Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[soozlz]

I never used to look at my purses or even think about them. All that has changed now. I know exactly how you felt sitting in the car with the stained purse on your lap. The same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. We ate at a restaurant and something dripped on my purse. I could hardly wait to get it home and clean it. In fact I ended up giving it a bath!

The purse I carry when I want to relax is my blue Dooney Equestrian from the 80s. She's faded and soft and saggy in the middle, but I love her. I call her my rainy day bag,

My latest rehab is a Crescent bag. Occupational hazard: falling in love with the bag you thought you were going to rehab and sell. This color is amazing. It might be burnt orange or red. (Strap is mostly dry, bag still wet.)

That's a great looking bag!!

 

[Catbird9]

That's a great looking bag!!

Thanks!

I'll post a better pic (hopefully not turned on its side) with proper lighting when the rehab is done.

 

[whateve]

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm thinking about getting this legacy vachetta bag, but the vachetta looks discolored in large areas. I've used whateve's vinegar and magic trick on minor discolorations.....but is there hope for vachetta that looks like this??
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That looks horrible! If I could get it really, really cheap, I would put it in the washer first and then use the vinegar trick afterwards. It would be an experiment.

 

[Miss Krys]

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm thinking about getting this legacy vachetta bag, but the vachetta looks discolored in large areas. I've used whateve's vinegar and magic trick on minor discolorations.....but is there hope for vachetta that looks like this??
View attachment 3325500View attachment 3325501

Excuse the intrusion, I was just floating through the Coach forum and saw your post. Vachetta is a delicate leather that naturally patinas over time and can show water spots or soiling like you wouldn't believe. Right now this bag is well-oxidized and no doubt heavily soiled in parts so a good cleaning will help lighten up and even out the discolouration; Apple leather cleaner is quite popular as well as Barbara's Lovin' My Bags...both are designed for vachetta (Mr. Clean magic erasers or vinegar will only damage the leather further). Allow the bag to dry completely and then clean again, repeat until satisfied, and then apply a conditioner (again Apple and BLMBs are popular options), allow to dry, and then apply again.

It's definitely a project bag but if successful it would have the beautiful tobacco/cognac colour that makes old vachetta so unique.

 

[soozlz]

That looks horrible! If I could get it really, really cheap, I would put it in the washer first and then use the vinegar trick afterwards. It would be an experiment.

Yes it does!! I can get it for about $15. If I bring back into nice condition I will have gotten a bargain. Still weighing my options on one hand and really want it on the other. Thank you for your suggestion. I was wondering whether I'd bathe it or not. It has legacy stripe lining and I'm worried about staining it if I was it.

 

[soozlz]

Excuse the intrusion, I was just floating through the Coach forum and saw your post. Vachetta is a delicate leather that naturally patinas over time and can show water spots or soiling like you wouldn't believe. Right now this bag is well-oxidized and no doubt heavily soiled in parts so a good cleaning will help lighten up and even out the discolouration; Apple leather cleaner is quite popular as well as Barbara's Lovin' My Bags...both are designed for vachetta (Mr. Clean magic erasers or vinegar will only damage the leather further). Allow the bag to dry completely and then clean again, repeat until satisfied, and then apply a conditioner (again Apple and BLMBs are popular options), allow to dry, and then apply again.

It's definitely a project bag but if successful it would have the beautiful tobacco/cognac colour that makes old vachetta so unique.

No intrusion!! Thank you for your suggestions!! This bag is fabric lined. I was thinking about giving the whole bag a bath. Any thoughts??

 

[Miss Krys]

No intrusion!! Thank you for your suggestions!! This bag is fabric lined. I was thinking about giving the whole bag a bath. Any thoughts??

Vachetta is a unique leather that is tanned using plant extracts as opposed to traditional chemicals and as such is considered to be essentially untreated. When new it looks almost sickly pink/white but with exposure to air, sunlight, and body oils will oxidize (or more commonly referred to as patina). It's quite unique and no two bags will ever age the same way, however because the leather is untreated it's very vulnerable to harsh chemicals (i.e. magic erasers), acids (i.e. vinegar), and water...all of these will cause unrepairable staining or deterioration. So no, no baths for this bag. Your best option would be to find a cleaner and conditioner specifically designed for this type of leather...it will gently clean and protect but is also suitable for treated leathers as well.
Now you know why most women carrying LV always seem so neurotic about the weather and almost go to extremes to keep those bags dry

Here's some pics showing the patina process. Yes, they are LV (infamous for the use of vachetta) but it will still show you what I mean. If you choose to restore this Coach then I'm 100% positive that the colour will be so unique that it'll literally be one-of-a-kind, it just takes some patience and perseverance.

 

[Zealous]

Hi, everyone. I still have my spectator Dinky with shoe polish rehab going. Unknowingly & unfortunately, I got a Stewardess with black shoe polish on the flap too. I decided to get & use the industrial-strength acetone on both. I thought the Stewardess rehab was going well & almost done. Acetone, bath, Leather CPR, Blackrock & left to rest. I just checked & it seems some polish has risen/returned to the surface and the suede side is back to looking slick. I suppose I will need to use acetone again. Any ideas of what I might be doing wrong or should do?

