I received a pretty chestnut Sutton today and it seems to have been sitting in a closet for 15 years or something. Green on part of the zipper, dust on the lining that looks almost like mold (?), and just overall needs a cleaning. But it's caviar leather, so no bath. I wonder if no-bleach wipes will be enough? And what about the inside?
Mold? That's scary! Does the bag smell like mildew? Not just dusty and musty but that nasty smell of wet towels that have been left to sit too long.
Mold/mildew is very hard to eliminate. I once successfully rehabed a mildewed bag but another bag totally defeated me. When it got wet the mildew came back with a vengence and I eventually destroyed the finish trying to get rid of it. I would be very cautious attempting to rehab another mildewed bag. And that mildew smell is very difficult to eliminate, too.
It may well be mold/mildew. The fact that the zipper has verdigris also suggests that the bag got wet when it was in storage or that it was stored in a humid climate.
Was the bag accurately described in the auction listing? If not, then you may want to contact the vendor to negotiate a return/refund. If you paid a fairly high price but you still want to keep it, then you should try and get a partial refund. Again, only if it was not accurately described and pictured in the auction.
If you decide to try and rehab it, do a search on TPF (not just the
Coach forum) for advice on rehabbing a mildewed bag. Here's my advice but I am no expert in this area.
You might start by vacumning it well and then wiping down the interior with Lysol (non-bleach) wipes. Next clean the exterior with a clean, soft damp cloth.
You may have to rub harder than you wish to get rid of that caked on dust. I had to do that with my Gracie. She withstood it well but I did lose a little of the caviar pattern in the dirtiest area. Happily it was on the back of the bag.
If just using water isn't working. I would probably try Lexol cleaning wipes to clean the exterior. After using the wipes I would again wipe down the bag with a clean, damp cloth to remove any remaining cleaning solution.
I have successfully used Leather Therapy Restorer and Conditioner oil on my Italian caviar leather bags. It minimizes the scuffs and brings back the shine and doesn't leave any nasty, opaque residue. According to the label it also prevents mold and mildew so that may be helpful. The Leather Therapy oil has a persistent odor, but it is not overwhelming or unpleasant. I think it is a much nicer smell than Apple conditioner - but that's just my opinion - but it might help to mask other, more unpleasant odors.
I've never given a caviar pebbled leather bag a bath but I did give a bath to a lined, pebbled leather Sheridan bag and it came out just fine.
You can use metal polish on the zipper to get rid of the verdigris, but did any of the green staining get on the fabric or leather? That's really hard to remove. I am struggling with that problem on a bag right now.
I have never given a pebbled, caviar leather bag a bath, and I would hesitate to do so; but I did once give a bath to a lined, pebbled Sheridan bag and it came out fine. The creed on that bag also says that it has been "specially treated to retain a new appearance over time."
If I have tried everything else and the conditon of the bag is still not satisfactory, then I would give it a bath! But be careful, that might just encourage the mold/mildew to come back!
Let us know what you decide, good luck!
