Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[pammbw]

Hi everyone. I am new here and am looking for a bit of advice. I have 2 bags that need some work and was wondering if anyone has done anything like these before. I have looked back through several hundred pages of rehab thread and learned a lot from you talented rehabers but I don't have time to go through all 900+ pages so please bear with me if these have been done before.

The straw bag does not sit flat. Can that be soaked and straightened?
The pastel Hamptons tote is soiled but Coach said no cleaning on this one at all. Has anyone cleaned this bag successfully? I know these are tough cases so I came to the experts! Thank you in advance for all your help.

 

[whateve]

Hi everyone. I am new here and am looking for a bit of advice. I have 2 bags that need some work and was wondering if anyone has done anything like these before. I have looked back through several hundred pages of rehab thread and learned a lot from you talented rehabers but I don't have time to go through all 900+ pages so please bear with me if these have been done before.
View attachment 3774986 View attachment 3774987
The straw bag does not sit flat. Can that be soaked and straightened?
The pastel Hamptons tote is soiled but Coach said no cleaning on this one at all. Has anyone cleaned this bag successfully? I know these are tough cases so I came to the experts! Thank you in advance for all your help.

I believe the Hamptons can be washed in the washing machine. Spray with lots of prewash. The leather might darken a bit, but you can wipe that down with vinegar afterwards. The suede will need some brushing afterwards. Several people on the forum have had good results with machine washing.

I think @katev has rehabbed straw.

 

[pammbw]

I believe the Hamptons can be washed in the washing machine. Spray with lots of prewash. The leather might darken a bit, but you can wipe that down with vinegar afterwards. The suede will need some brushing afterwards. Several people on the forum have had good results with machine washing.

I think @katev has rehabbed straw.

Thank you Whatev! I will post results as soon as I get both bags done.

 

[Ravvie99]

Ravvie99, Any tips on replacing a lost leather cover for a dowel like this on a station bag? I don't have the leather piece, Should I try and find scraps that are thin soft leather that match the color of the bag? and poke it around the dowel? Tack it with leather glue? should i attempt it before or after rehab( Dunking)? Would appreciate any suggestions or tips.
Thank you!

I'm not Ravvie99, but I think that sounds like a great approach. I would do it after dunking. Make sure the wood is dry first.

Yup, all that is what I planned to do. Leather color often changes after dunking so waiting until after will allow you to match the leather piece better.

 

[Ravvie99]

Re: experimenting with dye to restore fading -- I've done this with success. I had a brown non-Coach briefcase that I rehabbed that had faded in some places, and I mixed Lexol conditioner with dye. I applied it with a cotton cloth rag. I left it for several days, then used conditioner on it. It worked great. I've also mixed Lexol with a little bit of dye to touchup corners on bags.

I've also had great success with touching up black bags using just Kiwi leather dye. It has it's own applicator and was not messy at. It worked great. This is the one I used.

I have only tried using the acrylic+conditioner mixture but I will try the dye+conditioner solution that you mentioned. I so love learning from all of your experiences.

I've tried Fiebings dye + CPR on piping of well worn bags and been happy with results, too. I'll post my black Shoulder Sac when I'm done - work is getting in the way of my fun lately! I'm thinking I might even prefer dye/conditioner to acrylic/conditioner or Leather Refinisher for realistic texture.
Another one of my (in?)famous what NOT to do tips: do NOT use Rit dye to dye black. It's a blue black and won't go dark enough on smooth leather. So you'll have a black bag with dark purple piping, lol! I dyed that poor Shoulder Sac twice trying it - it's a champ.
ETA: another related don't : do NOT use Fiebings USMC Black, get regular black. USMC = United Sates Marine Corp and is mixed to match their specific black, which has a metallic green undertone. Not cute!

 

[Transported]

Yup, all that is what I planned to do. Leather color often changes after dunking so waiting until after will allow you to match the leather piece better.

Thanks you!

 

[katev]

Hi everyone. I am new here and am looking for a bit of advice. I have 2 bags that need some work and was wondering if anyone has done anything like these before. I have looked back through several hundred pages of rehab thread and learned a lot from you talented rehabers but I don't have time to go through all 900+ pages so please bear with me if these have been done before. The straw bag does not sit flat. Can that be soaked and straightened?...

