Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[mellopan]

Just wanted to chime in, since I'm a soaper. Anything sold as "soap" in the US is alkaline and made from Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) or Potassium Hydroxide (Potash) mixed with fats and oils. Dish detergents are also alkaline and made up of chemical agents and surfactants, like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Soap can be "superfatted" like castille (full olive oil soap) or homemade soaps; and contain free oils and glycerine produced from the soapmaking process. Detergents can be alkaline (Dawn, Ivory, Tide) and use surfactants to "pull" away dirt and oil; or they can be acidic (usually reserved for industrial purposes), and clean by eating away proteins and vegetable matter--which would cause leather to breakdown.

The pH of leather is around 5, white vinegar is around 2.5, water is around 7 (neutral), Ivory is around 7.6, Castille is around 8.0 (depending upon who made it) and Simple Green is about 9.6. A low alkaline soap diluted in water shouldn't be a problem. IMHO, dilute castille or homemade soap is probably your best bet for gently cleaning leather, because of their free oils.

As for Leather CPR, their claim to only contain "cosmetic grade" materials irked me--because they never disclosed these "skin-safe" ingredients. So, I did some digging and got an MSDS--which did not disclose any ingredients, but did list the parent company--Ambiance Cosmetics. Ambiance makes a "Transforming Cleanser" for the face that looks a lot like Leather CPR. I would venture a guess that the products contain the same things, maybe with a formula adjustment and lanolin added to Leather CPR. However, exactly what those ingredients are still remains a mystery. They would only admit to "a super blend of hydrating avocado, macadamia, olive and jojoba oils, with Omega Plus - the ultimate antioxidant protection, along with natural emulsifiers". And because the product is "cosmetic grade" they are not regulated by the FDA and aren't required to disclose the ingredients when used in industrial applications--unless it is reactive or flammable. We may never know the truth.

(I really think they stole the formula for Cetaphil; hence, the secrecy.)

Thanks for the info StarBrown! I hope if they did steal Cetaphil's formula that they kept the parabens out. I remember reading some forums of people complaining their leather cpr went bad after not using it for a long time, so that's probably a positive if that means no parabens

 

[mellopan]

It is probably normal and should bathe fine. What era and style is your bag?

It is pre-1994, I think the style is madison doctor bag (the same one that you helped me authenticate a couple of days ago).

 

[mellopan]

I just had to LOL at this comment.

When I first started reading the rehab thread I was taken aback too...like no way am I going to put a leather bag in the sink or washer! lol Now I've done both and am a believer.

I'm a believer too I've seen the results and I'm super excited to bathe my first vintage Coach! In the washer though?! Hmm....let me take this one step at a time. I'd be afraid of the bag getting wrinkles from all the action in the washing machine

 

[mellopan]

She's had a bath and some touch up work via acrylic paint mixed with a bit of Leather CPR. Took about three tries to get the color to match as well as it does; it looked ok at first but when it dried, it was too dark after the first try. Looks pretty good now, IMO-not as noticeable as I first thought it would be. The lack of texture doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Thoughts, anyone?

Wow, I honestly didn't even notice anything until I looked at the closeups. It looks great!

 

[whateve]

It is pre-1994, I think the style is madison doctor bag (the same one that you helped me authenticate a couple of days ago).

The earlier the bag, the fuzzier the suede, generally.

I'm a believer too I've seen the results and I'm super excited to bathe my first vintage Coach! In the washer though?! Hmm....let me take this one step at a time. I'd be afraid of the bag getting wrinkles from all the action in the washing machine

I've only put a few bags in the washing machine. I wouldn't do it with normal glove-tanned leather because it could get scratched. I've done it with pebbled leather and leather-trimmed fabric purses. It is usually the last resort solution when a bag is so dirty or you've tried everything else and you figure you have nothing to lose.

 

[ZSP]

I'm a believer too I've seen the results and I'm super excited to bathe my first vintage Coach! In the washer though?! Hmm....let me take this one step at a time. I'd be afraid of the bag getting wrinkles from all the action in the washing machine

lol baby steps are good. Before you know it you'll be an old hand at this.

