Dooney rehab thread
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Small update...
I got the bag clean except for an ink mark. I used it and can't stand it. I need big bags even if there is nothing in them. Lol. I hate bags that fit everything just right because everything comes out when you need one item.
I'm going to condition and paint the scuff marks then try to get my money back at my yard sale!!
I got the bag clean except for an ink mark. I used it and can't stand it. I need big bags even if there is nothing in them. Lol. I hate bags that fit everything just right because everything comes out when you need one item.
I'm going to condition and paint the scuff marks then try to get my money back at my yard sale!!
Wow at least u got it clean I guess. I agree w u on needing a big bag for most daily activities. I've tried smaller bags too and everything is on top of each other. Just doesn't work...I always think at the beginning it will work but then it only makes me nervous that something important will fall out as i try to find something and I won't see it fall.
Good luck at ur yard sale!'
At the request of several of fellow TPFers, I'm creating this thread as a supplement to the one over in the Coach section. This is all about finding less-than-perfect Dooneys and making them fabulous again.
I'll start out showing my before and after of this Florentine front pocket satchel. I bought her on Mercari for a steal ($35) and when she arrived, poor thing was....sad, which I knew going in. Here's a couple of before pic:
I ran a sink full of tepid water with a few drops of blue Dawn and put it in to soak. Oh my, poor thing was parched. I've never seen a bag absorb water so quickly and I've done lots of leather bag rehabs. I only let her soak for about 15 minutes and then took a semi-stiff kitchen scrubber to the lining, which was filthy.
Normally, I let my older all leather Coach bags soak for about 15 minutes each side but with this one, I was worried about it having cardboard stiffeners inside the lining and also the green backing of the tassels pulling away from the leather front, in case they were glued.
I gently scrubbed the outside to try to dislodge some of the dirt and spots near the corners and bottom which you can see in the above photos.
There was some leeching of color from the red lining. I've noticed some linings bleed a lot more than others. Before I dunked, I was really worried about the green suede at the top of the lining and at the back of the tassels bleeding; no bleeding happened that I saw. The water was a fairly light brownish red color before I pulled the plug. Here's before a rinse:
I ran water directly into the lining and swished it around really well, getting into the pockets and rinsed really well. I had to be careful not to lift by the handles; I was afraid of stretching them out or compromising the internal structure of them. I turned it upside down and let the water drain out for about five minutes. Sometimes for lighter bags, I just "impale" them on the water faucet and let them drain. This baby was too heavy for that. After a good drain, I stuffed a towel inside and gently squished it around to absorb a lot of the remaining water. The towel came out slightly pink from the lining but not much to speak of.
I immediately rubbed her down with a coat of Leather CPR (available online or at Bed, Bath and Beyond). I wasn't careful to rub it all in but rather saturated her all over in a nice coat. Since the weight had gone down a bit after draining and blotting, I hung her up by both handles, distributing the weight evenly and put a fan on her. Since she was hanging, I didn't worry about water stains which could happen if it was lying on its side. Some of the lighter color Coach bags are easy to water stain (remedied by re-bathing) unless you rotate every 15 minutes or so.
After about 30 minutes, I blotted the inside again and inside the front pocket (I stuck a washcloth in there and gently pressed to squeeze the water out. Then after about an hour, I reapplied the Leather CPR. She was drinking it in like crazy. I made sure the front pocket wasn't latched so air could circulate in there as well to help dry. I left her in front of the fan overnight and rotated about halfway through when the dogs went out to potty (at 1AM!!!). I made sure to prop the zipper "flaps" slightly open so air could get under there too.
The next morning, I applied another coat of Leather CPR and pulled the lining out to completely dry it as the bottom was still damp. I didn't worry about shaping as it dried because the hanging seemed to do that for me. Some of the Coach bags require stuffing with towels to reshape them properly.
I did notice a few small pen marks on the zipper flaps after she completely dried but I won't worry about those. Pen ink is notoriously hard to remove from leather without damaging the color.
I think she turned out great. Here's the finished product:
I want to say, I am by no means an expert at rehabbing. Some of the ladies over on the Coach Rehab thread have done some very dramatic makeovers and have way more knowledge and experience at this than I do. Maybe we can drag some of them over to this thread to lend their expertise to this one!
