Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#1,276
katev said:
I know that I have said all this before (so I hope that I am not becoming annoying?!) but I've just posted this info in another thread and decided to move it over here for future reference.

Maintenance Procedure Before Putting a Leather Bag Into Storage

Sometimes I have seen changes in bags that were put into storage in their dustbags for several months. These bags looked clean when I put them away but when I took them out later I found dirty marks, fingers prints, and even the beginnings of tarnish and discoloration on the hardware.

When I am switching out bags I don't always have the time (or the inclination) to drag out bottles of leather cleaner and conditioner and rags to do a full cleaning and conditioning procedure, so I am now keeping "quik-wipes" handy to make the job easy, fast, and convenient.

I use 25 ct Lexol cleaning wipes and the 25 ct Lexol conditioning wipes along with 30 ct Goddard's Jewelry Cleaner wipes , see links below.

The Lexol products are thin and not opague creams so I have been able to use them safely on all kinds of leather (garcia, vintage, legacy, glove-tanned, madison, pebbled, textured, embellished, etc.)

The Goddard's cleaner wipes do not not contain amonia and evaporate quickly and I use them for the hardware.

So now whenever I am putting a leather bag into storage and I don't think I will be using her soon (or any time a bag looks like it could use a little TLC). I just wipe it down with a Lexol cleaner wipe and wait a short while for it to dry. Then I condition it with a Lexol conditioner wipe and again give it a short time to absorb. Then I go over the hardware with a Goddard's Jewelry wipe and let that evaporate.

I generally let the bag sit out overnight to let odor of the Lexol cleaner dissipate and the next day I quickly rub it all over with a soft, dry cloth or towel before I stuff her with tissue and put her into the dustbag for storage. And sometimes, if I am in the mood, before I store her I also grab a needle-nosed pliers and give the chain connectors on the hangtags a couple of gentle squeezes to tighten them.

When the bag is in use I keep the tissue inside the dustbag in the closet so it is easy to stuff it again for storage.

So far this process has been working well for me and the bags have been clean and ready to go when I want to use them again.

When I am storing a fabric bag, I inspect it carefully for soiled areas and discoloration and I spot clean these with Coach's Jacquard Fabric Cleaner.

I haven't figured out what to do with Patent Leather bags yet, any suggestions.

I get the Lexol wipes a local tack shop (equestrian horse-riding store) and I get the Goddard's at Tuesday Morning Stores (they also carry the Leather CPR conditioner.)

I started using this process after I took out my beautiful vintage leather XL mahagony pleated Ergo hobo for the fall and discovered that she had a few dirty splotches, some finger/handling marks on her and she looked dull and dirty in general. Happily she cleaned up well but that taught me a lesson and now I try to do some preventive maintenance on my bags, especially when they are going into long-term storage.

http://www.lexol.com/product_leather_cleaner.aspx

http://www.lexol.com/product_leather_conditioner.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Goddards-Jewelry-Wipes-30ct/dp/B002W5ATXY
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good post! I just started using the Lexol wipes not too long ago...had to order them from amazon since I can't find them anywhere. I do like their convenience!! It's true that oils from fingers etc can darken and change the color of clothing and bags over time
 
#1,277
Jessi319 said:
good post! I just started using the Lexol wipes not too long ago...had to order them from amazon since I can't find them anywhere. I do like their convenience!! It's true that oils from fingers etc can darken and change the color of clothing and bags over time
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The bottles of Lexol cleaner and conditioner do the same thing and they are cheaper and easy to find because shoe repair stores often carry them, but I really like the convenience of the wipes and I am more like to give my bags some maintenance if the process is quick and easy!

I sometimes grab the lexol wipes to give my shoes a quick pick-me-up and I sometimes use the Goddard's wipes on my jewelry for a quick shine.
 
#1,278
JOODLZ said:
I've completed 2 vinegaroon rehabs and have written a 10-page illustrated pdf tutorial of the process and results.

Can anyone give me info about how I can post a pdf here?
Or can I post a link to a download the pdf from my business (graphic design) website?

Below are before and after - although I'm still conditioning, conditioning, conditioning!
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That looks GREAT!! Maybe if the administrators don't respond RE: PDF files, you could upload it to either an online photo album, or a public document storage (like Skydrive or something) and post the link. ? Good job!
 
