HOW TO: Soak & Deep Cleanse a Vintage Coach Bag! 

FAQ, PLEASE READ: This method of cleaning is specific to vintage/legacy bags that are: 1) made of the full grain legacy leather, 2) unlined, and 3) don’t have glazing. Why only legacy leather? Once Coach moved away from the full grain legacy leather, they began to use cheaper leathers that were sealed (so they won’t dry like this) and bonded leathers (which are made of smaller pieces glued together that can fall apart if soaked). In addition, if the bag is lined, it can make it incredibly hard for the bag to fully dry in which case you’ll end up with mildew and other such gross stuff potentially growing in there and we don’t want that. Why not glazing? Well, as leather expands, it swells and the swelling of the leather can actually crack the glazing and there’s no going back from that. BEWARE, even some early 2000s unlined legacy leather bags have glazing on the shoulder strap, in which case you’ll want to only wash the bag itself and do a topical cleaning/wipe down on the strap. Thank you for reading!

Cant belive someone did the same thing i did. Lol. I have the same coach bag. It was in a basement that flooded and sat for days and was full of mold and mildew. I figured i had nothing to loose so i put it in the washing machine, twice. It came clean and didnt ruin the bag. The vintage coach leather is excellent quality, not like todays. It did take a lot of love afterwards. Every couple weeks i conditioned with olive oil & kept a dryer sheet in the pockets. Final conditioning was using Leather CPR. I found your chanel looking for ways to clean and shine the brass. Thanks for sharing.

Ok Mr. James. As I spoke to you a couple days ago. I have the 9326 color red. Never know their name when I bought,over 20 years. I washed it with my shampoo, dried it , conditioned with Coach lotion over and over many times. It's now like new! It's lovely beautiful ❤️. I am so happy!!!! As I promised, wanted to share with you. Today starting to wash a few of them the ones my girl borrowed when she move away from home for college 10 years ago. I have more than 20 bags from coach, 2 White, 2 cream, the rest are colors and black. She borrowed 4, I washed them all and restored back . I am so happy ,Josh, wish I can take you out for a fancy dinner (not a date, as a friend who saved my Vintage bags that I planned to give up) only if I can show you pictures of my restored bags. Now I know how to detect the style and names with the code inside the bag. Wondering if coach still make those. Saw online someone selling for 40 bucks. Exactly like mine. How could people sell a such beauty for 40. I love all mine for each of them has a story and so much memories. Have a happy weekend Josh with loved ones. BTW I have a black Janice like yours in brand new condition. it's 4P 9950.

I was clutching my pearls watching you hold a vintage Coach bag under a water faucet and soaking it!!!

I’ve washed my bags like you said and condition them , they come out BEAUTIFUL. Thank you love ❤❤❤❤.

Out of all the videos I watch yours is the most knowledgeable. Thank you.

Hi Josh, very informative video. You are quite right to discourage people from using a wax shoe polish because it does not actually re hydrate the leather; whereas the shoe cream not only re hydrates dry leather, it also contains more pigment that will more adequately cover up any scuff of pigment loss. The other drawback of wax polish is that it acts as a sealer, which does make it mildly water and dust resistant but if it is not periodically removed with acetone or Saphir Renomat, it will not allow conditioners to thoroughly penetrate the leather and fully condition it. This is exactly how leather can begin to crack, because the pile up of wax polish has successfully deprived the leather from absorbing conditioners. The fix of course, is to remove it with acetone but this is a more advanced technique as it is incredibly aggressive and may result in the removal of the dye and leave the leather dry. For this reason it is essential to follow this procedure with a treatment of leather dye and conditioner.

Hi Josh you are correct in how you take care of your vintage legacy bags. I'm going to start collecting coach bags during that era again. They are the best. I gave away so many now i'm kicking myself. That bag is a beauty.

