Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#7,171
pittcat said:
Hi everyone! I just bought a bag off of ebay that I want to rehab - I received it last week and at first glance does not need much rehabbing, (lucky for me because this is my first time!), but I have a few questions because I don't want to ruin it! The bag is a black lula's legacy drawstring 9952 and my plan at the moment is just to give it a bath (from reading this thread, I've heard dish soap works well?) and then condition with apple conditioner and polish the brass if needed. But my question is, how long should I keep it in the water? Can I let it soak or is it best to get it in and out? Sorry - that might be a stupid question, but basically I'm wondering how long is too long so that I don't damage the leather? I haven't noticed any smells or stains, I just want to give it a good cleaning since I don't really know where it's been.

Also - do you guys have a preference as to whether Woolite or dish soap works better? And how long should I wait before I apply the conditioner? If I should wait until it dries, in your experience is a day usually enough for a smaller bag to completely dry?

Any tips on things to avoid or lessons learned would be appreciated - I know they are all in this thread and I've been trying to copy them as I've found them, but anything off the top of your head, like first-timer mistakes, would be great!

Thanks in advance! I'll be sure to post some pics when I'm done, I'm trying to do this before Thanksgiving, but I have a feeling these three days are going to go fast (at least I hope they do!!) Hope you all have a great holiday!
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Good luck!

I just finished a black leather rehab and on my side, the edges were pretty pale and worn, after I gave it a bath , I used apache cream for cowboy boots conditioner (I didnt have apple on hand just yet!) and I applied it all over, I think I must have put on 3-4 applications. After that I did condition the edges only, maybe 5 more times, here and there throughout the day and I didnt need to use any paint, the black came back.
then once it was all dried and nicely contitioned, I applied neatsfoot oil and rubbed it, it looks like a brand new baby!
I was a little scared when I did my 1st, i was scared of ruining it, but those bags can take a beating! theyre made to last!
 
#7,172
Here is a few photos before and after of my 1st black bag rehab...
I used products I had on hand at the time, Apache Cream and neatsfoot oil.
I just received my apple leather conditioner and Black Rocks for my next ones, cant wait to try!

Found this gal in a Goodwill bin for 1.50. Gave it a bit of love, at first I tought just to practice, I didnt know it would turn out to look that nice, it has grown on me.
I still wouldnt use it though I dont like how the straps start at the back of the bag.

Not too bad eh?
Thats of course with you all's valuable help! consider me addicted now.
Heres the before
 

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#7,173
And after
 

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#7,176
Shortthiing_Jen said:
The pics are bad but all i have at the moment is my phone :(
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I've not worked with a white vachetta bag. generally I remove the green verdigris from the brass with a little paste made from baking soda and white vinegar, and use a qtip to work it into the stain gently. I am not sure if it would take care of what is on the white leather, but I might be tempted to try it. Otherwise, white scuffed leather is hard to bring back to "like new" but definitely could use a leather cleaner/conditioner combo like Leather cpr and/or black rocks on a small qtip worked into the edges and then wiped off with a white cloth to see if it will help clean those scuffs if they are just dirty. Lexol cleaner is also fine to use and it is intended to be lightly sponged on and then wiped off with a clean cloth. apple brand conditioner is a universally safe moisturizer to put on vachetta when all done with cleaning. Others might be ok, but I've only tried apple for my over all large legacy vachetta conditioning needs thus far. for a really bad bag more aggressive measures have been taken, but yours doesn't seem too bad. I love these bags! goodluck and others can chime in here I hope with more thoughts.
 
#7,177
whateve said:
Actually quite a few times I have forgotten bags and left them soaking for hours and it hasn't caused any problems. These bags are tough. You don't want to do just a quick dunk because it takes time for the water to soak in evenly. I would say 15 minutes to 1/2 hour is fine if there isn't much dirt. Dish soap is fine.

It usually takes more than a day to get completely dry. You can begin conditioning when the bag is almost dry. It doesn't make much difference unless the leather is really dry. That is the only time that I condition before the bag is dry. If you see any wear on the edges, you can use black acrylic paint on them before conditioning. I usually paint it on lightly and then wipe it off immediately with a paper towel. I'm looking forward to seeing the results! This is one bag that has been on my radar but I haven't gotten one yet.
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Thank you for the response! I have forgotten clothes when handwashing haha so it's good to know I can't cause too much damage if it happens with a bag! I just didn't want to assume anything! I chose a black bag because I was hoping if I had to paint the edges it would be easier but just from looking at the bag when I received it, I didn't notice anything major, but something might come up when I get into the process. Thanks again for the great tips! I already tried it on and love it as a cross body bag and I'm looking for a few more colors, so I hope you are able to pick one up! I will definitely be posting results, i'm just not sure anyone will be able to tell the difference in before and after, but I guess I need more practice before attempting the risky rehabs!!
 