#1,279
Jessi319 said:
I can't find the black back drop for a true side by side comparison. This was rehabbed using only Leather CPR a few times, followed by Blackrock a couple times, then a couple coats of Obenaufs LP, (which I am liking!!) I have a couple of worn spots that I still want to figure out repair on. The bag had a couple of "tar" type spots glued into the leather. Small, but noticeable and permanent. I tried picking off the tar on the main front flap which damaged the leather a little , but is less dark now. I had to remove some verdigris using a paste of baking sodea and vinegar. It helped -but couldn't remove all the dark lines from the buckle, etc. I kind of like the "beat up" Patina on british tan and regular tan bags, so I'm not overly unhappy with her as is, but I think I'll keep working on some of the repairs she needs. This is similar in size to my Stewardess so she's a great work bag!
AFTER:​

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By jessi319 at 2012-03-29
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By jessi319 at 2012-
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By jessi319 at 2012-03-2903-29
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By jessi319 at 2012-03-29
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By jessi319 at 2012-03-29
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Wonderful rehab-she looks gorgeous and the leather looks really supple now! Great job!! Love her color, too:smile1:
 
#1,280
Jessi319 said:
OK....I can't believe I spent more than my usual for a rehab project, but that suede bag would NOT LEAVE MY MIND since I saw her first listed yesterday, and I was so afraid someone else would do a BUY IT NOW for this rare bag, so I went for it. The photos make her look kinda seafoam, which I was kinda "meh" about, and I wrote the seller a note and she confirmed it to be actually a richer forest green...(yay, one of my fave colors)!! I'll keep you posted on what kind of washing she needs!
this is a link. I'll post better photos hopefully later. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120886101163
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This bag is amazing! Congrats!
 
#1,282
I recently bought this Leigh that the seller described as whiskey colour. It's actually a raisin bag, but had taken on quite a brown shade. It was still nice, but I wanted to see if I could get the purple tones to come out again, and just to even out the colour across the bag.

Here are the before pictures:
 

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#1,283
I used a surface leather cleaner (from a saddlery) applied using a wet face washer. The cleaner has a texture a bit like a thick liquid soap and it lathers up on the leather. Then I let it dry for 24 hours and applied a beeswax/ emu oil/ eucalyptus oil/ tea tree oil leather conditioner. The leather had seemed a little dry before and it drank the conditioner in. I applied two lots of conditioner.

The colour is definitely darker than before, and the leather has a slightly waxy feel to it, but I am hoping that will help protect against water marks.

I think the colour looks really classy against the brass hardware!
 

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#1,285
4213jen said:
I used a surface leather cleaner (from a saddlery) applied using a wet face washer. The cleaner has a texture a bit like a thick liquid soap and it lathers up on the leather. Then I let it dry for 24 hours and applied a beeswax/ emu oil/ eucalyptus oil/ tea tree oil leather conditioner. The leather had seemed a little dry before and it drank the conditioner in. I applied two lots of conditioner.

The colour is definitely darker than before, and the leather has a slightly waxy feel to it, but I am hoping that will help protect against water marks.

I think the colour looks really classy against the brass hardware!
Click to expand...
She is looking just gorg Jen. I can't believe it is the same bag, love the color.:smile1:
 
#1,288
Its made by an Australian company called Oakwood. I don't know if I am allowed to add this - they have a website www.oakwoodproducts.com
I just went in to a saddlery and spoke to the lady there, after trying many other leather products. The lady I dealt with also used this on her bags, so I thought it was worth a try. It definitely does darken the leather - I used the same thing on my camel GiGi (shown earlier) but I still like the colour so it's all good.

chowlover2 said:
What's the name of the leather conditioner you used?
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#1,290
4213jen said:
I used a surface leather cleaner (from a saddlery) applied using a wet face washer. The cleaner has a texture a bit like a thick liquid soap and it lathers up on the leather. Then I let it dry for 24 hours and applied a beeswax/ emu oil/ eucalyptus oil/ tea tree oil leather conditioner. The leather had seemed a little dry before and it drank the conditioner in. I applied two lots of conditioner.

The colour is definitely darker than before, and the leather has a slightly waxy feel to it, but I am hoping that will help protect against water marks.

I think the colour looks really classy against the brass hardware!
Click to expand...

She's beautiful!!. This is my favorite bag, in my favorite color. (One of my HG wish list bags). I only have her in black and rose for now. The cleaner you describe sounds a lot like our Lexol cleaner I use. I am happy to see someone show some rehab of a Leigh since I've been debating what to do with my Rose Leigh. She's got a little edge wear. thanks for sharing this
 
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