Any of you ladies know any tricks to get stains (likely food or oil) off canvas bags? I have this cute little Kate Spade summer canvas bag but has couple random yellow stains already =(
thanks!

I think for canvas, you can just try soap and water.

I would double check with the store to see what they recommend. Find out if it is waterproof or treated first, and if not is it ok to sponge it clean.
For light dirt:
I'd use a really mild soap, and a tiny spot of it put onto a damp soft sponge and squeezed a bit first to get rid of excess water and to spread the soap into the sponge. Don't apply soap direct to the canvas.. Dab at the canvas using the lightly soapy cloth, then use a clean damp cloth to lift the soap off.
You can repeat this if need be, but try to use as little soap as possible as it can leave a light mark on dark colours that's difficulyt to get off.
Don't rub or scrub the fabric, as it can affect the pile and spread the problem.
Leave it to dry naturally.
Oils are more tricky:
be careful not to spread it around, and it may not come off completely.
Pen is the worst, and probably won't come off. It can also spread if you try and get it off with water.
Best not to try anything with pen.

Originally Posted by Judy Bown

I would double check with the store to see what they recommend. Find out if it is waterproof or treated first, and if not is it ok to sponge it clean. For light dirt: I'd use a really mild soap, and a tiny spot of it put onto a damp soft sponge and squeezed a bit first to get rid of excess water and to spread the soap into the sponge. Don't apply soap direct to the canvas.. Dab at the canvas using the lightly soapy cloth, then use a clean damp cloth to lift the soap off. You can repeat this if need be, but try to use as little soap as possible as it can leave a light mark on dark colours that's difficulyt to get off. Don't rub or scrub the fabric, as it can affect the pile and spread the problem. Leave it to dry naturally. Oils are more tricky: be careful not to spread it around, and it may not come off completely. Pen is the worst, and probably won't come off. It can also spread if you try and get it off with water. Best not to try anything with pen.

Wow, I didn't know so much could go into cleaning a canvas bag :) Most of my canvas bags are dark, so I don't have this issue too often. I did spill a little coke on a Coach bag once, and the canvas was suppose to be stain-resistant. I just rubbed it with my finger, and it disappeared. I was very impressed.

I've just seen the post about using a Mars Plastic eraser to clean stains off leather, it seems successfully.

I can imagine that this could also work on marks on canvas... I would give it a test on a scrap of similar fabric first, or somewhere inconspicuous on the bag, before using it. Again, depending on the nature of the stain, be careful not to potentially spread it around.

See if it works. Could save a lot of anxious dabbing!

Sorry, I can go on a bit!
(18 years in the industry and seen a lot of horror stories!)

I have a question similar to this. I've got a large white Guess hobo bag. I believe the style is "Sicily". I just noticed two large, black stains on the side of the purse and I'm not sure how to remove them. I'm not sure of what kind of fabric the bag is either. I checked the Guess website and the only information I could find was that it was made of Guess' "quattro-G" fabric. Could someone please help me? Thanks in advance!

thanks ladies for all the suggestions! im gonna try out the soap method today! and if it fails i guess ill be buying myself some magic eraser=)

sadly the soap+ water method didnt work..... repeated it a couple times. I guess also these stains are kind of old. Is it really hard to get stains off if u dont do immediately...? =(

Well, don't trust me much on this.. but if it's canvas, couldn't you treat it a bit with a stain-remover (like Shout) and then wash it with plain old soap and water?

Don't put the whole bag into water if it has an interlining of cardboard!

I clean my old Kate Spades very vigorously, they are worthless if left as they were so I go for broke. I try the dishwashing suds on a sponge then on a brush. If no improvement, I then put straight dishwashing soap on the stain and scrub. Rinse well without soaking the bag which will ruin the cardboard interlining! Use a hand held hair dryer to check your progress. If the dishwashing soap doesn't work I *will* get out the big guns, Resolve. That will remove grease. It will also fade cotton canvas. I now have a faded red canvas and leather Kate Spade Sam. Fine by me, it hasn't the awful built up grime from daily use it came with. Used the Resolve with the disgusting lining of a boarskin and multistripe Leonore with melted candy in the pocket.

What about the Tide pen? I haven't bought one, have heard rave reviews.

Well hopefully this won't stump you...I have a canvas Burberry diaper bag and it is a wreck. I called Burberry and all they said was use a natural soap, but didn't specify how. I'm tempted to just throw it in the washer on gentle and let it air dry. I don't think the spot cleaning it will do the trick. If I had to guess, the spots are a mixture of water spots and milk...maybe. Plus just the wear and tear of carrying it almost everywhere I go. Help!!!

I read a post where someone used carpet cleaner(spray). She said it worked, I tried it(on my Hampton Twill) and yes, it does work. Just follow the directions and don't go crazy.

Just scrub the stains off with Oxalic Acid mixed with a small amount of water.
Be careful not to let it touch the colorful parts of your bag so it will not fade.

You can buy oxalic acid at your local drugstores.
Worked great for my Kate Spade canvas bag.

agent foxxy, your suggestion of oxalic acid was our last best hope--I've tried a few different things on my wife's Kate Spade canvas bag, with indifferent results, so I've been wearing out my moccasins and Googling fingers trying to track down the oxalic. Drugstores: nope. Hardware stores, lumber stores, Home Depot and True Value: nope. Finally gave up and ordered it online, absorbing a shipping cost almost the equal of the product's cost itself. But if it does the trick, I'll share w/ everyone here...