Feel free to add your rehabs, questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. to keep this thread alive! As always, rehab at your own risk!
I'll start out showing my before and after of this Florentine front pocket satchel. I bought her on Mercari for a steal ($35) and when she arrived, poor thing was....sad, which I knew going in. Here's a couple of before pic:
I ran a sink full of tepid water with a few drops of blue Dawn and put it in to soak. Oh my, poor thing was parched. I've never seen a bag absorb water so quickly and I've done lots of leather bag rehabs. I only let her soak for about 15 minutes and then took a semi-stiff kitchen scrubber to the lining, which was filthy.
Normally, I let my older all leather Coach bags soak for about 15 minutes each side but with this one, I was worried about it having cardboard stiffeners inside the lining and also the green backing of the tassels pulling away from the leather front, in case they were glued.
I gently scrubbed the outside to try to dislodge some of the dirt and spots near the corners and bottom which you can see in the above photos.
There was some leeching of color from the red lining. I've noticed some linings bleed a lot more than others. Before I dunked, I was really worried about the green suede at the top of the lining and at the back of the tassels bleeding; no bleeding happened that I saw. The water was a fairly light brownish red color before I pulled the plug. Here's before a rinse:
I ran water directly into the lining and swished it around really well, getting into the pockets and rinsed really well. I had to be careful not to lift by the handles; I was afraid of stretching them out or compromising the internal structure of them. I turned it upside down and let the water drain out for about five minutes. Sometimes for lighter bags, I just "impale" them on the water faucet and let them drain. This baby was too heavy for that. After a good drain, I stuffed a towel inside and gently squished it around to absorb a lot of the remaining water. The towel came out slightly pink from the lining but not much to speak of.
I immediately rubbed her down with a coat of Leather CPR (available online or at Bed, Bath and Beyond). I wasn't careful to rub it all in but rather saturated her all over in a nice coat. Since the weight had gone down a bit after draining and blotting, I hung her up by both handles, distributing the weight evenly and put a fan on her. Since she was hanging, I didn't worry about water stains which could happen if it was lying on its side. Some of the lighter color Coach bags are easy to water stain (remedied by re-bathing) unless you rotate every 15 minutes or so.
After about 30 minutes, I blotted the inside again and inside the front pocket (I stuck a washcloth in there and gently pressed to squeeze the water out. Then after about an hour, I reapplied the Leather CPR. She was drinking it in like crazy. I made sure the front pocket wasn't latched so air could circulate in there as well to help dry. I left her in front of the fan overnight and rotated about halfway through when the dogs went out to potty (at 1AM!!!). I made sure to prop the zipper "flaps" slightly open so air could get under there too.
The next morning, I applied another coat of Leather CPR and pulled the lining out to completely dry it as the bottom was still damp. I didn't worry about shaping as it dried because the hanging seemed to do that for me. Some of the Coach bags require stuffing with towels to reshape them properly.
I did notice a few small pen marks on the zipper flaps after she completely dried but I won't worry about those. Pen ink is notoriously hard to remove from leather without damaging the color.
I think she turned out great. Here's the finished product:
I want to say, I am by no means an expert at rehabbing. Some of the ladies over on the Coach Rehab thread have done some very dramatic makeovers and have way more knowledge and experience at this than I do. Maybe we can drag some of them over to this thread to lend their expertise to this one!
Feel free to add your rehabs, questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. to keep this thread alive! As always, rehab at your own risk!
Great job and thanks for all the info. I've never rehabbed a handbag. But after seeing your results, I might not be so chicken after all.At the request of several of fellow TPFers, I'm creating this thread as a supplement to the one over in the Coach section. This is all about finding less-than-perfect Dooneys and making them fabulous again.
I'll start out showing my before and after of this Florentine front pocket satchel. I bought her on Mercari for a steal ($35) and when she arrived, poor thing was....sad, which I knew going in. Here's a couple of before pic:
View attachment 3508333
View attachment 3508334
View attachment 3508335
View attachment 3508336
View attachment 3508337
I ran a sink full of tepid water with a few drops of blue Dawn and put it in to soak. Oh my, poor thing was parched. I've never seen a bag absorb water so quickly and I've done lots of leather bag rehabs. I only let her soak for about 15 minutes and then took a semi-stiff kitchen scrubber to the lining, which was filthy.
