Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[ktheartscoach]

I'm working on a rehab now, when she's done DH will wrap her up for my birthday later this month...he asked what I wanted, and I said a new bag to rehab and love

So, my pick was a Legacy Zip with nickel hardware. When she arrived, there was nothing wrong with her, but I still wanted her to feel the cleansing waters of my sink.

After that I stuffed her with towels and put her on my dresser. This afternoon (less than 24 hours later), she was almost dry. That alarmed me, so I just gave her the first round of Leather CPR. I did detach the strap during the bath, and reattached after applying moisturizer.

Ladies who use Leather CPR, you know how it takes some massaging to get it into the leather normally? This bag sucked it up, so the first application was really twice what it would normally be. I'm going to let her dry a little more then lotion up again, hopefully these pics will work!

Thanks for giving me the inspiration! I can't wait to actually "get" it! Since he likes surprises on birthdays, I'm hoping to carry her soon!

 

[katev]

I'm working on a rehab now, when she's done DH will wrap her up for my birthday later this month...he asked what I wanted, and I said a new bag to rehab and love

So, my pick was a Legacy Zip with nickel hardware. When she arrived, there was nothing wrong with her, but I still wanted her to feel the cleansing waters of my sink.

After that I stuffed her with towels and put her on my dresser. This afternoon (less than 24 hours later), she was almost dry. That alarmed me, so I just gave her the first round of Leather CPR. I did detach the strap during the bath, and reattached after applying moisturizer.

Ladies who use Leather CPR, you know how it takes some massaging to get it into the leather normally? This bag sucked it up, so the first application was really twice what it would normally be. I'm going to let her dry a little more then lotion up again, hopefully these pics will work!

Thanks for giving me the inspiration! I can't wait to actually "get" it! Since he likes surprises on birthdays, I'm hoping to carry her soon!

It's a beauty, I can't wait to see the final pics! I recently gave a black legacy zip with brass hardware to my sister and she loves it, it's really a nice bag and a good size, too.

I know what you mean about washing the bags, I always give them a bath unless I think that a dunking might hurt the particular bag. I just like knowing that it is all nice and clean before I put my stuff into it!

When I don't give it a bath, I vacuum it out thoroughly and wipe it down well (inside and out) with Lysol non-bleach wipes and let it dry.

 

[ktheartscoach]

Thank you! It was your rehab that convinced me to go for the Legacy Zip, yours turned out amazing - you're magic!

 

[anabg]

Hi. I just bought a vintage basic bag on eBay. Although I didn't get a bargain like the ones here the item still might need some love. The brass needs cleaning for sure. The strap might need some color restoration. This thread will come in very handy.

 

[anabg]

Ok so I have been reading some of the posts and I would like to know what are the cons, if any, of giving the bag a bath.. I don't think mine needs one but I plan to get others. Doesn't it dry the leather? What do you get out of the bath that you can't achieve with the conditioning?

 

[katev]

Ok so I have been reading some of the posts and I would like to know what are the cons, if any, of giving the bag a bath.. I don't think mine needs one but I plan to get others. Doesn't it dry the leather? What do you get out of the bath that you can't achieve with the conditioning?

My first preference is always to give the bag a bath. That way I know that the bag is clean before I put my stuff in it and carry it. A lot of times I find that the bag was much dirtier than I realized before I washed it.

A bath also gives me the chance to reshape the bag because many vintage bags sag and get out of shape over time. After I wash the bag I stuff it with towels and shape it during the early stages of drying.

In addition, some vintage bags have a musty or dusty smell that will be eliminated by a bath. After the bath, while it is still a bit damp you can begin moisturizing the leather to keep it from drying out.

What color is your new bag and what is it made of? I hesitate to give a bath to a bright-colored bag but I have done it successfully.

When I decide not to bathe a bag, I vacuum it out well, then wipe it inside and out with non-bleach lysol wipes and let it dry before conditioning the leather.

As I said, I like to give vintage bags a bath, but their are other opinions on the subject.

 

[anabg]

My bag is plain old black. The bath sounds like a good idea ,but I am scared to give it a bath and ruin it. I am not what you would consider crafty. I guess I will assess the bag when it arrives. Hopefully, it won't need it.

It's glove tanned leather.

