Help with interior suede lining of preloved bag!

[jenn_lbw]

Hi ladies, I just bought a vintage Marc Jacobs bag at a steal and realised after I was trying to clean the bag that it had a strong mildew/musty smell.

This is my first time buying a preloved bag in a well used condition. I usually buy my second hand bags in a better condition but after reading many posts about how to restore a well used bag I wanted to try it myself.

I read that a musty smell could be due to mold on the lining itself. The bag lining is made of suede according to the seller but when I received it the suede is obviously not as soft as what suede normally is. The lining is a little "crispy" so I'm guessing it's not been used for a while as well.

I tried to look closely at the suede lining to see if there are any mold spores but I can't be sure. There is a uniform white spotty pattern across the entire lining but it doesn't come off when I try to scrub it off. I read that vinegar would do the trick but I'm hesitant to use it before I check with you guys if this is indeed a very moldy lining. I've only given it a surface wipe with a damp lint free cloth and quickly dried it under a fan when I received it.

I've attached the pictures of the pattern on the lining below. Could anyone help advise on this?

Thank you!!

 

[KellyObsessed]

I don't think it's mould. The lining is pigskin suede. It can be a little stiff. The dots are the pores where the pigs bristles/hairs originally were.
Try airing your bag outside, and you can also try charcoal (not the briquettes soaked in lighter fluid) maybe bamboo charcoal?

 

[Gabs007]

I would recommend baking soda in a cheesecloth bag, it tends to soak up the smell nicely, my other half collects vintage guitars and the lining of the cases often has a mouldy smell, so putting them out in the sun, baking soda and charcoal (not the stuff for the grill, the little bags for absorbing smell) works super well

 

[bolsathemosta]

Hi ladies, I just bought a vintage Marc Jacobs bag at a steal and realised after I was trying to clean the bag that it had a strong mildew/musty smell.

This is my first time buying a preloved bag in a well used condition. I usually buy my second hand bags in a better condition but after reading many posts about how to restore a well used bag I wanted to try it myself.

I read that a musty smell could be due to mold on the lining itself. The bag lining is made of suede according to the seller but when I received it the suede is obviously not as soft as what suede normally is. The lining is a little "crispy" so I'm guessing it's not been used for a while as well.

I tried to look closely at the suede lining to see if there are any mold spores but I can't be sure. There is a uniform white spotty pattern across the entire lining but it doesn't come off when I try to scrub it off. I read that vinegar would do the trick but I'm hesitant to use it before I check with you guys if this is indeed a very moldy lining. I've only given it a surface wipe with a damp lint free cloth and quickly dried it under a fan when I received it.

I've attached the pictures of the pattern on the lining below. Could anyone help advise on this?

Thank you!!

I have a vintage MJ collection and I have tried a lot of different methods for cleaning those damn suede liners. I finally got fed up with nothing working as well as I liked and just turned the liner out, got a silicon lint brush and some sneaker wash that was recommended for canvas and suede shoes.
Scrubbed it with that and water over the sink then wrapped a shammy over the liner and squeezed out all the extra water when I was done.
Then I used a sturdy clip hanger and hung it up by the liner to dry.
Best results ever but be careful about color transfer on to the leather. I wrapped the outer bag with a towel to protect it while I did this.