Thank you Josh. I never thought that leather could be washed and that only vintage coach at that. I have purchased all of the products you used. I am ready for cleaning, conditioning, polishing

Hi Josh!! Thanks for such a great video! My bags are from 70’s & 80’s, I use them often, and never thought to do such a thorough cleaning!! I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow!!🤗💕

Omg, you did great job!! I needed to see a coach vintage cleaning for my own. I was hesitant to dunk it in water. Thank you.

I wish you had ebay. I live in Singapore and the enat global shipping really helps cut the cost and international buyers can join in the fun too haha. pla let us know when you do set one up! keep the vintage coach videos coming. love them!

Very, very helpful. I'm studying how I might restore a valise from the 1950s.

You Sir are an expert! I"m new to second hand and now you are my guide through this new endeavor. Just loved the Brasso tip and Coach cleaner. After purchasing on E bay I got that Amazon email about the Apple stuff but am not being easily seduced by pushy marketing so I didn't bite. I'm so glad I didn't and will by the Coach product. Thank you Josh

Lovely job Josh and bag. The edges can be " burnished" the roughness smoothed out like leather craftsman do there is a wooden wheel you can get or a good nail file and then the polishing nail file at the end..Thanks lovely job

Your video was super informative and helpful. I have a black Coach bag I got at a consignment shop. It has a lot of scratches. I’m hoping to get the stunning results you got! I’ll give it a try!

Hi Josh ! Thank you so much for the fabulous deep cleaning video. I was inspired by you. I absolutely love and adore vintage Coach and Dooneys. But I do like to clean them and use them. I purchased a pre-loved 4150 Fletcher in Chalk and she was not in great shape. I followed everything in your video step by step and WOW! My Fletcher bag looks almost brand new and is so incredibly soft. Love it. Thank you for another fantastic video.

This is a very informative and enjoyable video to watch. Such good quality leather you’re working with as well Great job! I doubt many bags are made this well anymore.

Wow looks amazing !!! Good job on the cleaning video .

You are brilliant. I have been looking at vintage 9966 (you and Jennifer=trouble!!) Now I feel confident about buying relatively cheap and bringing it back to life! Thank you.

That bag is beautiful! Great job! I love the vintage bags.

I love your videos! I just keep watching the same ones over and over again. Please make more. Thanks!

I remember seeing this method on Pinterest & have never had the nerve to soak one of my Coach bags. I’d be too scared! But now I will do this method. Thank you for sharing!! 👍🏻

Thanks so much for this video. I’m a collector, I gave my other unique Coach handbags to my daughter. I kept a few. some needs deep cleaning esp the British tan.

I love your videos on vintage Coach! Keep them coming lol!

thanks for sharing....love vintage coach handbags....recently acquired a pre-loved coach.....the condition was was pretty decent....thanks for the cleanse & care tips for vintage handbags....i would have never thought to submerge a whole handbag....i was always told that real leather goods could withstand water and/or pretty much anything....xoxo

I was actually given 5 coach bags 2 of which are exactly like this one, time to clean them up

Nice vid! If I left a sharp bag like that out on my porch…I’d have three mice or a chipmunk inside of it in the morning….or a bear or raccoon would have walked off with it!! Seriously, tho - if you can invert the bag over something supportive overnight, there is less chance of water staining to the bottom of the bag as it dries. And dark colors clean up soooo much better than light tones, IMHO!!💕

Hi Josh! Enjoyed your video! Loved that you are so clean about your Coach bags! A couple of years ago, my son inadvertently spilled a pint of milk into my lined Coach Ava chain tote quilted bag and I was horrified! I immediately rescued my cell and key fob and then, after emptying the rest of the contents, put the Ava tote into the washing machine set on "ultra hand wash" and added Tide with Bleach powder. I then let it air dry for a couple of days suspended in my laundry room. Then I conditioned it with Coach conditioner and it came out great! Looks beautiful and doesn't smell like sour milk! Lucky me! I wanted to relay this information because I know that you are recommending your cleaning process with unlined bags, but I had to do something with my lined quilted Ava bag because it was not useable since it was soaking wet from the milk. It was either I washed it or I tossed it, so I figured I had nothing to lose by washing it. Also, I have a vintage Coach ergo bag in red that is very well loved. My fav. The ergo bags today don't hold a candle to the vintage ones. Despite conditioning it repeatedly, it is extremely worn, and although it's clean, it doesn't look any better. Would you recommend dyeing it? And, if so, how would you recommend I do that? Are there any products you would use? Thanks so much again for your expertise!

