Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[ziztur]

P.S. I feel like this drying technique might be helpful to other rehabbers. It works very well. After I took this pic I took one of the foil sides off to let more air escape. The dehydrator is set at 95. The bag was dry except for the bottom after 8 hours. I turned it on the side and went to work, leaving it in there. Pics...

 

[houseof999]

[emoji651]️ That reminds me I wanted to share incase anyone is forgetful like me. I forgot to clean up a brush I used for acrylic paint and completely dried up and hardened. I was able to save the brush with Krud Kutter. It didn't dissolve the acrylic like but rather broke it up in particles and released the acrylic from the bristles.

 

[ThriftyOldBag]

Great!

So basically, I've got this bag. From TPF and my sister, who rehabs Chanel, I know what to do about the dryness, the interior stains, etc.

However, it smells like a boat. Like an old boat that has been sitting around with a leaky cover. Mildew/mold!

I already dunked her, washed her with some stain remover and laundry detergent in a bucket. Right now she is drying in basically this makeshift dryer - a tote with a food dehydrator on top, set as low as it will go which is about 95 degrees. I left it there overnight and it's mostly dry except for on the bottom.

Now it smells 50% less like a boat, but still smells like a boat.

How can I de-stink this bag?

Hi, I know it sounds crazy, but have you tried baking soda? I got a second hand bag a while back that stank of perfume. Wiped the lining with vinegar, then filled a sock with baking soda and left it in the bag for a few days ... It git rid of the smell. Hope that helps ...

 

[whateve]

Great!

So basically, I've got this bag. From TPF and my sister, who rehabs Chanel, I know what to do about the dryness, the interior stains, etc.

However, it smells like a boat. Like an old boat that has been sitting around with a leaky cover. Mildew/mold!

I already dunked her, washed her with some stain remover and laundry detergent in a bucket. Right now she is drying in basically this makeshift dryer - a tote with a food dehydrator on top, set as low as it will go which is about 95 degrees. I left it there overnight and it's mostly dry except for on the bottom.

Now it smells 50% less like a boat, but still smells like a boat.

How can I de-stink this bag?

Vinegar kills mold. So does sunlight. Baking soda might help with the odor. I've used a spray called zero odor or Febreze free nature for odors. Some people use vanilla vodka.

 

[ziztur]

Thanks for all the advice! Things I have considered doing:

Vinegar bath
baking soda
sealing it in a container with damprid (damprid is actually pretty awesome, can get a container of damprid and use it to dehydrate flowers by sealing the flowers in a container with it)

I am thinking when I finish drying it with my dehydrator, I will seal it in a container with damprid and baking soda and see how that goes. If that does not work, I will try more aggressive measures.

 

[whateve]

Thanks for all the advice! Things I have considered doing:

Vinegar bath
baking soda
sealing it in a container with damprid (damprid is actually pretty awesome, can get a container of damprid and use it to dehydrate flowers by sealing the flowers in a container with it)

I am thinking when I finish drying it with my dehydrator, I will seal it in a container with damprid and baking soda and see how that goes. If that does not work, I will try more aggressive measures.

I would be a little worried about what removing all moisture would do to the leather.

 

[ziztur]

I know what you mean! Me too.
My DH just told me he turned off the dehydrator for me. He says the bag feels fine. It is probably dry enough so I will condition it when I get home and then seal it up with some baking soda and see how that goes. the RH (relative humidity) where I live now is like 24% so that's pretty low anyway and I sort of doubt the damprid can suck much more out of it than that anyway.

 

[Catbird9]

Thanks for all the advice! Things I have considered doing:

Vinegar bath
baking soda
sealing it in a container with damprid (damprid is actually pretty awesome, can get a container of damprid and use it to dehydrate flowers by sealing the flowers in a container with it)

I am thinking when I finish drying it with my dehydrator, I will seal it in a container with damprid and baking soda and see how that goes. If that does not work, I will try more aggressive measures.

Another odor remover some people have recommended is activated charcoal, sold as aquarium charcoal at pet supply stores. Place it in small bowls around the bag inside the sealed container.

Drying alone won't remove existing mold spores. You have to kill the spores somehow or the mold can come back if conditions are right. Vinegar should do it.

 

[ThriftyOldBag]

I know what you mean! Me too.
My DH just told me he turned off the dehydrator for me. He says the bag feels fine. It is probably dry enough so I will condition it when I get home and then seal it up with some baking.

This thread may be of interest:
forum.purseblog.com/threads/i-found-the-cure-for-my-musty-vintage-chanel.970045/

 

[ziztur]

I saw that! That thread was my inspiration to tell my DH turn my dehydrator to 145 degrees and let it heat my bag for an hour. 140 is the temp needed to murder mold spores.

 

[Belicious]

My rehab pile for the weekend... I may have bitten off more than I can chew!

Especially with the twill one It's quite yellow, does anyone know if that's from aging or the color it always was? Also, has anyone ever rehabbed one of these? I wonder if the tan leather may bleed onto the twill. On the other hand... I'm just ready to try it anyway coz it was only $24. I'm quite fascinated to see if it cleans up well or not. I'm going to wrap the handles in case she has to spend a long time soaking, but I will wash them at some stage too. I'm thinking of starting with scrubbing all over with Dawn after wetting it.

