that the leather will bleed onto the lining.

Originally Posted by katev

I have heard that they sell Wenol at auto parts stores but I have checked several and never found it. I buy it on ebay, sometimes with my ebay bucks. Here's an ebay vendor at the link below, nma. Your laila is a gorgeous bag, I think you should take her to a jeweler first to ask for an opinion about polishing out the scratches. Good luck! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Red-Wenol-Me...item416723d7ee

Thank you. I will take her to a jeweler first and it seems like Wenol is just good to have around. Thanks so much!

Originally Posted by tamshac77

Thank you. I will take her to a jeweler first and it seems like Wenol is just good to have around. Thanks so much!

I found Wenol on Amazon.

Hello! I recently posted this elsewhere, but this thread looks to be the best place for my post!

I recently procured a beautiful, vintage Coach purse from Goodwill. I will have the purse authenticated one day, but from what I can see (according to TPF and eBay guides regarding authentication), the purse is authentic. But, I digress.

Anyway, I am wondering how I can clean the purse up! The leather is glove-tanned cowhide, and the interior is sueded (unlined). I can see dark marks (stains) on the exterior, as well as a large, light area, likely to be from water damage. The interior is fine, just a little dusty. Would I carry the purse as-is? Absolutely! The stains and the water damage aren't ridiculously prominent, but if I can salvage the purse and give it a good cleaning, all the better! The reason I couldn't say no to the purse was because of the color, a beautiful and rich shade of lagoon/teal. And for $12? Too perfect.

The color is my primary concern. Cleaning guides I've read (on TPF and elsewhere) have only dealt with darker (i.e., black and brown) colored purses, but my purse is a brighter color. The extensive guide I've seen on TPF says to be cautious about cleaning purses with bright colors (hence my trepidation). I am completely interested in rehabilitating and reviving the purse, but only if I can be sure I won't heighten its present injuries.

What is the safest method of cleaning my new (old) Coach? Is there anything I can try at home? Are there products I should purchase? What would you do if you were in my shoes? I would prefer to avoid a cobbler (because my experiences with leather shoes have not been particularly glowing), but I know I must have more options. Anything I can do at home would be fantastic, but I am certainly willing to invest some money into this project.

Any help would be extremely appreciated (and I hope I posted this in the proper place!). Hopefully if all goes well, I'll be posting before and after pictures soon! Thanks, everyone!

We'd love to see the before pix now so we can better help you!

Originally Posted by l***be

We'd love to see the before pix now so we can better help you!

I will post pictures momentarily!

Originally Posted by Funeral

Hello! I recently posted this elsewhere, but this thread looks to be the best place for my post! I recently procured a beautiful, vintage Coach purse from Goodwill. I will have the purse authenticated one day, but from what I can see (according to TPF and eBay guides regarding authentication), the purse is authentic. But, I digress. Anyway, I am wondering how I can clean the purse up! The leather is glove-tanned cowhide, and the interior is sueded (unlined). I can see dark marks (stains) on the exterior, as well as a large, light area, likely to be from water damage. The interior is fine, just a little dusty. Would I carry the purse as-is? Absolutely! The stains and the water damage aren't ridiculously prominent, but if I can salvage the purse and give it a good cleaning, all the better! The reason I couldn't say no to the purse was because of the color, a beautiful and rich shade of lagoon/teal. And for $12? Too perfect. The color is my primary concern. Cleaning guides I've read (on TPF and elsewhere) have only dealt with darker (i.e., black and brown) colored purses, but my purse is a brighter color. The extensive guide I've seen on TPF says to be cautious about cleaning purses with bright colors (hence my trepidation). I am completely interested in rehabilitating and reviving the purse, but only if I can be sure I won't heighten its present injuries. What is the safest method of cleaning my new (old) Coach? Is there anything I can try at home? Are there products I should purchase? What would you do if you were in my shoes? I would prefer to avoid a cobbler (because my experiences with leather shoes have not been particularly glowing), but I know I must have more options. Anything I can do at home would be fantastic, but I am certainly willing to invest some money into this project. Any help would be extremely appreciated (and I hope I posted this in the proper place!). Hopefully if all goes well, I'll be posting before and after pictures soon! Thanks, everyone!

Welcome to the thread! Don't freak out, but we like to bath our bags here. Yes, you heard correctly, we bath our bags. How long depends on the condition. Sometimes they really have to soak to get shoe polish or the nasty Coach silicone polish out. I use warm water and Dawn. Bathing has a way of evening the color of the bag out. Go back to the start of the thread and read what some of the other girls have done. You're get an idea of what other people have done, and get some real inspiration as well. That way you can hear what some of the other girls think. I love Blackrock leather conditioner and Obenauf's as a wax for waterproofing. I bought both on EBay.