Removing shoe polish is frustrating me with seemingly no end in sight....

 

[Zealous]

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm thinking about getting this legacy vachetta bag, but the vachetta looks discolored in large areas. I've used whateve's vinegar and magic trick on minor discolorations.....but is there hope for vachetta that looks like this??
View attachment 3325500View attachment 3325501

Hi, soozlz. I've been reading through older posts recently for info on rehabbing Legacy bags. ledobe has rehabbed some with wonderful-looking results. Maybe search this thread for her posts. Good luck!

 

[whateve]

Hi, soozlz. I've been reading through older posts recently for info on rehabbing Legacy bags. ledobe has rehabbed some with wonderful-looking results. Maybe search this thread for her posts. Good luck!

I was thinking of her rehabs when I suggested putting it in the washing machine!

ETA: I got the vinegar and magic eraser idea from a site that specializes in LV rehabs. Vinegar works better than water and is gentler because its PH is closer to the PH of leather.

 

[soozlz]

Vachetta is a unique leather that is tanned using plant extracts as opposed to traditional chemicals and as such is considered to be essentially untreated. When new it looks almost sickly pink/white but with exposure to air, sunlight, and body oils will oxidize (or more commonly referred to as patina). It's quite unique and no two bags will ever age the same way, however because the leather is untreated it's very vulnerable to harsh chemicals (i.e. magic erasers), acids (i.e. vinegar), and water...all of these will cause unrepairable staining or deterioration. So no, no baths for this bag. Your best option would be to find a cleaner and conditioner specifically designed for this type of leather...it will gently clean and protect but is also suitable for treated leathers as well.
Now you know why most women carrying LV always seem so neurotic about the weather and almost go to extremes to keep those bags dry

Here's some pics showing the patina process. Yes, they are LV (infamous for the use of vachetta) but it will still show you what I mean. If you choose to restore this Coach then I'm 100% positive that the colour will be so unique that it'll literally be one-of-a-kind, it just takes some patience and perseverance.

Very interesting. If I clean the bag using one of the products you recommend, how do I gauge when I've cleaned enough? How should I clean the lining? While it is sewn to the bag at the top edge, I can probably pull it out and wash it making sure I wrap the bag in plastic first.

 

[LondonUK]

The last few days I've had terrible luck with keeping my purses pristine. I got a spot, I think it is grease, on my 1998 burgundy Rambler's Legacy. It was in pristine condition. I put some cornstarch mixed with a tiny bit of alcohol on it and now the spot is slightly lighter than the rest of the bag. You can only see it in certain lights. I think the lighter spot is preferable to dark grease spot.

Then today I noticed all these black spots on my crinkled patent leather bag. I figured out I had put it down on a printed plastic bag and the printing transferred to my bag. I didn't see it until we were in the car coming home. It was nerve wracking having to sit there with the stained purse in my lap until we got home. It came off with soapy water and a little scrubbing. I was so relieved!

I think I'm going to carry something black for awhile so I can relax.

I went to give our cat coconut oil, as she was sitting on the edge of the couch I reached over and a blob of it dripped on my coach slim pouch. Mine is also sitting with cornstarch. I almost died when I saw the drip heading for my bag! :censor:

 

[Catbird9]

Hi, everyone. I still have my spectator Dinky with shoe polish rehab going. Unknowingly & unfortunately, I got a Stewardess with black shoe polish on the flap too. I decided to get & use the industrial-strength acetone on both. I thought the Stewardess rehab was going well & almost done. Acetone, bath, Leather CPR, Blackrock & left to rest. I just checked & it seems some polish has risen/returned to the surface and the suede side is back to looking slick. I suppose I will need to use acetone again. Any ideas of what I might be doing wrong or should do?

Removing shoe polish is frustrating me with seemingly no end in sight....

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this on TWO bags now! How disappointing!

I wish I could help, but maybe the best thing right now would be to set them aside and come back to them in a few days or a week. Sometimes taking a break helps me see things in a different light. Good luck!

 

[Bucketbagger]

That is beautiful! I'm jealous! I want a Crescent but have yet to find one. Need to be patient.

I never used to look at my purses or even think about them. All that has changed now. I know exactly how you felt sitting in the car with the stained purse on your lap. The same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. We ate at a restaurant and something dripped on my purse. I could hardly wait to get it home and clean it. In fact I ended up giving it a bath!

The purse I carry when I want to relax is my blue Dooney Equestrian from the 80s. She's faded and soft and saggy in the middle, but I love her. I call her my rainy day bag,

My latest rehab is a Crescent bag. Occupational hazard: falling in love with the bag you thought you were going to rehab and sell. This color is amazing. It might be burnt orange or red. (Strap is mostly dry, bag still wet.)

 

[Zealous]

I was thinking of her rehabs when I suggested putting it in the washing machine!

ETA: I got the vinegar and magic eraser idea from a site that specializes in LV rehabs. Vinegar works better than water and is gentler because its PH is closer to the PH of leather.

Oh yes, whateve, I remember the Legacy in the washing machine! Coach leather can be so strong & resilient! I haven't worked on any vachetta... yet. I have used vinegar (for deodorizing) on bags with no problems.