If anyone is curious, before pics are here: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.833400/post-35977435
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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Wow! I’m so impressed!
Thanks! It's not perfect, but I still love it!
What color is the bag? Can you post pictures of the bag and of the problem areas in this forum?
I wouldn't advise using shoe polish. It might be too shiney and look funny and it could rub off on your clothes. A shoe repair might suggest dying the bag but that may not be necessary and it could make it look too shiney. The bag may just need leather conditioner.
I had my doubts about the shoe polish…
The bag is black. Photos attached. I think maybe some brass cleaner would work on the button. I didn’t realize it is (maybe?) brass until I put it in the sun just now.
I also have a white canvas bag that could use a clean. This was the first handbag I bought for myself after landing my first professional job. I have kept it all these years but it discolored. It looks like it is dirty but it was pristine white (I was so anal about it) and it’s been in a dust bag for 25 years…. The fabric might be gone. I figure it’s worth a cleaning and if that doesn’t work, trash it..
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Lovely bags and they both look to be in great condition!
The black bag would probably darken and look a lot better if you applied some leather conditioner. If it's dirty you could wipe it down with soapy water first (just a little blue Dawn dish soap in water) and then wipe with a clean cloth and water.
Stuff it with towels to shape it and after the bag dries you should apply some leather conditioner; Leather CPR conditioner (Dollar Store or Amazon) is a favorite product among many rehabbers. Just wipe it on, rub it in, clean off the excess and let the bag rest for awhile. If it still looks a bit faded after conditioning, then you might try applying Black Rocks Leather 'n Rich (Amazon) apply it sparingly and wipe off the excess. After the bag has time to absorb the BRs, buff the bag with a soft cloth or a soft horsehair brush. You can brighten up the brass hardware with some metal polish.
I've cleaned several canvas and cloth bags and I've found that dunking the bag in Dawn and water, followed by dunking it in clean water, then letting it drain, before stuffing it with towels to shape it while it dries usually works well. However, I have had one of two experiences when some of the glue near the leather or seamed area darkened after dunking to cause slight discoloration, but if you are thinking of trashing the bag then I would suggest that you give it a try. The bag that I am thinking of that got darkend near the seams was nylon, not canvas.
Below are before and after pictures of a canvas and leather Coach bag that I once rehabbed. It was very dirty and stained and I really tortured that little bag, I even ran it through the washer (twice!) but it came out really good IMO:
Out, out damned spot! Even if it takes 2 trips thru the washer!
And dont let Lady McBeth have any more red wine, either! I recently picked up a canvas and leather Coach bag at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for $12. The bag was filthy and badly stained with ink, dirt, food, and some really nasty red wine stains under the flap. I wasnt sure if it could...
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Perhaps some of the other rehabbers can offer other suggestions, good luck! Whatever you do, please don't trash them, you can donate the bags to a charitable thrift store so that they can sell them and other rehabbers can try to give them a new life!
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Thank you! I have some very old Coach leather conditioner. I'll start with that on the black bag. It's such a cutie.Lovely bags and they both look to be in great condition!
The black bag would probably darken and look a lot better if you applied some leather conditioner. If it's dirty you could wipe it down with soapy water first (just a little blue Dawn dish soap in water) and then wipe with a clean cloth and water.
After the bag dries you should apply some leather conditioner; Leather CPR conditioner (Dollar Store or Amazon) is a favorite product among many rehabbers. Just wipe it on, rub it in, clean off the excess and let the bag rest for awhile. If it still looks a bit faded after conditioning, then you might try applying Black Rocks Leather 'n Rich (Amazon) apply it sparingly and wipe off the excess. After the bag has time to absorb the BRs, buff the bag with a soft cloth or a soft horsehair brush. You can brighten up the brass hardware with some metal polish.
I've cleaned several canvas and cloth bags and I've found that dunking the bag in Dawn and water, followed by dunking it in clean water, then letting it drain, before stuffing it with towels to shape it while it dries usually works well. However, I have had one of two experiences when some of the glue near the leather or seamed area darkened after dunking to cause slight discoloration, but if you are thinking of trashing the bag then I would suggest that you give it a try. The bag that I am thinking of that got darkend near the seams was nylon, not canvas.
Below are before and after pictures of a canvas and leather Coach bag that I once rehabbed. It was very dirty and stained and I really tortured that little bag, I even ran it through the washer, but it came out really good IMO:
Out, out damned spot! Even if it takes 2 trips thru the washer!
And dont let Lady McBeth have any more red wine, either! I recently picked up a canvas and leather Coach bag at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for $12. The bag was filthy and badly stained with ink, dirt, food, and some really nasty red wine stains under the flap. I wasnt sure if it could...
Perhaps some of the other rehabbers can offer other suggestions, good luck! Whatever you do, please don't trash them, you can donate the bags to a charitable thrift store so that they can sell them and other rehabbers can try to give them a new life!
I'll try washing the other bag. I didn't really mean I'd trash it - donate is a much better word. I'm all for recycling here!
BTW, the button closure is called a springlock clasp and it was used on some vintage coach bags. The black bag might be a 9892 Chrystie Crossbody bag but I can't tell from the pictures. You should post more photos (including the creed patch) along with the dimensions in the ID This Coach thread to find out more about your bags.
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Looks great! If a Dawn dunk and Leather CPR don't remedy the scuffed edges or corners as well as I'd like, I use Meltonian Shoe Cream (it's not a shoe polish). A small amount goes a long way. Your local shoe repair may carry it, but I've had better luck ordering it from the Meltonian website, Amazon and even eBay.
Been working on this one for awhile. Today I bought a cheap bag at the thrift store to "borrow" some hardware accent brass pieces to cover up bad areas. Here's my bag, now. I like it!
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I wanted to share my progress. It looks like the Court bag edges didn’t rejuvenate uniformly and there is significant visible color loss on the piping. There is still some color loss on the corners of the other bag as well. Sigh. Looks like more work for me to do. I was planning to try the conditioner and paint trick, but someone mentioned melatonin’s shoe crème. Anyone have a preference for one or the other? The first four pictures are before and the last four are after leather CPR and Blackrocks.
