For those who have considered tossing their Coach in the Washing Machine...

YokelMel

Member
Jul 20, 2010
644
2
I did it! And with good results :smile:

I found this cute little satchel at the Salvation Army yesterday for $9.99. It was adorable but pretty dirty, mostly on the outside. There were only a few darker stains, but the entire thing appeared dirty and dingy. I decided for 10 dollars I would attempt to clean it as best I could, and if it didn't clean up well, I wasn't out much. Here are a few "before" pics (I'm not sure that the dirt and grime shows up well in the pics, but I will post them for posterity:

satchel2.jpg

satchel3.jpg


After getting it home and assessing the full extent of the grime, I couldn't figure out a good way to surface clean it, as the whole thing was so dingy. So, I sprayed the entire thing with Spray N Wash (yep, most of the leather too...it actually took out a good bit of black marker from the front right leather trim!), tied it up in a pillow case, and tossed it in the washing machine on the delicate cycle, cold water, with some woolite. She is no worse for the wear today, and in fact, much better! All of the dinginess is gone, as well as most of the stains. The only two (fairly small) notable stains left are on the back, and one of them I think might be grease. (It is sitting with some talcum powder on it right now, I'm going to try to spot clean it again to see if it takes it out further). Here are some "after" pics:

satchelrehab2.jpg

satchelrehab3.jpg


And, I know some have wondered if washing (by hand or in machine) would cause a lined bag to bleed color onto the outer portion of the bag. I can't answer for all bags, obviously, but for this one I didn't have that problem at all, and the lining is...

satchelrehab1.jpg


MAGENTA!!!
 
If the talcum powder doesn't work Carbona Stain remover is awesome. Get the grease,fat, and oil one. I love that stuff. It takes grease out of everything.