Normally, I let my older all leather Coach bags soak for about 15 minutes each side but with this one, I was worried about it having cardboard stiffeners inside the lining and also the green backing of the tassels pulling away from the leather front, in case they were glued.
I gently scrubbed the outside to try to dislodge some of the dirt and spots near the corners and bottom which you can see in the above photos.
There was some leeching of color from the red lining. I've noticed some linings bleed a lot more than others. Before I dunked, I was really worried about the green suede at the top of the lining and at the back of the tassels bleeding; no bleeding happened that I saw. The water was a fairly light brownish red color before I pulled the plug. Here's before a rinse:
View attachment 3508338
I ran water directly into the lining and swished it around really well, getting into the pockets and rinsed really well. I had to be careful not to lift by the handles; I was afraid of stretching them out or compromising the internal structure of them. I turned it upside down and let the water drain out for about five minutes. Sometimes for lighter bags, I just "impale" them on the water faucet and let them drain. This baby was too heavy for that. After a good drain, I stuffed a towel inside and gently squished it around to absorb a lot of the remaining water. The towel came out slightly pink from the lining but not much to speak of.
View attachment 3508339
I immediately rubbed her down with a coat of Leather CPR (available online or at Bed, Bath and Beyond). I wasn't careful to rub it all in but rather saturated her all over in a nice coat. Since the weight had gone down a bit after draining and blotting, I hung her up by both handles, distributing the weight evenly and put a fan on her. Since she was hanging, I didn't worry about water stains which could happen if it was lying on its side. Some of the lighter color Coach bags are easy to water stain (remedied by re-bathing) unless you rotate every 15 minutes or so.
View attachment 3508340
After about 30 minutes, I blotted the inside again and inside the front pocket (I stuck a washcloth in there and gently pressed to squeeze the water out. Then after about an hour, I reapplied the Leather CPR. She was drinking it in like crazy. I made sure the front pocket wasn't latched so air could circulate in there as well to help dry. I left her in front of the fan overnight and rotated about halfway through when the dogs went out to potty (at 1AM!!!). I made sure to prop the zipper "flaps" slightly open so air could get under there too.
The next morning, I applied another coat of Leather CPR and pulled the lining out to completely dry it as the bottom was still damp. I didn't worry about shaping as it dried because the hanging seemed to do that for me. Some of the Coach bags require stuffing with towels to reshape them properly.
I did notice a few small pen marks on the zipper flaps after she completely dried but I won't worry about those. Pen ink is notoriously hard to remove from leather without damaging the color.
I think she turned out great. Here's the finished product:
View attachment 3508341
I want to say, I am by no means an expert at rehabbing. Some of the ladies over on the Coach Rehab thread have done some very dramatic makeovers and have way more knowledge and experience at this than I do. Maybe we can drag some of them over to this thread to lend their expertise to this one!
Feel free to add your rehabs, questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. to keep this thread alive! As always, rehab at your own risk!
Enjoy your new handbag.
At the request of several of fellow TPFers, I'm creating this thread as a supplement to the one over in the Coach section. This is all about finding less-than-perfect Dooneys and making them fabulous again.
I'll start out showing my before and after of this Florentine front pocket satchel. I bought her on Mercari for a steal ($35) and when she arrived, poor thing was....sad, which I knew going in. Here's a couple of before pic:
View attachment 3508333
View attachment 3508334
View attachment 3508335
View attachment 3508336
View attachment 3508337
I ran a sink full of tepid water with a few drops of blue Dawn and put it in to soak. Oh my, poor thing was parched. I've never seen a bag absorb water so quickly and I've done lots of leather bag rehabs. I only let her soak for about 15 minutes and then took a semi-stiff kitchen scrubber to the lining, which was filthy.
Normally, I let my older all leather Coach bags soak for about 15 minutes each side but with this one, I was worried about it having cardboard stiffeners inside the lining and also the green backing of the tassels pulling away from the leather front, in case they were glued.
I gently scrubbed the outside to try to dislodge some of the dirt and spots near the corners and bottom which you can see in the above photos.
