Hello, I just washed a beautiful old burnt orange leather Coach purse and it looked wonderful - until I put Apple conditioner on it two days ago - now it looks dreadful - almost as if it's been dyed - you can see dark swirl marks where I was rubbing the conditioner into the leather. Will this fade with time, or should I wash and soak the purse again and try to get hold of some Lexol?. Thanks in advance for your help, ladies. I enjoy lurking and looking at the photos of all the purses you have rehabed!
Hmmmmm...Apple Conditioner (In my experience) does not darken the leather...however, the leather may appear darker if it is so old and dried out that the color has lightened (Katev has had some experience with bags seeming a completely different color after conditioning than before, the conditioner restoring the original, beautiful color), maybe that is what is happening here? I would give it another coat or two of Apple (buffing well after it dries), and if that doesn't work, maybe try another conditioner. Good luck!
. Then, I checked them and they seemed a bit better but I did it again. Then I went and bought some charcoal used for fish tank filters (pet shop or a store that sells fish) and put it into an old stocking. Even the kind that filters water might work but is so much more expensive. Charcoal absorbs odors pretty well. It seemed to help a bit more to store the bags with the charcoal in a sealed container a few more days. Then, when Michigan finally decided to have a sunny, non rainy spring day, I set the bags outside in the breeze. My bags were a solid color and I wasn't worried about sun fading. The sun is a natural bleacher and deodorizer, but you want to be careful of the colors of your bag. So, now my bags have a very faint odor but it's getting better. I could almost stand to carry them without someone thinking I smell like a smoker LOL. I hope this helps. It's time consuming.