...I think @katev has rehabbed straw.

I have rehabbed a couple of straw bags and one of them was out of shape, and so I gave it a bath to reshape it and it came out well, see the first link below; but it was a tighter and more flexible weave than your straw basket bag. I don't think soaking would hurt your bag, but I have never tried it.

I have also rehabbed a Straw Basket Bag similar to your bag, but it was not out of shape and I didn't soak it, but you can see that rehab at the second link below.

Please let us know how your the rehabs of your 2 bags work out and post the after pics here, thanks!

Straw Bag Bath Rehab:
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/straw-bag-rehab-reveal-im-ready-for-next-summer.775311/

Straw Basket Bag Rehab:
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/i-am-ready-for-the-ball-game-or-picnic-or-beach-rehab-reveal.815392/

 

[Couturexec]

I believe the Hamptons can be washed in the washing machine. Spray with lots of prewash. The leather might darken a bit, but you can wipe that down with vinegar afterwards. The suede will need some brushing afterwards. Several people on the forum have had good results with machine washing.

I think @katev has rehabbed straw.

Yep. That's what I would do. Fabulous results. Use a net lingerie bag and soak that baby with with a stain treatment.
This one is my favorite. Tried and true.

 

[pammbw]

Both bags are done, but still a touch damp. The most dramatic change was the basket bag. I did not soak the entire bag. I just submerged it half way and let the fibers soak up water and get pliable then I started reshaping. When I got it to sit flat I put a heavy object inside to hold the shape while it dried. This was tricky cause it can't be anything that will leach color or be damaged itself by water. I used a very heavy crystal vase I had. It weighs about 8 lbs. When it was mostly dry I flipped it upside down to finish. I am so coveting that beachy fob @katev used on her straw bag. I will be trolling eBay for similar.

The Hamptons tote is still not perfect but is improved. I may give it another dunking, or I may just use more prewash on the remaining spots and spot rinse.

I am happy that I have bags I can use again, even if only for occasional events. Thanks for all the help!

 

[katev]

View attachment 3775834 View attachment 3775835 Both bags are done, but still a touch damp. The most dramatic change was the basket bag. I did not soak the entire bag. I just submerged it half way and let the fibers soak up water and get pliable then I started reshaping. When I got it to sit flat I put a heavy object inside to hold the shape while it dried. This was tricky cause it can't be anything that will leach color or be damaged itself by water. I used a very heavy crystal vase I had. It weighs about 8 lbs. When it was mostly dry I flipped it upside down to finish. I am so coveting that beachy fob @katev used on her straw bag. I will be trolling eBay for similar.

The Hamptons tote is still not perfect but is improved. I may give it another dunking, or I may just use more prewash on the remaining spots and spot rinse.

I am happy that I have bags I can use again, even if only for occasional events. Thanks for all the help!

Your bags look great, congratulations! And it is nice to know that you can successfully soak and reshape a straw basket bag!

I you are unhappy with the Hamptons, you might consider running it through the washer. Tie it up in a pillowcase or a net laundry bag and wash it on delicate with liquid Woolite. Pre-treat the spots before throwing it in the washer. When you take it out of the washer, just stuff and shape it as usual. It's possible that it may fade a bit - I don't know, I've had good luck washing bags but I have never washed that bag. But if you're not comfortable carrying it, then it may be worth a try.

Thanks for your comment about the beachy fob used for that pic of my straw basket bag but I have so many beachy and sea-themed fobs that it is a bit ridiculous, and I've just bought another one!

It is a Coach angel fist pendant necklace that I found cheap on ebay recently and I used it as fob on my basket bag for a recent picnic. I guess you can't have too many beach fobs!

 

[pammbw]

Your bags look great, congratulations! And it is nice to know that you can successfully soak and reshape a straw basket bag!

