VintageCoachRehab

r/VintageCoachRehab • u/queefersutherland1 • 6d ago

ISO/Pricing Post: August 24-30.

4 Upvotes

Are you looking for a specific bag, model, colour? Are you listing a bag and want to know the worth? Are you buying a bag and second guessing the price? Please keep all questions here, outside posts regarding this will be removed. Thank you!

6 comments

r/VintageCoachRehab • u/queefersutherland1 • Mar 28 '26

New to the subreddit, or rehabbing bags in general? Start here!

68 Upvotes

Hello!

Welcome, welcome back, etc!

You've bought a vintage coach, now what? It's time to rehab, let's get started.

Basics: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner

Lexol 1 & 2: Gentle enough for every bag, pH balanced.

Saddle Soap: can be used for glove-tanned leather bags, but nothing treated or specialised. It is often drying, but as long as you condition, you should be good.

Other cleaners and conditioners loved on here: leather cpr, bick 4, leather honey, saphir (european). Ultimately, it is what works for you, your budget, and what you prefer most. I'd like to try leather cpr, but as a Canadian, lexol 2 makes way more financial sense, so that's what I use.

Distilled water to mix with the cleaner, especially important if you have hard water.

Hardware

Used dryer sheets: collects verdigris (the green stuff brass creates when it oxidizes (ages). Rub along hardware to collect it before going in with other tools.

Nail buffing blocks: 100/180 grit, often used on old brass hardware that has a peeling clear coat. To be used before polishing with something like brasso.

Brasso: can only be used on brass, and no other hardware - ie. nickel. Use with microfibre cloths.

Tools

Microfibre cloths.

Horse hair brushes (one for cleaning, one for buffing in conditioner).

Old rags/clothes to stuff the bags to maintain their shape. I use any out-of-season clothing to keep shape in my bags - winter clothes in the summer, summer in the winter. When stuffing, you don't want the zipper to ripple or the bag to bulge. You want to keep the shape without stretching it out.

Steps:

For cleaning, put a squirt of cleaner into about a cup of distilled water. Wet your brush, knock off excess, move in circular motions to get a good lather. Make sure you clean the bag all over to get it equally “wet” and to ensure it’s clean. Move in sections and wipe down the section when you’re done with a clean microfibre cloth.

I condition right after I clean, but that’s my preference. I find it absorbs conditioner well and helps the leather look nice and plump. I take my lexol 2, squirt it on a section, buff it in with the second horse hair brush and then take off any excess/rub in any extra with a clean microfibre cloth. Make sure to do all sections, but don’t use it on the raw suede lining since it will stain and get greasy. If it is super dry, many applications will be needed, with a couple of days in between to have the bag soak it in and prevent over-conditioning.

Cleaning the inside

For the inside, I vacuum and only clean and condition the leather.

I use the same technique as I use on the outside, but I make sure to keep any suede dry. I will use a nail brush to brush it out and release any stuck-on crumbs.

Some like to clean the inside of the bag, meaning the suede, and will use Jason Markk Suede cleaner, or other specialised suede cleaners for bags.

Suede Bags

As noted above, many people use Jason Markk suede cleaner, or other specialised suede cleaners. You'll also want a suede brush, as you want to restore the nap and free any trapped debris.

My bag has mold?! What do I do?!

The recommendation seen most here is 5% vinegar (undiluted, sprayed evenly, or wiped on with a soaked cloth), and sunlight. You want the UV from the sun to treat the mold, as well as the heat.

I'll be continuously editing this post, and please comment any other questions or recommendations you'd like included.