There's been a little debate on whether the vachetta should be cleaned on an LV, and I had just heard from my SA that it's ok to clean the dirt w/ Coach leather cleaner if one feels compelled to clean them at all. So I said I was going to try this and post my results on the PF...if the ladies in the Balenciaga subforum can Lubriderm their bbags, this should be nothing, right? 
Everything was done w/ a q-tip to minimize the damage should this not work out.
(Note: this bag's been around -- out of the country, exposed to different climates. Some of the marks on it may never go away.)
Pic#1: a "Before" photo - doesn't do justice on how truly dirty the handles were (bad camera!)
Pic#2: the dirty edges after I cleaned it.
Pic#3: dirty q-tip; it's working!!
Pic#4-6: you can see where the cleaner has been on the handle
Pic#7: The corners are much cleaner than before, but I'll never be able to get the bachelorette party in South Beach out of the bag bottom.
I'm hoping that letting the areas dry for a few days the color of the leather will go back to the way it was. So far, the coloring looks evened out better on the areas where cleaner was used, if only a little darker. But the leather looks less dry, which was a concern of mine from the beginning. I may even use the conditioner on it to keep it that way. Overall, I'm satisfied with the results, even if the difference is minimal. If this doesn't work out, my SA said I can bring my bag in and get it "refreshed".
At what cost, he did not specify.
Hope this helps those of you out there who have thought about doing this in the past decide whether you want to attempt cleaning vachetta at home.
Everything was done w/ a q-tip to minimize the damage should this not work out. (Note: this bag's been around -- out of the country, exposed to different climates. Some of the marks on it may never go away.)
Pic#1: a "Before" photo - doesn't do justice on how truly dirty the handles were (bad camera!)
Pic#2: the dirty edges after I cleaned it.
Pic#3: dirty q-tip; it's working!!
Pic#4-6: you can see where the cleaner has been on the handle
Pic#7: The corners are much cleaner than before, but I'll never be able to get the bachelorette party in South Beach out of the bag bottom.
I'm hoping that letting the areas dry for a few days the color of the leather will go back to the way it was. So far, the coloring looks evened out better on the areas where cleaner was used, if only a little darker. But the leather looks less dry, which was a concern of mine from the beginning. I may even use the conditioner on it to keep it that way. Overall, I'm satisfied with the results, even if the difference is minimal. If this doesn't work out, my SA said I can bring my bag in and get it "refreshed".
At what cost, he did not specify.Hope this helps those of you out there who have thought about doing this in the past decide whether you want to attempt cleaning vachetta at home.