The dinky, Willis and the tiny bucket bag will be easy though.

 

[Katherine2020]

My rehab pile for the weekend... I may have bitten off more than I can chew!

Especially with the twill one It's quite yellow, does anyone know if that's from aging or the color it always was? Also, has anyone ever rehabbed one of these? I wonder if the tan leather may bleed onto the twill. On the other hand... I'm just ready to try it anyway coz it was only $24. I'm quite fascinated to see if it cleans up well or not. I'm going to wrap the handles in case she has to spend a long time soaking, but I will wash them at some stage too. I'm thinking of starting with scrubbing all over with Dawn after wetting it.

The dinky, Willis and the tiny bucket bag will be easy though.

I've heard horror stories about the twill, so I've steered clear even though I would love to have one. Apparently any attempts to clean the twill alone leaves marks, and fully dunking causes the leather to bleed. If the yellowing is fairly even, and there aren't significant spots, maybe just clean and conditions the leather? Please share your experience if you do decide to for for the dunk!
The rest of your pile will rehab beautifully, as you said. The Maggie/mini bucket is one of my favorite bags. I'm short, so I can wear it crossbody.
You have a fun weekend ahead of you!

 

[Belicious]

I've heard horror stories about the twill, so I've steered clear even though I would love to have one. Apparently any attempts to clean the twill alone leaves marks, and fully dunking causes the leather to bleed. If the yellowing is fairly even, and there aren't significant spots, maybe just clean and conditions the leather? Please share your experience if you do decide to for for the dunk!
The rest of your pile will rehab beautifully, as you said. The Maggie/mini bucket is one of my favorite bags. I'm short, so I can wear it crossbody.
You have a fun weekend ahead of you!

I gave it a shot already. She had a long bath, first scrubbed with Dawn. The darker spots I then covered in oxy something whatever spray (max out?) and left for 30 minutes. Then I rinsed that. Seemed like the darker spots were fading a bit so I did that again. Then I scrubbed it all over the twill with fels naptha laundry soap. Not great for leather but fine for twill I think. Then a vinegar rinse. I think it looks cleaner and more evenly colored and the spots that are still there are at least lighter. I hope! At least worst case scenario in which the leather bleeds on the twill didn't happen. The handles do feel pretty soft so if I attempt anything more with her I'll be covering those from now on. It's always hard to tell for sure when its drying but I think it's overall better.

All the other bags washed and drying, no issues. And for now my day is done

 

[Margoux]

How can I de-stink this bag?

Hi, there! You've gotten many great solutions to remove unpleasant odors, but just in case you decide you would also like to add pleasant smells to your purse, I'll just throw these solutions out here. They're non-chemical things that I do because, in general, I'm scared to put anything other than leather conditioner on my purses!

1) Green Tea
This actually works best with wallets or very small purses, but it's pretty great for purse pockets in general. You don't need anything expensive; just get the dollar store green tea bags, crush the tea bags to release strong tea smells, and then stuff a few tea bags in the pockets and zip them up. Leave it alone for a few days. (For a small purse, just stuff tea bags inside and zip it up. If it doesn't close you can wrap the purse in a freshly laundered towel you don't mind sparing. Leave alone for a few days.) Later, you can lint roll away any tea leaves you see.
2) Potpourri
Pour fresh potpourri into the purse - literally just fill it up. Don't forget the pockets and be generous! (If the potpourri you want to use has little bits you're worried about getting stuck in the purse lining, you can line the bottom of the purse with tissue paper - only 1 sheet thick. Alternatively, you can put the potpourri in cotton bags or in a little pillow case (or open ziplock/sandwich bags) and just stuff the purse that way.) Leave purse alone for 2-3 days. Afterwards, remove potpourri from the purse and shake the lining. If there's any potpourri stuck, you can run one of the sticky paper lint rollers in the purse.
3) Citrus Peels
Eat and peel your favorite citrus fruit. Save the peels. Make sure the peels are not wet with fruit juice, then you can put the peels in the purse. If the bag is cloth lining or some otherwise durable (and non-sensitive) lining, just straight up put the peels in the bag. If the lining is sensitive, put the peels in little cloth/mesh bags or even a plastic ziplock/sandwich bag without sealing the bag. Put the bag(s) with the peels in the purse and also in the pockets. Either way you put the peels in the purse, afterwards put the purse in a dust bag/pillowcase. If you would like, as an extra option, you can carefully put any extra peels you have wrapped in plastic ziplock/sandwich bags inside the dust bag. Put the dustbag very carefully on a shelf in your closet or somewhere where it would not be disturbed for 3 days at least. Afterwards, your bag should smell like your favorite citrus fruit! :]

 

[ziztur]

Thanks for all the advice!

After conditioning my bag a few times and blow drying it, it smells much better but admittedly I can still smell boat.

I'm leaving it sealed in a tote for a few days with a sock of baking soda and a tub of scented damp-rid. I'll probably try some green tea or some of these other suggestions after that.