Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[runcocorun3]

I'm amazing you were able to remove most of the grease in a bath. I've had grease stains on purses before that didn't budge.

First I wanted to add my admiration to the job of getting that grease out, I consider it fantastic what a transformation, congrats!

And just like Whateve I also had back luck trying to remove grease, it was a small spot on the back side, so I can live with it, but my effort was more like trial and error for possible future stains, it didn't work so I stay away from grease. Perhaps in this case came out because it was a fresh stain, versus who knows how old the others were.... Dawn definitely works on grease.

I put a lot of dawn in the bath when I dunked it... probably at least twice as much as I normally use. There was so much grease all over it I was willing to take the chance. And you're probably right about the stain being fresh making a difference too! This was the first time I used Blackrocks and I will swear by it. It did a great job of masking the unevenness still left after the bath and conditioning.

 

[puncturedbicycle]

Hello folks. Hope this is the right place to ask this question. Can anyone give me some advice please? I managed to stain my lightly-used vintage olive Willis (urgh, this is the only mark on it). It might be a drop of soup which had leaked as I carried it home. Whatever it is it had dried by the time I saw it. It isn't plain water (that seems to dry beautifully and leave no stain) that's all I know.
I wiped it with a damp cloth, which didn't help.
I thought if it is soup it might be the combination of moisture and oil that has stained it, but corn starch didn't make any difference. So now I have to move on to something sudsy I guess? Should I try to spot clean with dilute Woolite or Dove? Or is this where Lexol wipes might come in? Or baby wipes? I have Coach cleaner and conditioner but I am under the impression they shouldn't be used on this kind of leather - ? It is a small spot so I'd rather live with it than ruin the bag by lightening the leather in that area.
Any/all recommendations welcome.

 

[whateve]

Hello folks. Hope this is the right place to ask this question. Can anyone give me some advice please? I managed to stain my lightly-used vintage olive Willis (urgh, this is the only mark on it). It might be a drop of soup which had leaked as I carried it home. Whatever it is it had dried by the time I saw it. It isn't plain water (that seems to dry beautifully and leave no stain) that's all I know.
I wiped it with a damp cloth, which didn't help.
I thought if it is soup it might be the combination of moisture and oil that has stained it, but corn starch didn't make any difference. So now I have to move on to something sudsy I guess? Should I try to spot clean with dilute Woolite or Dove? Or is this where Lexol wipes might come in? Or baby wipes? I have Coach cleaner and conditioner but I am under the impression they shouldn't be used on this kind of leather - ? It is a small spot so I'd rather live with it than ruin the bag by lightening the leather in that area.
Any/all recommendations welcome.View attachment 3681251

I would try vinegar and a magic eraser first. After that, if it is still there, you could try conditioner to see if it will blend it. The conditioner I use most often is Leather CPR followed by Blackrock Leather n Rich. It's a good idea to buy these conditioners for maintenance of your vintage Coach items anyway. If none of that works, then a bath is in order. You can read through this thread to see how to give your bag a bath.

 

[puncturedbicycle]

I would try vinegar and a magic eraser first. After that, if it is still there, you could try conditioner to see if it will blend it. The conditioner I use most often is Leather CPR followed by Blackrock Leather n Rich. It's a good idea to buy these conditioners for maintenance of your vintage Coach items anyway. If none of that works, then a bath is in order. You can read through this thread to see how to give your bag a bath.

Thank you! Yes, I have read about the bath process. I will try it if necessary but hoping I can spot clean without making it worse. I'm trying to clarify the flowchart for cleaning products. Will give this a try.

 

[katev]

What is the latest wisdom about removing ink from light-colored bags? I have been away from rehabbing for awhile and I was wondering (hoping!) that someone has discovered a miracle product or process? Heh, it could happen!

I have a British Tan Willis with a very faint pen mark on the front flap (up near the handle) and a small, but more prominent ink mark on the bottom front of the bag. My current plan is to give the bag a bath and massage the inked areas well to hopefully lighten the ink. Then I hope that the bag will darken a little after drying and conditioning and the ink will fade.