There was some leeching of color from the red lining. I've noticed some linings bleed a lot more than others. Before I dunked, I was really worried about the green suede at the top of the lining and at the back of the tassels bleeding; no bleeding happened that I saw. The water was a fairly light brownish red color before I pulled the plug. Here's before a rinse:
View attachment 3508338
I ran water directly into the lining and swished it around really well, getting into the pockets and rinsed really well. I had to be careful not to lift by the handles; I was afraid of stretching them out or compromising the internal structure of them. I turned it upside down and let the water drain out for about five minutes. Sometimes for lighter bags, I just "impale" them on the water faucet and let them drain. This baby was too heavy for that. After a good drain, I stuffed a towel inside and gently squished it around to absorb a lot of the remaining water. The towel came out slightly pink from the lining but not much to speak of.
View attachment 3508339
I immediately rubbed her down with a coat of Leather CPR (available online or at Bed, Bath and Beyond). I wasn't careful to rub it all in but rather saturated her all over in a nice coat. Since the weight had gone down a bit after draining and blotting, I hung her up by both handles, distributing the weight evenly and put a fan on her. Since she was hanging, I didn't worry about water stains which could happen if it was lying on its side. Some of the lighter color Coach bags are easy to water stain (remedied by re-bathing) unless you rotate every 15 minutes or so.
View attachment 3508340
After about 30 minutes, I blotted the inside again and inside the front pocket (I stuck a washcloth in there and gently pressed to squeeze the water out. Then after about an hour, I reapplied the Leather CPR. She was drinking it in like crazy. I made sure the front pocket wasn't latched so air could circulate in there as well to help dry. I left her in front of the fan overnight and rotated about halfway through when the dogs went out to potty (at 1AM!!!). I made sure to prop the zipper "flaps" slightly open so air could get under there too.
The next morning, I applied another coat of Leather CPR and pulled the lining out to completely dry it as the bottom was still damp. I didn't worry about shaping as it dried because the hanging seemed to do that for me. Some of the Coach bags require stuffing with towels to reshape them properly.
I did notice a few small pen marks on the zipper flaps after she completely dried but I won't worry about those. Pen ink is notoriously hard to remove from leather without damaging the color.
I think she turned out great. Here's the finished product:
View attachment 3508341
I want to say, I am by no means an expert at rehabbing. Some of the ladies over on the Coach Rehab thread have done some very dramatic makeovers and have way more knowledge and experience at this than I do. Maybe we can drag some of them over to this thread to lend their expertise to this one!
Feel free to add your rehabs, questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. to keep this thread alive! As always, rehab at your own risk!
Great writeup and photos! I'm glad you've revived this thread for us Dooney rehabbers!
At the request of several of fellow TPFers, I'm creating this thread as a supplement to the one over in the Coach section. This is all about finding less-than-perfect Dooneys and making them fabulous again.
I'll start out showing my before and after of this Florentine front pocket satchel. I bought her on Mercari for a steal ($35) and when she arrived, poor thing was....sad, which I knew going in. Here's a couple of before pic:
View attachment 3508333
View attachment 3508334
View attachment 3508335
View attachment 3508336
View attachment 3508337
I ran a sink full of tepid water with a few drops of blue Dawn and put it in to soak. Oh my, poor thing was parched. I've never seen a bag absorb water so quickly and I've done lots of leather bag rehabs. I only let her soak for about 15 minutes and then took a semi-stiff kitchen scrubber to the lining, which was filthy.
Normally, I let my older all leather Coach bags soak for about 15 minutes each side but with this one, I was worried about it having cardboard stiffeners inside the lining and also the green backing of the tassels pulling away from the leather front, in case they were glued.
I gently scrubbed the outside to try to dislodge some of the dirt and spots near the corners and bottom which you can see in the above photos.
There was some leeching of color from the red lining. I've noticed some linings bleed a lot more than others. Before I dunked, I was really worried about the green suede at the top of the lining and at the back of the tassels bleeding; no bleeding happened that I saw. The water was a fairly light brownish red color before I pulled the plug. Here's before a rinse:
View attachment 3508338
I ran water directly into the lining and swished it around really well, getting into the pockets and rinsed really well. I had to be careful not to lift by the handles; I was afraid of stretching them out or compromising the internal structure of them. I turned it upside down and let the water drain out for about five minutes. Sometimes for lighter bags, I just "impale" them on the water faucet and let them drain. This baby was too heavy for that. After a good drain, I stuffed a towel inside and gently squished it around to absorb a lot of the remaining water. The towel came out slightly pink from the lining but not much to speak of.