 

[iyaken]

Hello ladies! I've been lurking for a while, and have decided to come out of the shadows. I acquired a purse from our local thrift store (C0D 9164, yet to be authenticated) for the purpose of rehabbing. It smells fine, is fairly clean, but as you can (hopefully) see in the picture, the bottom is saggy. Is there a way to sort of unstretch it? katev mentioned bathing allows you to reshape - would that help with this? The leather is a little dry, but as I don't know how soft this leather could be, I cannot even guesstimate how dry it is, relatively.

I have not acquired leather conditioner yet - torn between Apple and Leather CPR - but I intend to get one soon. I just cannot express how excited I am about this endeavor!

 

[katev]

Hello ladies! I've been lurking for a while, and have decided to come out of the shadows. I acquired a purse from our local thrift store (C0D 9164, yet to be authenticated) for the purpose of rehabbing. It smells fine, is fairly clean, but as you can (hopefully) see in the picture, the bottom is saggy. Is there a way to sort of unstretch it? katev mentioned bathing allows you to reshape - would that help with this? The leather is a little dry, but as I don't know how soft this leather could be, I cannot even guesstimate how dry it is, relatively.

I have not acquired leather conditioner yet - torn between Apple and Leather CPR - but I intend to get one soon. I just cannot express how excited I am about this endeavor!

Nice find! Glad you came out of the shadows!

Yes, giving it a bath, stuffing it with towels, and shaping it for the first 24 hours or so will help with the saggy shape, good luck!

 

[iyaken]

Thanks, katev! I was excited when I saw it - not as cheap as everyone else's at 20 before taxes (without a hangtag, sigh), but considering the condition it's in, I wanted it anyway. I got a black H4P-9061 for 10, but it showed more signs of wear - probably due to being much older? Color loss on the corner pipings and along the strap, but it's black so will be easier to dye.

I guess I was hoping I would not need to bathe them, because I'm scared of ruining them completely (like anabg's fears!) but I do want them to be the best they can be now. Thanks again! Will hopefully get started on this soon.

 

[katev]

Thanks, katev! I was excited when I saw it - not as cheap as everyone else's at 20 before taxes (without a hangtag, sigh), but considering the condition it's in, I wanted it anyway. I got a black H4P-9061 for 10, but it showed more signs of wear - probably due to being much older? Color loss on the corner pipings and along the strap, but it's black so will be easier to dye.

I guess I was hoping I would not need to bathe them, because I'm scared of ruining them completely (like anabg's fears!) but I do want them to be the best they can be now. Thanks again! Will hopefully get started on this soon.

You probably won't need to dye the black bag, a lot of the color should come back after a bath and conditioning, and if the corners are still faded you can touch them up with a tiny bit of black acryllic paint.

 

[x UHOH X]

My bag is plain old black. The bath sounds like a good idea ,but I am scared to give it a bath and ruin it. I am not what you would consider crafty. I guess I will assess the bag when it arrives. Hopefully, it won't need it.

It's glove tanned leather.

You don't need to be crafty to give it a bath, just watchful. If it's leather, I would be very doubtful about being able to ruin it with a simple bath. Make sure you have old towels on hand for the drying/reshaping. And PICS!

 

[katev]

I was afraid to dunk a bag for the first time but now it's my preference. Those older glove-tanned bags are very resilient and they come back to life after a bath and moisturizer!

 

[iyaken]

So, I'm getting ready to dunk! A quick question, though... When you dunk, do you just soak the bag in soapy water? No scrubbing or rubbing, just let the soapy water do its trick?

 

[katev]

So, I'm getting ready to dunk! A quick question, though... When you dunk, do you just soak the bag in soapy water? No scrubbing or rubbing, just let the soapy water do its trick?

I usually soak the bag in warm sudsy water for about 45 minutes. I use a cloth to rub it down inside and out while it is soaking to remove surface dirt. If the bag is very soiled I will rub it more vigorously to try and reduce the spots. If it has ink marks on the inside I definitely scrub them and also treat them with rubbing alcohol.

I am more gentle on the outside because I don't want to lose color but I will be more aggressive if the bag is really really dirty. Sometimes I wash them twice or I turn it inside out (if possible) while it is soaking. If there is a lot of lint and dust collected in the seams then I use a soft toothbrush to scrub them. Good luck!