Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[aerinha]

My courier is done and is tabac in color.

Back before

After her shape is better and color lighter (cleaner)

Dark spot in strap before

After cleaning and a vinegar rub the white center is gone and it is lighter overall

Strap stretched seam before

After glue and you can see the green is gone and leather shiny now

Color comparison of hang tag to bag before wash

After (did nothing to tag to really show change)

Bag before very scratched and dull

After perfect and glossy

 

[aerinha]

thanks, I just used Dawn and a soft toothbrush and I did a lot of scrubbing! But maybe I should have tried a stain remover?

So far my best stain remover has been white vinegar on a qtip or cotton ball pre dunk and after the bag dries the stains are gone. Sadly I did the vinegar on my courier strap after dunk and it didn’t work as well

 

[whateve]

Looks amazing! Did you use any stain remover inside? Or only scrubbed it in the soapy water? I need to wash mine but I'm terrified of ruining the lining.

Depending on the stains, I've had great success with Lincoln EZ cleaner, specifically on the pig lining of these. Before and after.

 

[katev]

So far my best stain remover has been white vinegar on a qtip or cotton ball pre dunk and after the bag dries the stains are gone. Sadly I did the vinegar on my courier strap after dunk and it didn’t work as well

Your courier looks gorgeous!

Thanks, vinegar is a good stain remover but the Gramercy bags are lined with a delicate suede cloth and I was afraid to try anything even slightly caustic on it.

 

[katev]

Depending on the stains, I've had great success with Lincoln EZ cleaner, specifically on the pig lining of these. Before and after.

I've got some Lincoln E-Z cleaner and I have used it successfully in the past, but I once used it on a red nubuc bag (not a good idea) and it bleached out the color in some areas. I was worried about the plum color of this bag but perhaps I should have tried it on the interior.

 

[katev]

My courier is done and is tabac in color.

Back before
View attachment 4416985
After her shape is better and color lighter (cleaner)
View attachment 4416986
Dark spot in strap before
View attachment 4416987
After cleaning and a vinegar rub the white center is gone and it is lighter overall
View attachment 4416988
Strap stretched seam before
View attachment 4416989
After glue and you can see the green is gone and leather shiny now
View attachment 4416990
Color comparison of hang tag to bag before wash
View attachment 4416992
After (did nothing to tag to really show change)
View attachment 4416991
Bag before very scratched and dull
View attachment 4416994
After perfect and glossy
View attachment 4416993

Beautiful, but judging by the color of the hangtag I would have guessed British Tan with a dark patina. What is the color of the interior and the more protect areas of the bag?

 

[theblissfullyobsessed]

Here are before and after photos of my $50 Plum Gramercy Top Handle Satchel 7002, Made in Italy in 1999 ($348).

The bag was in pretty good shape but the interior suede cloth lining was very dirty, and there was some kind of adhesive substance stuck to the bottom on the inside of the bag.

I gave the bag a sink bath in Dawn and scrubbed and scrubbed the interior stains. These Italian Coach bags take forever to dry - at least a week - but they do dry out eventually, so if you decide to give one a bath be prepared to be patient and wait!

I moisturized it with light applications of Leather CPR and Black Rocks and gentle buffing. Then I put it aside and forgot about it for awhile because I hate polishing hardware and because I was disappointed with the results of the interior cleaning. I finally finished it yesterday and I used Wenol on the hardware.

The first 4 pics below are auction pics before the rehab and the last 6 pictures are after. I was able to improve the interior a little, it is now clean and some of the stains are gone and I was able to reduce but not remove the glob of adhesive. I was afraid to keep trying because I was worried that I would tear the lining.

She's not perfect but she is a pretty, little lady!

Before Rehab Auction Pics:

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After Rehab, Not Perfect But Better:

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Great work, Kate! I love the sophisticated look of these bags & enjoy wearing mine!

 

[aerinha]

Your courier looks gorgeous!

Thanks, vinegar is a good stain remover but the Gramercy bags are lined with a delicate suede cloth and I was afraid to try anything even slightly caustic on it.

Vinegar is a recommended suede cleaner according to google searches i did on another project

Beautiful, but judging by the color of the hangtag I would have guessed British Tan with a dark patina. What is the color of the interior and the more protect areas of the bag?

The inside is fairly yellowish, not at all like the interior of my British tan courier.

 

[theblissfullyobsessed]

My courier is done and is tabac in color.

Back before
View attachment 4416985
After her shape is better and color lighter (cleaner)
View attachment 4416986
Dark spot in strap before
View attachment 4416987
After cleaning and a vinegar rub the white center is gone and it is lighter overall
View attachment 4416988
Strap stretched seam before
View attachment 4416989
After glue and you can see the green is gone and leather shiny now
View attachment 4416990
Color comparison of hang tag to bag before wash
View attachment 4416992
After (did nothing to tag to really show change)
View attachment 4416991
Bag before very scratched and dull
View attachment 4416994
After perfect and glossy
View attachment 4416993

It looks fabulous, aerinha! Nice job!

 

[aerinha]

For comparison since the courier’s color is a bit iffy here it is next to my BT court bag

Courier lining

Court lining which is much more russet in person

The courier hang tag could be a replacement too

 

[houseof999]

Depending on the stains, I've had great success with Lincoln EZ cleaner, specifically on the pig lining of these. Before and after.

Thank you. I'll have to order it. My pink blush broke in there and it stained. Not sure I'll be able to get it all out.

 

[theblissfullyobsessed]

Vinegar is a recommended suede cleaner according to google searches i did on another project


The inside is fairly yellowish, not at all like the interior of my British tan courier.

When my rehab paper towels (& hands!) have a yellow tint, I tend to consider that verified as Tabac!

 

[theblissfullyobsessed]

.

 

[aerinha]

When my rehab paper towels (& hands!) have a yellow tint, I tend to consider that verified as Tabac!

Towels and the gloves I wore were yellow. Water in sink looked like weak tea.

 

[Lake Effect]

Here is a photo of my Italian Plum Gramercy Top Handle Satchel 7002 (see above) with a black Gramercy Continental Clutch wallet from 1999 or 2000.

I found the wallet at a local consignment shop for $19. I was pretty sure that it was also a Made in Italy Coach Product but I couldn't find any stamps or tags that said "Italy" anywhere inside the wallet - until I took a closer look at the female part of the button snap!

Sometimes these vintage products like to hang on to their secrets, but you can usually figure them out eventually.

Special thanks to @whateve and @Hyacinth for their expert authentications of the both the Gramercy satchel and the Gramercy Continental Clutch!

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Wow, great job. Thanks for posting. You read my mind cause I did a see a dirty black Gramercy on eBay and it made me wonder how they cleaned up. My fantasy would be one in Wheat!