#7,178
eehlers said:
I actually rehabbed a black Lula's Legacy this past summer. It's probably my favorite rehabbed bag style and I use the bag a lot. I believe I dunked mine using Woolite, used a sponge to 'rub her down' inside and out and then let her soak for about 30-40 minutes. Then I rinsed and let her soak in just water for about another 30 minutes. Once she was out and stuffed with towels she took just about a day or a little over to dry, if I remember correctly.

The only thing that was kind of a pain from a conditioning standpoint was the drawstring - it needed extra conditioning since it's such a high traffic piece of the bag and it was pretty dry. The kicker was getting to all the parts of the drawstring between the folds of the bag. Aside from that, a few coats of Leather CPR and some Black Rocks and she was good to go. (well...she did have some perfume/cologne issues going on, but that's another story for another day)
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Thanks!! This is great information! Since I've never done this before I need a little more "how to" and thanks for the heads up on the drawstring! I'm glad to know I'm in good company with this bag!
 
#7,179
AggieK said:
I'm working on one right now. It's in British Tan, and as eehlers has said, the drawstring is a pain. Mine also had a giant dark ink mark on the front and a possible grease stain (size of a pencil eraser). I got the ink out with an eraser, but may have wrecked the finish and color. The grease stain remains. I put it up against the giant duffle (also British Tan) and although I thought it was big, it's a lot smaller than the duffle.
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Thank you for sharing the pictures! I love that color and I think both of those bags are beautiful! I've been looking for an older style duffle - can you tell me the style number of that bag? Is it the duffle sac 9085? After the black bag arrived and I realized I loved the style I had my eye on a british tan one, but the seller removed the listing the day before the auction ended, so then I moved on to a mahogany, but the website refreshed just as I was going to put my bid in and I lost it, but it was probably more than I should have spent anyway, so I guess I'll have to keep looking, but as usual I keep getting ideas on new bags from this forum especially when I see what everyone is working on here and the great results!
 
#7,180
pittcat said:
Thank you for sharing the pictures! I love that color and I think both of those bags are beautiful! I've been looking for an older style duffle - can you tell me the style number of that bag? Is it the duffle sac 9085? After the black bag arrived and I realized I loved the style I had my eye on a british tan one, but the seller removed the listing the day before the auction ended, so then I moved on to a mahogany, but the website refreshed just as I was going to put my bid in and I lost it, but it was probably more than I should have spent anyway, so I guess I'll have to keep looking, but as usual I keep getting ideas on new bags from this forum especially when I see what everyone is working on here and the great results!
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I love British Tan. I have Frye boots that are the same color. Yes, it is 9085. I got it at Savers for $24 this summer. I can't take any credit for how great it looks. It was in perfect condition, and didn't really need a bath or conditioning, but I did it anyway. I blame it on my new obsession with saving Coach bags. It is really really big. I have the strap set the longest, and when I put my hand (whole arm, really) in to find something, I can barely touch the bottom! I had to take my husband in for a procedure recently, and I was able to fit a book and a small knitting project in it with room to spare.
Good luck in your search.
 
#7,183
And here are the afters. She still has a dark smudge on her front, but I was afraid to try to do anything to it. I can live with it, and call it a birthmark. Her dirtiest part was actually her hang tag chain, it took me QUITE a bit of cleaning and scrubbing to get it shiny. Last picture is a solo shot against white...like her first before shot. I can't wait to find another classic, older Coach to rehab!!



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#7,184
iNeedCoffee said:
And here are the afters. She still has a dark smudge on her front, but I was afraid to try to do anything to it. I can live with it, and call it a birthmark. Her dirtiest part was actually her hang tag chain, it took me QUITE a bit of cleaning and scrubbing to get it shiny. Last picture is a solo shot against white...like her first before shot. I can't wait to find another classic, older Coach to rehab!!
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Wow, beautiful job! I love that bottle green color too. :-)
 
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