I you are unhappy with the Hamptons, you might consider running it through the washer. Tie it up in a pillowcase or a net laundry bag and wash it on delicate with liquid Woolite. Pre-treat the spots before throwing it in the washer. When you take it out of the washer, just stuff and shape it as usual. It's possible that it may fade a bit - I don't know, I've had good luck washing bags but I have never washed that bag. But if you're not comfortable carrying it, then it may be worth a try.

Thanks for your comment about the beachy fob used for that pic of my straw basket bag but I have so many beachy and sea-themed fobs that it is a bit ridiculous, and I've just bought another one!

It is a Coach angel fist pendant necklace that I found cheap on ebay recently and I used it as fob on my basket bag for a recent picnic. I guess you can't have too many beach fobs!

View attachment 3775844

View attachment 3775846

Love the fish fob! So cute! Prices on Coach fobs, and purse charms in general have gone nuts online. I may have to put my jewelry making skills to use here.

I did run the Hamptons tote through the wash, in a lingerie bag. I may not have used enough prewash, or let it soak long enough. I just hate to have to do it again and soak that leather and suede again. I will let it dry out completely and see where we are. It is fine to carry, and now that I know how to clean it if it does get dirtier, it will not languish in my closet anymore. I used it when I first got it brand new, it was a gift from my sister, but then stopped carrying it for fear of getting it too dirty. The basket bag was a hand me down from same sister. She is an even bigger bag junkie than me, except she has a much nicer paycheck to indulge with. Lol. Mine are pretty much all preloved.

 

[Ebkbay]

I am pleased to report that I tried acne treatment gel (10% benzoyl peroxide) on some very nasty ballpoint ink stains and the outcome was amazing. I am showing before and after pictures of a non-coach bag. It is lined with a very soft leather and I turned it inside out, dotted the jell onto the stains with a very fine, pointed brush and let it sit in the sun for about 4 hours and wiped with a moist cloth.

 

[Ebkbay]

The same treatment also erased ballpoint ink on two City bags, one bone, the other light brown (saddle?). After all that success I got brave and tried it on a red Sonoma: the ink is gone and the colour of the bag is unchanged.
I don't remember who first posted the acne gel suggestion but that TPFer has my eternal gratitude.
By the way, I was unable to find the 10% concentration of Benzoyl Peroxide in Canada, only 5% so I bought it at a CVS in the US.

 

[marleneryd]

Thanks! There are a couple of youtube videos that show people using different dyes on bags and kiwi may be one of them.
There was a poster here a few months back who rehabbed her Bleekers using a Saphir brand product. Either her cobbler or another poster's recommended the Saphir products. I did a little research on Amazon and Saphir has a whole line of products. I want to order one that is dye mixed with conditioned and is intended to help with fading. I have a well used black Bleeker tote that can be my test bag. Then I want to use it on a Plaza bag. The Plaza is faded all over. Will post results.

I am the poster who used the Saphir products. I've had great success with mixing their conditioner with the dye. I've used it on the bleeker leather and the regular vintage leather. Seriously my bags come out looking like brand new after the dunk, Saphir products and finishing with Blackrocks. I'm so addicted now to rehabbing the older bags that I don't even look at or consider buying new Coach bags.

 

[Ravvie99]

View attachment 3775834 View attachment 3775835 Both bags are done, but still a touch damp. The most dramatic change was the basket bag. I did not soak the entire bag. I just submerged it half way and let the fibers soak up water and get pliable then I started reshaping. When I got it to sit flat I put a heavy object inside to hold the shape while it dried. This was tricky cause it can't be anything that will leach color or be damaged itself by water. I used a very heavy crystal vase I had. It weighs about 8 lbs. When it was mostly dry I flipped it upside down to finish. I am so coveting that beachy fob @katev used on her straw bag. I will be trolling eBay for similar.

The Hamptons tote is still not perfect but is improved. I may give it another dunking, or I may just use more prewash on the remaining spots and spot rinse.

I am happy that I have bags I can use again, even if only for occasional events. Thanks for all the help!

Your straw bag came out uh-may-zing!! Great work! I see you've got a touch of the MacGyver in you with the clever vase use [emoji846] The Hamptons doesn't look bad in your pics. That style of strap is the devil to clean. I can never get those or scribble fabric as clean as I want.