View attachment 3508339
I immediately rubbed her down with a coat of Leather CPR (available online or at Bed, Bath and Beyond). I wasn't careful to rub it all in but rather saturated her all over in a nice coat. Since the weight had gone down a bit after draining and blotting, I hung her up by both handles, distributing the weight evenly and put a fan on her. Since she was hanging, I didn't worry about water stains which could happen if it was lying on its side. Some of the lighter color Coach bags are easy to water stain (remedied by re-bathing) unless you rotate every 15 minutes or so.
View attachment 3508340
After about 30 minutes, I blotted the inside again and inside the front pocket (I stuck a washcloth in there and gently pressed to squeeze the water out. Then after about an hour, I reapplied the Leather CPR. She was drinking it in like crazy. I made sure the front pocket wasn't latched so air could circulate in there as well to help dry. I left her in front of the fan overnight and rotated about halfway through when the dogs went out to potty (at 1AM!!!). I made sure to prop the zipper "flaps" slightly open so air could get under there too.
The next morning, I applied another coat of Leather CPR and pulled the lining out to completely dry it as the bottom was still damp. I didn't worry about shaping as it dried because the hanging seemed to do that for me. Some of the Coach bags require stuffing with towels to reshape them properly.
I did notice a few small pen marks on the zipper flaps after she completely dried but I won't worry about those. Pen ink is notoriously hard to remove from leather without damaging the color.
I think she turned out great. Here's the finished product:
View attachment 3508341
I want to say, I am by no means an expert at rehabbing. Some of the ladies over on the Coach Rehab thread have done some very dramatic makeovers and have way more knowledge and experience at this than I do. Maybe we can drag some of them over to this thread to lend their expertise to this one!
Feel free to add your rehabs, questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. to keep this thread alive! As always, rehab at your own risk!
Thanks for this fantastically detailed rehab recipe! I'm excited to try again, as my first Dooney rehab was a fail. Congrats on your success!
This was a rehab from several weeks ago. It was filthy beyond belief and covered in white marks on the leather. The fabric was in good shape, with no holes or wear. Here's a couple of before photos:
I started by dabbing the white spots on the leather with a bit of nail polish remover which took them off right away. Then I spritzed the inside with some Awesome Orange and ran a sink full of warm water with some blue Dawn. I soaked it for about a half hour and scrubbed the devil out of the inside lining. I emptied the first set of bath water and ran another. Here's the first sink of water. You can't even see my hand at the bottom.
I soaked it another 10 minutes and scrubbed again and then rinsed a few times.
I let it drip a bit upside down and then stuffed with a towel and put in front of the fan. I did put a coat of Leather CPR on the leather bits and left it for a few hours. Then I changed towels and a couple of hours later I unstuffed and let it finish drying in front of the fan. Another coat of Leather CPR finished the rehab.
Here's the final product:
I still need to try to steam the side to get that crease out of the side. It didn't come with a crossbody strap so I repurposed the loop to add a charm. Spiffed it up with some twilly scarves for a little pizzaz. [emoji4]
I paid a grand total of $9 for this bag so I figured I wouldn't lose too much if I couldn't turn it around. Happy rehabbing!
I started by dabbing the white spots on the leather with a bit of nail polish remover which took them off right away. Then I spritzed the inside with some Awesome Orange and ran a sink full of warm water with some blue Dawn. I soaked it for about a half hour and scrubbed the devil out of the inside lining. I emptied the first set of bath water and ran another. Here's the first sink of water. You can't even see my hand at the bottom.
I soaked it another 10 minutes and scrubbed again and then rinsed a few times.
I let it drip a bit upside down and then stuffed with a towel and put in front of the fan. I did put a coat of Leather CPR on the leather bits and left it for a few hours. Then I changed towels and a couple of hours later I unstuffed and let it finish drying in front of the fan. Another coat of Leather CPR finished the rehab.
Here's the final product:
I still need to try to steam the side to get that crease out of the side. It didn't come with a crossbody strap so I repurposed the loop to add a charm. Spiffed it up with some twilly scarves for a little pizzaz. [emoji4]
I paid a grand total of $9 for this bag so I figured I wouldn't lose too much if I couldn't turn it around. Happy rehabbing!