The earlier the bag, the fuzzier the suede, generally.

I've only put a few bags in the washing machine. I wouldn't do it with normal glove-tanned leather because it could get scratched. I've done it with pebbled leather and leather-trimmed fabric purses. It is usually the last resort solution when a bag is so dirty or you've tried everything else and you figure you have nothing to lose.

Yep, I've done several bags in my washing machine...it doesn't have an agitator in the center though so there's nothing to scratch the bag. For extra protection you can put it in a pillow case.

Br brave! lol

 

[mellopan]

I just bathed the bag and drying now. It's looking fabulous! So exciting

I went to Ross and TJMaxx to try to find leather cpr but no luck. I did find it at Bed Bath & Beyond...for $16. Seeing as my bag only cost $15 I kind of passed for now and got Lexol from Walmart for ~$7.

I do plan to buy Blackrock from amazon, but just wondering, has anyone been able to find it in a physical store?

Another problem I ran into is the thrift store smell...usually with thrifted clothes I just put baking soda in the wash and it gets rid of the smell. But I didn't with this since baking soda will make the water alkaline. Any idea how to get rid of the smell? I already left it outside for about 2 days (in the shade of course) prior to washing.

 

[dgphoto]

Another problem I ran into is the thrift store smell...usually with thrifted clothes I just put baking soda in the wash and it gets rid of the smell. But I didn't with this since baking soda will make the water alkaline. Any idea how to get rid of the smell? I already left it outside for about 2 days (in the shade of course) prior to washing.

I use white vinegar in the bath water (and in laundry) to get rid of smells. It has worked for me with vintage smells, cigarette smoke, perfume, etc.

 

[Sonoma]

Thanks, mellopan for the info on leather conditioners. I haven't included the long quote but it is 2 posts up. I too have used just about every leather conditioner, cleaner, sealer, out there as I have plenty of years cleaning all my horse tach ( which really gets dirty from sweat and dirt and cost more then any of my purses.) Lexol has been the choice for years for cleaning ( and cost wise for large areas) and Kiwi saddle soap. I use Blackrocks on my finer leather bags.

Thanks for the comment.
FYI, the warning label on my container of Bestine acetone (which is pretty old) says it's carcinogenic. I just checked online and I see what you're saying - some people including FDA now say there's not enough info to say if acetone has health risks; but some people disagree..

So as you said mellopan, just to be safe it is probably best to always wash your hands after using any chemical, and use with care and good ventilation.

 

[Sonoma]

I don't think acetone has been classified as carcinogenic. I just looked up its MSDS and no mention of carcinogenicity anywhere. From my understanding it's only dangerous if you ingest or inhale a lot of it. Acetone is quite volatile so it would evaporate before it can penetrate through the skin. But handwashing is definitely a good practice.

ooops - responded to wrong entry! Hopefully did it right this time!

Thanks for the comment.
FYI, the warning label on my container of Bestine acetone (which is pretty old) says it's carcinogenic. I just checked online and I see what you're saying - some people including FDA now say there's not enough info to say if acetone has health risks; but some people disagree..

So as you said mellopan, just to be safe it is probably best to always wash your hands after using any chemical, and use with care and good ventilation.

 

[Farmer Cyndy]

Thought I would show a pic of a few "other vintage purses" that are NOT Coach to show you why rehabbing Coach responds to rehab and what is under other bags. as you can see, they have linings to plumb them up.Aigner bag even had burlap behind that and all had cardboard in the bottom.
Makes you love Coach anymore. These bags felt and looked like they had nice leather on the outside.

 

[ledobe]

I'm glad to see you here! I love the handle of this bag! Glad it was another success!

In a rash moment, I dunked my tourmaline duffle in a bucket of fabric dye. I think it created more problems than it solved. The hot water melted the edge sealant and it made little brown marks all over. I was surprised to find that it didn't do anything to the lining. I guess I should be happy for small miracles. Right now it is drying and I have turquoise leather refinisher in my shopping cart. I should have listened to you!

