Well, when I did one of my bags, there was a lot of dirt on the handle which made it look darker than it really was. I used baby wipes and it came really clean, same patina, just clean. It didn't really darken the patina, just took the dirt off and made it nice and even. LV_Addict also used baby wipes on a couple of here bags. I'm sure she will see this and give you some tips.