But if someone has a better suggestion I would love to hear it! Here are pics of the bag and ink marks. Thanks!

 

[houseof999]

Is it a fresh ink mark? I used Dawn dish detergent on my leather couch right after son marked work a pen and it came off.

 

[katev]

Is it a fresh ink mark? I used Dawn dish detergent on my leather couch right after son marked work a pen and it came off.

No, I got the bag at Goodwill and it is an old ink mark but I use Dawn when I give bags a bath, thanks!

 

[houseof999]

No, I got the bag at Goodwill and it is an old ink mark but I use Dawn when I give bags a bath, thanks!

Someone (Ravvie99?) I think used a leather dye remover with a fine tip brush. I doubt you have that handy. You could try acetone with a very fine tip brush. You don't want the acetone to touch where the ink isn't or it will remove the leather dye from there too.

ETA: maybe you could cover it up with acrylic paint with the fine tip brush?

 

[whateve]

What is the latest wisdom about removing ink from light-colored bags? I have been away from rehabbing for awhile and I was wondering (hoping!) that someone has discovered a miracle product or process? Heh, it could happen!

I have a British Tan Willis with a very faint pen mark on the front flap (up near the handle) and a small, but more prominent ink mark on the bottom front of the bag. My current plan is to give the bag a bath and massage the inked areas well to hopefully lighten the ink. Then I hope that the bag will darken a little after drying and conditioning and the ink will fade.

But if someone has a better suggestion I would love to hear it! Here are pics of the bag and ink marks. Thanks!

I use zit cream (benzoyl peroxide, the highest strength you can buy). You paint it on with a toothpick, touching only the ink, and put the bag out in the sun for several hours. Then I bring it in but let it sit for a day or so before I clean off the dried zit cream. It works best on very light colored bags because it is a bleach. Instead of your ink stain, you might end up with a white line. However, I find white lines easier to cover with paint than dark ink. I just used it on a dark stain on a blue bag and I'm glad I did, since I believe it will be easier to cover. I've used it on white bags and they come out great. In a few cases, it didn't work at all. I'm not sure why.

 

[Belicious]

What is the latest wisdom about removing ink from light-colored bags? I have been away from rehabbing for awhile and I was wondering (hoping!) that someone has discovered a miracle product or process? Heh, it could happen!

I have a British Tan Willis with a very faint pen mark on the front flap (up near the handle) and a small, but more prominent ink mark on the bottom front of the bag. My current plan is to give the bag a bath and massage the inked areas well to hopefully lighten the ink. Then I hope that the bag will darken a little after drying and conditioning and the ink will fade.

But if someone has a better suggestion I would love to hear it! Here are pics of the bag and ink marks. Thanks!

I have a similar colored bag with a similar pen mark. I did what you were planning and it really didn't come out at all. However I am very scared or ruining the bag trying to remove the ink so I have just left it like that. I'm not sure how much it bothers me. I am interested to try some of these suggestions. I have tried the zit cream idea on a different bag that was ivory and I cared less about ruining and it lightened the pen a little but didn't really remove it.

And good score for $5.99! I have always wanted a Willis in BT but never found the right one for me (for $5.99)..

 

[WishingonaCoach]

What is the latest wisdom about removing ink from light-colored bags? I have been away from rehabbing for awhile and I was wondering (hoping!) that someone has discovered a miracle product or process? Heh, it could happen!

I have a British Tan Willis with a very faint pen mark on the front flap (up near the handle) and a small, but more prominent ink mark on the bottom front of the bag. My current plan is to give the bag a bath and massage the inked areas well to hopefully lighten the ink. Then I hope that the bag will darken a little after drying and conditioning and the ink will fade.

But if someone has a better suggestion I would love to hear it! Here are pics of the bag and ink marks. Thanks!

Following the advice given here (I'm sorry I forgot who and when exactly), using Coach Leather cleaner with a flattened tip toothpick I was able to remove a pen mark from a light green leather wallet, and after conditioner I didn't even need to touch up, was a perfect fix. As I mentioned earlier I love Bye Bye Dye that also (sometimes) removes stains, not only denim transfer.
I agree that a lighter or even white line it would be easier to camouflage. Thanks Whateve for the reminder about the zit cream, I still have to get some of that.