Adorable! I love how you used the scarves on the handles and the charms on the shoulder strap loop. Thanks for sharing the details of this inspiring rehab!
It looks soooo good! Great job!At the request of several of fellow TPFers, I'm creating this thread as a supplement to the one over in the Coach section. This is all about finding less-than-perfect Dooneys and making them fabulous again.
I'll start out showing my before and after of this Florentine front pocket satchel. I bought her on Mercari for a steal ($35) and when she arrived, poor thing was....sad, which I knew going in. Here's a couple of before pic:
View attachment 3508333
View attachment 3508334
View attachment 3508335
View attachment 3508336
View attachment 3508337
I ran a sink full of tepid water with a few drops of blue Dawn and put it in to soak. Oh my, poor thing was parched. I've never seen a bag absorb water so quickly and I've done lots of leather bag rehabs. I only let her soak for about 15 minutes and then took a semi-stiff kitchen scrubber to the lining, which was filthy.
Normally, I let my older all leather Coach bags soak for about 15 minutes each side but with this one, I was worried about it having cardboard stiffeners inside the lining and also the green backing of the tassels pulling away from the leather front, in case they were glued.
I gently scrubbed the outside to try to dislodge some of the dirt and spots near the corners and bottom which you can see in the above photos.
There was some leeching of color from the red lining. I've noticed some linings bleed a lot more than others. Before I dunked, I was really worried about the green suede at the top of the lining and at the back of the tassels bleeding; no bleeding happened that I saw. The water was a fairly light brownish red color before I pulled the plug. Here's before a rinse:
View attachment 3508338
I ran water directly into the lining and swished it around really well, getting into the pockets and rinsed really well. I had to be careful not to lift by the handles; I was afraid of stretching them out or compromising the internal structure of them. I turned it upside down and let the water drain out for about five minutes. Sometimes for lighter bags, I just "impale" them on the water faucet and let them drain. This baby was too heavy for that. After a good drain, I stuffed a towel inside and gently squished it around to absorb a lot of the remaining water. The towel came out slightly pink from the lining but not much to speak of.
View attachment 3508339
I immediately rubbed her down with a coat of Leather CPR (available online or at Bed, Bath and Beyond). I wasn't careful to rub it all in but rather saturated her all over in a nice coat. Since the weight had gone down a bit after draining and blotting, I hung her up by both handles, distributing the weight evenly and put a fan on her. Since she was hanging, I didn't worry about water stains which could happen if it was lying on its side. Some of the lighter color Coach bags are easy to water stain (remedied by re-bathing) unless you rotate every 15 minutes or so.
View attachment 3508340
After about 30 minutes, I blotted the inside again and inside the front pocket (I stuck a washcloth in there and gently pressed to squeeze the water out. Then after about an hour, I reapplied the Leather CPR. She was drinking it in like crazy. I made sure the front pocket wasn't latched so air could circulate in there as well to help dry. I left her in front of the fan overnight and rotated about halfway through when the dogs went out to potty (at 1AM!!!). I made sure to prop the zipper "flaps" slightly open so air could get under there too.
The next morning, I applied another coat of Leather CPR and pulled the lining out to completely dry it as the bottom was still damp. I didn't worry about shaping as it dried because the hanging seemed to do that for me. Some of the Coach bags require stuffing with towels to reshape them properly.
I did notice a few small pen marks on the zipper flaps after she completely dried but I won't worry about those. Pen ink is notoriously hard to remove from leather without damaging the color.
I think she turned out great. Here's the finished product:
View attachment 3508341
I want to say, I am by no means an expert at rehabbing. Some of the ladies over on the Coach Rehab thread have done some very dramatic makeovers and have way more knowledge and experience at this than I do. Maybe we can drag some of them over to this thread to lend their expertise to this one!
Feel free to add your rehabs, questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. to keep this thread alive! As always, rehab at your own risk!
Great job in this one as well! It looks great! Thanks for reviving this thread. I didn't know it existed.
I didn't know it existed either until today. The title makes me think maybe we are all headed to rehab for our Dooney addictions, lol! Wooop!!! [emoji4]
Here's a quick fixer upper I did on another Florentine satchel I got for a steal. Seller said it had uneven coloring. When it came in the mail, it was really squished and the discoloration was very noticeable. I gave her a bath and stuffed to keep the shape while it dried and try to keep those wrinkles from coming back. About four coats of conditioner later, she looks a lot better and smells divine.
