Hi ladies, I just bought a vintage MJ blake hobo at a steal and realised after I was trying to clean the bag that it had a strong mildew/musty smell. (i'm not sure how i missed it when I was picking it up!)
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. I did ask a friend who owns a leather craft store and he doesnt think it looked moldy, just discoloured from years of use.
Over the weekend I've given the suede lining a good vinegar clean and put it out under super strong sunshine. The smell is better today but its still there. I'm now more worried that the other side of the leather (the internal part thats in contact with the suede lining (that itself, can be pulled out/inverted)) may have mildew/mold spores.
I've watched youtube and saw some TPFers who have rescued their vintage Coach bags by dunking it entirely in water with dish soap/laundry detergent and had pretty good outcomes. Is this something that I could try with this bag? I have no idea what kind of leather it is...and the suede lining is already super dehydrated I dont think it'll ever return to how suede should be. My last resort is to cut the lining out and replace it with a cotton one.
Could anyone help with this? I've tried to access the reference library but somehow the links arent working for me.
Thank you!!
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. I did ask a friend who owns a leather craft store and he doesnt think it looked moldy, just discoloured from years of use.
Over the weekend I've given the suede lining a good vinegar clean and put it out under super strong sunshine. The smell is better today but its still there. I'm now more worried that the other side of the leather (the internal part thats in contact with the suede lining (that itself, can be pulled out/inverted)) may have mildew/mold spores.
I've watched youtube and saw some TPFers who have rescued their vintage Coach bags by dunking it entirely in water with dish soap/laundry detergent and had pretty good outcomes. Is this something that I could try with this bag? I have no idea what kind of leather it is...and the suede lining is already super dehydrated I dont think it'll ever return to how suede should be. My last resort is to cut the lining out and replace it with a cotton one.
Could anyone help with this? I've tried to access the reference library but somehow the links arent working for me.
Thank you!!