 

[katev]

What is the latest wisdom about removing ink from light-colored bags?...I have a British Tan Willis with a very faint pen mark on the front flap (up near the handle) and a small, but more prominent ink mark on the bottom front of the bag. My current plan is to give the bag a bath and massage the inked areas well to hopefully lighten the ink. Then I hope that the bag will darken a little after drying and conditioning and the ink will fade. But if someone has a better suggestion I would love to hear it! Here are pics of the bag and ink marks. Thanks!

Is it a fresh ink mark? I used Dawn dish detergent on my leather couch right after son marked work a pen and it came off.

No, I got the bag at Goodwill and it is an old ink mark but I use Dawn when I give bags a bath, thanks!

Someone (Ravvie99?) I think used a leather dye remover with a fine tip brush. I doubt you have that handy. You could try acetone with a very fine tip brush. You don't want the acetone to touch where the ink isn't or it will remove the leather dye from there too. ETA: maybe you could cover it up with acrylic paint with the fine tip brush?

I use zit cream (benzoyl peroxide, the highest strength you can buy). You paint it on with a toothpick, touching only the ink, and put the bag out in the sun for several hours. Then I bring it in but let it sit for a day or so before I clean off the dried zit cream. It works best on very light colored bags because it is a bleach. Instead of your ink stain, you might end up with a white line. However, I find white lines easier to cover with paint than dark ink. I just used it on a dark stain on a blue bag and I'm glad I did, since I believe it will be easier to cover. I've used it on white bags and they come out great. In a few cases, it didn't work at all. I'm not sure why.

I have a similar colored bag with a similar pen mark. I did what you were planning and it really didn't come out at all. However I am very scared or ruining the bag trying to remove the ink so I have just left it like that. I'm not sure how much it bothers me. I am interested to try some of these suggestions. I have tried the zit cream idea on a different bag that was ivory and I cared less about ruining and it lightened the pen a little but didn't really remove it. And good score for $5.99! I have always wanted a Willis in BT but never found the right one for me (for $5.99)..

Following the advice given here (I'm sorry I forgot who and when exactly), using Coach Leather cleaner with a flattened tip toothpick I was able to remove a pen mark from a light green leather wallet, and after conditioner I didn't even need to touch up, was a perfect fix. As I mentioned earlier I love Bye Bye Dye that also (sometimes) removes stains, not only denim transfer.
I agree that a lighter or even white line it would be easier to camouflage. Thanks Whateve for the reminder about the zit cream, I still have to get some of that.

Wow, do I feel lucky! I tried applying small amounts of acetone and then wiping with water and a soft cloth but that had no affect on the ink marks. So I tried small amounts of rubbing alcohol followed by water and it worked great and didn't harm the bag! The faint ink mark at the top of the bag has disappeared entirely and the darker mark has gotten much lighter; I think it will be invisible after giving it a bath and conditioning the bag!

Here are some before and after alcohol pics of the ink marks:

 

[houseof999]

Yay @katev! It's so funny cuz I've tried rubbing alcohol before and it did nothing. Maybe it just depends on the type of ink. What is the alcohol content of the alcohol you used? Mine was 3% that didn't work.

 

[katev]

Yay @katev! It's so funny cuz I've tried rubbing alcohol before and it did nothing. Maybe it just depends on the type of ink. What is the alcohol content of the alcohol you used? Mine was 3% that didn't work.

I have had mixed luck with ink stains in the past; sometimes good but usually not. I agree that it may be depend on differences in the ink and you won't know until you try!

I suppose it is possible that the combination of acetone and water first, followed by alcohol and water had an affect, but I don't know, it may be coincidence. All I know is that it worked and I am happy!

Rubbing (Isopropyl) Alcohol is 70%; Hydrogen Peroxide is usually 3%.

 

[houseof999]

Ha. That's probably what I used then, the hydrogen peroxide.