Before:
After:
Still not perfect but I'll take it.
Happy rehabbing!
Before:
After:
Still not perfect but I'll take it.
Happy rehabbing!
This bag is absolutely beautiful!!! Great job! I am wanting to do my new bucket bag Good Will find, but want to try the Leather CPR instead of the conditioner I have been using. I have used Leather Therapy the last rehabs I have done and am curious if the Leather CPR is a better conditioner??At the request of several of fellow TPFers, I'm creating this thread as a supplement to the one over in the Coach section. This is all about finding less-than-perfect Dooneys and making them fabulous again.
I'll start out showing my before and after of this Florentine front pocket satchel. I bought her on Mercari for a steal ($35) and when she arrived, poor thing was....sad, which I knew going in. Here's a couple of before pic:
View attachment 3508333
View attachment 3508334
View attachment 3508335
View attachment 3508336
View attachment 3508337
I ran a sink full of tepid water with a few drops of blue Dawn and put it in to soak. Oh my, poor thing was parched. I've never seen a bag absorb water so quickly and I've done lots of leather bag rehabs. I only let her soak for about 15 minutes and then took a semi-stiff kitchen scrubber to the lining, which was filthy.
Normally, I let my older all leather Coach bags soak for about 15 minutes each side but with this one, I was worried about it having cardboard stiffeners inside the lining and also the green backing of the tassels pulling away from the leather front, in case they were glued.
I gently scrubbed the outside to try to dislodge some of the dirt and spots near the corners and bottom which you can see in the above photos.
There was some leeching of color from the red lining. I've noticed some linings bleed a lot more than others. Before I dunked, I was really worried about the green suede at the top of the lining and at the back of the tassels bleeding; no bleeding happened that I saw. The water was a fairly light brownish red color before I pulled the plug. Here's before a rinse:
View attachment 3508338
I ran water directly into the lining and swished it around really well, getting into the pockets and rinsed really well. I had to be careful not to lift by the handles; I was afraid of stretching them out or compromising the internal structure of them. I turned it upside down and let the water drain out for about five minutes. Sometimes for lighter bags, I just "impale" them on the water faucet and let them drain. This baby was too heavy for that. After a good drain, I stuffed a towel inside and gently squished it around to absorb a lot of the remaining water. The towel came out slightly pink from the lining but not much to speak of.
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I immediately rubbed her down with a coat of Leather CPR (available online or at Bed, Bath and Beyond). I wasn't careful to rub it all in but rather saturated her all over in a nice coat. Since the weight had gone down a bit after draining and blotting, I hung her up by both handles, distributing the weight evenly and put a fan on her. Since she was hanging, I didn't worry about water stains which could happen if it was lying on its side. Some of the lighter color Coach bags are easy to water stain (remedied by re-bathing) unless you rotate every 15 minutes or so.
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After about 30 minutes, I blotted the inside again and inside the front pocket (I stuck a washcloth in there and gently pressed to squeeze the water out. Then after about an hour, I reapplied the Leather CPR. She was drinking it in like crazy. I made sure the front pocket wasn't latched so air could circulate in there as well to help dry. I left her in front of the fan overnight and rotated about halfway through when the dogs went out to potty (at 1AM!!!). I made sure to prop the zipper "flaps" slightly open so air could get under there too.
The next morning, I applied another coat of Leather CPR and pulled the lining out to completely dry it as the bottom was still damp. I didn't worry about shaping as it dried because the hanging seemed to do that for me. Some of the Coach bags require stuffing with towels to reshape them properly.
I did notice a few small pen marks on the zipper flaps after she completely dried but I won't worry about those. Pen ink is notoriously hard to remove from leather without damaging the color.
I think she turned out great. Here's the finished product:
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I want to say, I am by no means an expert at rehabbing. Some of the ladies over on the Coach Rehab thread have done some very dramatic makeovers and have way more knowledge and experience at this than I do. Maybe we can drag some of them over to this thread to lend their expertise to this one!
Feel free to add your rehabs, questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. to keep this thread alive! As always, rehab at your own risk!