Restoring Damaged Leather Handbags

One great way to obtain expensivedesigner handbagsat an affordable price is to buy them slightly damaged. There's a lot of sellers that offer new handbags (some have beenused as windowdisplays) with miscellaneous damages. Faded leather from the sun can be fixed.Hopefully they're honest and show pictures of the damages so you'll know what can and can't be fixed.Beware though - one very popular seller takes several pictures of just one bag (the best one, of course)with 5-6 to list every week or two.The ones not pictured are usually in horrible condition. If they list a lot of Cole Haan bags, before bidding, ask the seller if that's the picture of the EXACT bag for auction.
The first step is to have several products on hand. These are the products I alwayshave:
1. Mink Oil - Kiwi Outdoor in the green tin. I would never be without it!Not only does it condition leather but it also makesyour handbag or other leather items,semi-waterproof. (I've actually used an umbrella to cover my handbag while I get wet in rain!)Use a clean, soft cotton cloth and lightly massage it in. After a few hours,gently rub it off. If the leather is very dry, you can also use a dryer on a low setting and that helps to melt it into the leather. If the sun isn't too harsh and bright, you canput it outside for a few hours to help the Mink Oil soak in. You should do this twice a year to prevent the leather from drying out.
If your leather has wrinkles or if you want to smooth it out more, use the conditioning treatment with a hair dryer after putting lots of tissue paper insidethe bag. Do not use newspaper or anything with color or print since it will probably transfer to the inside of your bag.
2. Kiwi - Various colors of shoe polish. I love Kiwi and that's all my dad used to use. I keep the basic shades - black, brown, white, navyand mid-tan, which matchesBritish Tan colors beautifully. I also use Meltonian (very little dye in it though) and itconditions leather beautifully. There are color charts on okay by members that sell it. My absolute favorite conditioning dye is Saphir Creme Surfine, which is only available inthe UK and Europe. As far as I know, you can't find it in the US but I found a great member that sells it on okay.uk. and his member name is matthewc4523. It's getting rare and they are the ONLY gepany to offer orange -#52!It has tons of pigment and is very conditioning. Iorderedbeige # 16,so I could custom mix the two and get the perfect shade. I was glad I did because their orange is very bright. Be sure to wear gloves since it has a lot of color pigment.If you need burnt orange, just order the orange and brown and custom mix the two until you get the right shade. To get lighter shades, mix white or beige with a color.

Iregemend ordering from matthewc4523. This member ships very fast! This bag had a lotof sun damage (almost white in many areas), a huge silver magic marker X on it, ink pen mark, Sharpie black marks andit was filthy. By using the products above, I restored it tolike new. Angelus Dry Cleaner and Spot Remover took out the magic marker X and Sharpie black X's which had bled through from the label inside. That's done to prevent re-sale on a discounted bag or returns at full price.
In restoring colors back to your bag, do it in steps. Hopefully it takes 1 treatment but could take up to 4 but space them out in a week or two.Lightly massage the bag after several hours to remove the excess polish and keep layering the polishes until you get the right shade.Be sure tobuff them each time with a soft cotton cloth or the dye will transfer to clothing.
3. AngelusDry Cleaner and Spot Remover - This stuff is amazing and worth its weight in gold! You can find it online too and it's made in Los Angeles.It gees in a plastic bottle that is sealed so tight that you have to use a wrench to remove the lid. Make sure to tighten it back with a wrench because I had an entire bottle evaporate. This will remove INK! Yep -- and I have never had colordamage from it but you should gently rub it on and gently wipe it off.It's ok to rub very hard if you see no removal of the stain. Anything by Angelus isgreat. Hair spray is anothergood ink remover and so is perfume. First,testan inconspicuous area to make sure the leather colorisn't removed. It's also a good ideato have Kiwi shoe polish or a match to the leather on hand in case the color is affected. Do not use alcohol because without an oil base, it will remove the color and leave spots.
4. Cavalier Leather Lotion - Cleans, conditions and leaves a very soft lustre. This will make your handbag turn to butter and I love it.
5. Cameo - a brassand silver cleaner thatlooks like a plastic jug of geet and it's found in the cleaning products aisle.This will clean and shine all hardware. Put an old towel under the hardware on your bag and lightly rub on a paste mixture. Be very careful not to get it on the leather. Wait about a minute and then wipe it off. Several applications may be necessary to get the oxidation off. This product is great because itdoesn't scratch.
6. Kiwi Saddle Soap -Great for cleaning and removing mold and mildew on leather. I highly regemend getting it from an okay member named 4x4riders. This member ships extremely fast and their prices on all leather-care products are excellent. I get all of my Kiwi polish from them.
If your bag has water damage, put it away from sun and heat and let the leather dry out naturally. Usesaddle soap to clean it and then restore the color by using the steps above. Be sure to use a conditioning treatment to add moisture back to the leather. Lately, I've seen bags listed with mold and mildew. The bags belong in the trash and I wouldNEVER buy a bag with those nasty damages! Just breathing the spores could make you very sick and the sporesdisperse into the air and on everything. I'm shocked that people would even think of listing them.
Never, ever sit your bag down on the ground or on any area that can scratch, soilor damage the bottom. If I have to put mine on a floor or dirty area, then I find a cloth or paper towel to put it on.
Many handbags have interiors that aren't stitched in andyou can be pull itoutand wash it. Lay a towel near the sink and put the leather portion on it.Be sure not to get the leather wet.Use a milddish soap or Woolite and gentlyhand wash and rinsethe interior. If you're trying to remove lipstick, use a little bit of OxyClean and soap mixed together. Pat it dry and hold a hair dryer on it. You can cover yourbag and hang the interior on a clothes hanger with clothes pins to dry gepletely.
Old fashioned shoe stores are getting harder and harder to find. If you have an older section in your city (downtown), check the area for one. They can offer valuable assistance in restoring shoes and purses. I have one and I love going in there. They have everything from leather shoestrings, grommets, dyes, conditioners, polishes, etc. and some will even repair stitches and replace soles on shoes. I have a pair of Etienne Aigner western boots that I adore and I had the (thick rubber crepe) soles re-soled. I bought them in 1976 and they still look like new!
Here's my prized handbag collection and almost all of them have been restored to like new. I don't think I have a designer leatheraddiction since I only love one designer - Cole Haan. Their bags are amazing and if cared for, can last over 20 years.I've saved a LOT of money by buying damaged bags on okay. The orange one was not restored when I took this picture. You can see how faded it was by sun damage since it was a window display. Ibought a huge armoire just for storing and admiring them.Keep them covered with a dust bag or in a cabinet and they should last a lifetime if you take good care of them and if they're good quality bags.
12 gorgeous Cole Haan bags in my armoire - a natural anti-depressant!

Several okay members havesent me pictures of their damaged bags to ask me how to restore them. Just email me(metaluna00) and I'd be happy to look at your pictures and give you advice.