Save for the dreary lighting, the color of the purse is represented justly (though a bit darker than it is in person/in sunlight). Unfortunately, I don't have the best lighting in my living room right now, but at least you can see all of my concerns with the purse in the pictures. Let me know what you think! I'm absolutely wild about the color (which is strange, since I'm more into neutral colors for accessories), but I couldn't help myself.

Originally Posted by chowlover2

Welcome to the thread! Don't freak out, but we like to bath our bags here. Yes, you heard correctly, we bath our bags. How long depends on the condition. Sometimes they really have to soak to get shoe polish or the nasty Coach silicone polish out. I use warm water and Dawn. Bathing has a way of evening the color of the bag out. Go back to the start of the thread and read what some of the other girls have done. You're get an idea of what other people have done, and get some real inspiration as well. That way you can hear what some of the other girls think. I love Blackrock leather conditioner and Obenauf's as a wax for waterproofing. I bought both on EBay.

Thank you for the warm welcome! I've read about 20+ pages from the beginning of the thread (and the middle of the thread), so I was able to grasp a good idea of how fulfilling a bag rehabilitation can be. I'm very excited, and hopefully I can do something to better the condition of my vintage Coach. A warm water bath with Dawn soap was exactly what I was thinking would be the best first step, but because of the color of the purse, I'm hesitant about doing anything without receiving advice first.

Originally Posted by Funeral

Thank you for the warm welcome! I've read about 20+ pages from the beginning of the thread (and the middle of the thread), so I was able to grasp a good idea of how fulfilling a bag rehabilitation can be. I'm very excited, and hopefully I can do something to better the condition of my vintage Coach. A warm water bath with Dawn soap was exactly what I was thinking would be the best first step, but because of the color of the purse, I'm hesitant about doing anything without receiving advice first.

I LOVE that color! It's gorgeous. I think a bath, padding her with towels to maintain shape and letting her air dry, then starting with polish. 2 coats of Blackrock first with 3hr airtime between coats, then2 coats of Obenauf's and a final of Blackrock. But bathe and air dry first to see how she looks.

If I wasn't already in bed, I'd post pix of the Anderson I dunked last week. I think its the same color and it came out beautifully. It was cleaner than that and just needed reshaping so I didn't dunk it for very long, but I didn't even notice that the water turned green at all.

I have to be at work at 5 am tomorrow and won't be home till late afternoon to post pix, but I can tell you I wouldn't hesitate to dunk that baby! Any guesses on what the spots are?

Originally Posted by chowlover2

I LOVE that color! It's gorgeous. I think a bath, padding her with towels to maintain shape and letting her air dry, then starting with polish. 2 coats of Blackrock first with 3hr airtime between coats, then2 coats of Obenauf's and a final of Blackrock. But bathe and air dry first to see how she looks.

Thank you! Your plan and approach is exactly what I was considering! I'll need to purchase the Blackrock and Obenauf's, but that's about all I'd need.

Now, I do have a few questions, being completely new to this and everything (so I apologize if some of my questions sound silly!). When bathing the bag, how long do you think I should leave it in the water (warm water?) for? I assume I will leave it on one side for x amount of minutes and on the other side for x amount of minutes. Also, should I wait for the bag to dry completely before applying Blackrock? I'm assuming the best way to dry the bag is to (as others have said) fill it with towels and let it sit to maintain the shape (correct me if I'm wrong!). Finally, with the Obenauf's, should I wait a certain amount of time between applications? And, with applications, is there a certain method to applying the Blackrock/Obenauf's? Pardon all the questions!

Originally Posted by l***be

If I wasn't already in bed, I'd post pix of the Anderson I dunked last week. I think its the same color and it came out beautifully. It was cleaner than that and just needed reshaping so I didn't dunk it for very long, but I didn't even notice that the water turned green at all. I have to be at work at 5 am tomorrow and won't be home till late afternoon to post pix, but I can tell you I wouldn't hesitate to dunk that baby! Any guesses on what the spots are?

Wow, how wonderful! It's great to know that you've had a positive experience with a brightly colored bag (especially a bag that's the same color as the one I'm trying to save!). Did you notice a change in the color of the leather post-dunking at all? The water turning green sounds a little scary, but the fact that the end result was beautiful is really convincing me to just go for it! I'd still love to see your pictures, though! I imagine I'll wash and dry the bag tomorrow and order the products I need in the meantime. I'll definitely document the journey with photos and be sure to post with updates.

Also, I'm not sure what the stains are... The big, lighter mark looks to be some sort of liquid damage, but I'm not sure about the darker marks. I'm really hoping a bath will restore some of its life!