Hello @gelle_cup ! Thank you for sharing. Could you please tell me which detergent did you use? As for now mine is still sticky, so I was wondering if I should try another detergent.
How to Clean Sticky Neoprene bags - My Story with my Vintage Fendi Baguette
- Thread starter gellee_cup
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I can't thank you enough for sharing this tip. I've been on many cleaning shops and all of them said to me that there is no solution for it. I was very sad until I found this. I can't wait to try it out tomorrow! Thank you againHi guys!! I thought that I would share how I successfully cleaned my Fendi neoprene baguette because I haven't seen any post which really addresses how to do so. This is how I did it based on reading other threads on cleaning canvas/fabric bags and it's not really that much different. Please remember this is how I did it so it may not work for you, depending on the state etc of your bag etc so tweak it to fit your needs.
For context, I bought my bag from a Japanese eBay seller and was surprised just how sticky it was. It was so sticky that just after a few seconds of touching it I could feel the residue on my hands (ikr really gross). I tried wiping with just baby wipes but it was just not doing anything. The inside of the bag was especially sticky from age, storage and humidity etc. Also, the inner lining of my bag is neoprene as it is outside.
I actually washed my bag 3 times because I had trouble getting rid of the stickiness in some parts of the bag, but if your bag isn't as crazy sticky as mine you wouldn't need to do it more than once.
- To clean it, I first removed the leather handle - you don't really want to submerge in water if you can help it. The main body of the bag did have leather parts i.e zipper but I couldn't help that (washing it in water didn't damage it thankfully).
- Then I took some gentle detergent and poured about 1 teaspoon into a clean basin, and filled it with lukewarm water. You don't want to use hot water throughout this process because (apparently) it can set the stickiness.
- I submerged the bag in the water and let it soak for a few hours.
- When I came back the water looked quite dirty and brown (from the black dye of the bag I think + dirt). I then took a bit of detergent on my fingers and rubbed the parts of the bag which was most sticky (the inner edges). I also used a toothbrush dipped in a bit of detergent to scrub the zippers because they were also covered in grime.
- After that I thoroughly rinsed the bag with cold water to get rid of the detergent. I also squeezed the bag to get rid of any excess water.
- I didn't clip my bag to dry, instead I laid it flat on a rack so that it wouldn't lose its shape.
- I also took a dry cloth and wiped the metal hardware and leather parts so that it wouldn't be that affected by the water. Tbh idk if that did anything but I wanted to be sure.
- I let it dry overnight and it was done! It smelt great and I could really feel how clean the bag was compared to before. Be sure to let the bag dry thoroughly especially if it has leather bits.
Other things I did to clean my bag:
I've read that you could put your fabric bag in the washing machine on a low/gentle setting but I didn't want to risk that. I just think hand-washing is a lot safer.
- polished the hardware on my bag with a silver/gold/steel etc fluid which was really effective in making it shiny and removing dirt,
- used a deep cleaning leather spray and leather conditioner on the leather parts of the bag (strap, zipper etc).
I'm really pleased with the results as this was my 1st vintage luxury piece I bought with my own money and cleaning a bag like this!! Anyway I hope that this will help someone! I'm not an expert so if you have anything else to add please fire away!
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what detergent did you use? Ive tried this method twice and nothing has changed
currently trying a 3rd wash with just dish soap to see if there is any differenceI used regular tide detergent. I did have to thoroughly wash it 3 times and I also thought it didn't do anything but after it completely dried it felt so much better. I applied lots of detergent to the extra sticky parts and used an old toothbrush to scrubwhat detergent did you use? Ive tried this method twice and nothing has changed
It didn’t work for me either... I washed it twice and I’m worried about damaging the leather parts with the third wash, but I’ll have to try again. Did the dish soap work this time?what detergent did you use? Ive tried this method twice and nothing has changed
did you do the soak beforehand? i soaked mine in a mixture of detergent and water for about 3 hours before i washed it by hand. like op said, the water turned a murky brown color i think from all the dirt buildup on the bag for however many years
Thank you for responding
Yes, I did the pre-soak but the water didn't come out dirty at all (but the bag was still dirty and very sticky!). I will try using a soft toothbrush like you did and add more detergent to the water. Maybe the outside of the bag feels a bit better but the inside is still unusable. Thank you again for your advice 
Currently trying this, bought this EXACT same baguette from the Real Real, came insanely sticky. I put dawn dish soap on my bag instead and it’s soaking for 3 hours. Call me crazy but I also bought goo gone just in case! i test patched it on the inside lining of the pouch to see if it would damage the material. I’ll provide an update soon
Did you use dawn soap or regular Tide/Oxiclean? I just bought a vintage Fendi, and yep it's sticky! So I am hoping dawn soap will do the trick.I bought the same vintage Fendi baguette from Vestiaire and it arrived soooo sticky. Was so disappointed but then tried your method and it worked a treat! Thanks so much for posting
Ahh how did it turn out?Currently trying this, bought this EXACT same baguette from the Real Real, came insanely sticky. I put dawn dish soap on my bag instead and it’s soaking for 3 hours. Call me crazy but I also bought goo gone just in case! i test patched it on the inside lining of the pouch to see if it would damage the material. I’ll provide an update soon
Hey there,
as I bought a sticky neoprene Fendi via Collective Vestiaire and followed all the original instructions posted here.
It only got worse and I was really sad.
Finally I found the only working solution and as I think more of you will have similar problems, I wanted to share the real solution:
The bags become sticky because of the plastic in the neoprene - water and soap will just make it worse. So - gently rub the sticky parts (or the whole bag) with rubbing alcohol (at least 70% alcohol) on a dry towel. I used a product from the pharmacy - and I am beyond happy with the outcome.
I hope this helps.
as I bought a sticky neoprene Fendi via Collective Vestiaire and followed all the original instructions posted here.
It only got worse and I was really sad.
Finally I found the only working solution and as I think more of you will have similar problems, I wanted to share the real solution:
The bags become sticky because of the plastic in the neoprene - water and soap will just make it worse. So - gently rub the sticky parts (or the whole bag) with rubbing alcohol (at least 70% alcohol) on a dry towel. I used a product from the pharmacy - and I am beyond happy with the outcome.
I hope this helps.
And here, we’re all just trying. I’m sure water temps, how bag was stored and used. My water got brown twice. I used that waste of money "spray" Daw, it was perfect for getting soap in crevices and other sticky things. I read to leave it soaking 3 hours, lay flat to dry, don’t stuff and try to shape. This is such a wonderful blog!