Even if the refinisher works, I'll still need to replace the edge sealant, which is brown. I haven't decide what I'm going to use for that. It appears to have some clear finish under the brown, which didn't melt, so I may just need to apply some color. Maybe paint will work. Then I'll need to repaint the "Coach New York" on the front!

I've been busy! It's kept me away from here, but the good part is its also kept me off eBay. I'm just happy I didn't ruin this $1000 bag. I washed it a couple days before I went out of town, and it was still damp when I left, and it looked kind of brownish in a couple of spots around the zipper so I thought I had either not cleaned the stains or somehow discolored the leather. But I came home to a lovely blue bag! I've been carrying it the last couple of days, so soft and smooshy, but the braided strap is kind of squeaky!

I'm sorry your experiment with your tourmaline duffle didn't work out. I think the soft leather on this Zoe would absorb dye, but the legacy bags seem too "coated" to absorb it. Of course we never know till we try. I'm really surprised about the sealant dissolving, that's useful info.

Have I mentioned, that after all the time I spent looking for my TourMolly, that when I finally got one I wished I hadn't resold the tourmaline duffle? I've carried it a few times, and it's super cute, but I think I like the duffle better.

 

[whateve]

Thought I would show a pic of a few "other vintage purses" that are NOT Coach to show you why rehabbing Coach responds to rehab and what is under other bags. View attachment 3100731 as you can see, they have linings to plumb them up.Aigner bag even had burlap behind that and all had cardboard in the bottom.
Makes you love Coach anymore. These bags felt and looked like they had nice leather on the outside.

I agree! I washed a vintage Fossil and apparently they had used glue to put it together because it ended up with dark stains around all the seams. Pretty much ruined the bag.

 

[whateve]

I've been busy! It's kept me away from here, but the good part is its also kept me off eBay. I'm just happy I didn't ruin this $1000 bag. I washed it a couple days before I went out of town, and it was still damp when I left, and it looked kind of brownish in a couple of spots around the zipper so I thought I had either not cleaned the stains or somehow discolored the leather. But I came home to a lovely blue bag! I've been carrying it the last couple of days, so soft and smooshy, but the braided strap is kind of squeaky!

I'm sorry your experiment with your tourmaline duffle didn't work out. I think the soft leather on this Zoe would absorb dye, but the legacy bags seem too "coated" to absorb it. Of course we never know till we try. I'm really surprised about the sealant dissolving, that's useful info.

Have I mentioned, that after all the time I spent looking for my TourMolly, that when I finally got one I wished I hadn't resold the tourmaline duffle? I've carried it a few times, and it's super cute, but I think I like the duffle better.

It appears to have accepted the dye. The main problem, and it is a big one, is that the melted sealant left little brown stains all over! I've ordered Leather Refinisher but I really don't relish having to put it on the entire bag. The other problem I have is that the bag looks wrinkled, especially the pocket. The pocket looks puckered. I kind of like the way it looks without the sealant. There is sealant underneath the brown that is blue. Not all the sealant melted off, so I have to coax the rest of it off.

I almost bought tour Molly at the outlet once. I didn't get it because I knew I'd prefer a shoulder bag. Looking at my failure makes me sad. Now I really love the color and I wish I had a perfect tour duffle to carry.

 

[ledobe]

It appears to have accepted the dye. The main problem, and it is a big one, is that the melted sealant left little brown stains all over! I've ordered Leather Refinisher but I really don't relish having to put it on the entire bag. The other problem I have is that the bag looks wrinkled, especially the pocket. The pocket looks puckered. I kind of like the way it looks without the sealant. There is sealant underneath the brown that is blue. Not all the sealant melted off, so I have to coax the rest of it off.

I almost bought tour Molly at the outlet once. I didn't get it because I knew I'd prefer a shoulder bag. Looking at my failure makes me sad. Now I really love the color and I wish I had a perfect tour duffle to carry.

Can you post pix? I would like to see how the dye took. How close was the color?

And yeah, doing the entire bag in refinisher doesn't sound like a lot of fun.