Wow you explained this really well. Thank you. Subscribed

Wow Josh! I was so afraid to clean my bag. It's 2018 coral color. Definitely going to look for my color. Thanks for all the help.

So much information! You are amazing! Thank you 💕

Thanks for sharing your process!

Thanks for the information! You helped me bring the life back into a couple of my bags. Also can you do a demo on how to clean the newer canvas style bags? 🤞My son spilled a cup of milk in one of mine.. and I’m just heart broken over it.. 😔 thanks in advance! 😊

Gorgeous color

I think I got heart palpitations when you submerged it lolll!!! It came out so pretty though!!!

Ok I know you've done this twice but I would love to see it again if you're willing. I see that you bought a $27.00 dollar ebay bag, but that bag was in decent shape with minor color loss. I'd like to know how this works with a busted bag. Not torn, but out of shape, ink stained and worn. Only because that's what the majority of us are dealing with when shopping ebay. Is it possible to bring these back to life as well, or is it a pass?

Wow! That is amazing! How did you find such a steal?? I've found some pretty good deals but not that good. I'm new to vintage coach and will be doing this same method to my bags. Thanks for the helpful video!

Excellent. But when did you use the vinegar. I love your videos. Thank you I have a lot of vintage and I love them.

hi josh! I found your video bc I just bought a “lot” of vintage coach bags at auction for an unbelievable price and was interested in cleaning them in hopes to resell them! you seem like the perfect person to ask about this! if you are interested in seeing the bags or have any helpful tips i’d love to hear them! i’ll be looking for your reply!!

This was so great! I couldn’t believe it when you submerged that bag. How would you clean the inside of a cotton fabric lined bag that has a lining that does not invert?

Great job. Tfs xoxo 😘

Thanks for making these so very helpful videos. I recently found that exact bag you have in your video in the trash! I saw the strap sticking out and recognized it as being a Coach strap! I have gone through the cleaning process which removed not only stains on the exterior leather but also the caked on candy on the interior. Someone probably just thought they couldn't clean it and threw it away! Can you imagine that? So now I'm at the point where I need to touch up the worn corners of the leather. What shoe creme color did you use? Navy blue or Imperial blue? I cannot find that particular brand you used on Amazon but there are other brands with lots of color choices. I would welcome your recommendation for my garbage find! Score!

Omg this is so helpful THANK YOU!

Love your channel could you do this same cleaning method with a newer coach Cassie handbag?

Josh for those of us climates like flat Florida 8 feet above sea level with monsoon rain more than once a day the air is thick with humidity for months on end. What I do is position hard to dry items inside the house in a corner of a room and leave a fan running on it repositioning when needed. If I left a Coach bag outside to dry the rolled seams would mildew inside. Please pass this on as I know this never occurs to anyone who lives here.

That’s a real find, “the cheapest Coach you could find”. This never happened to me.

He might've answered my question on one of your other replies, but I was wondering if you could do this to the camel colored light beige couch bags. I love themand I've seen a couple on eBay that have a few stains do you think you can get those wet also? Well the Braska work on the nickel?

Hey Josh! Beautiful restoration. One question: Do you think it wise to use this method on the 9085 Duffle Sac?

I missed out on buying this from you! It came out so nicely. The shoe cream matched the colour exactly. I wonder if that works for all colours? I’d be scared to apply it to a lighter colour bag...

thanks for the video! do you have any tips how to wash the glazing ones like from 2013? thanks!

Can you please do a video on suede and leather trim bag cleaning thanks 😊

I like your coach bag

Going to give this a try. 🤩

This is such a great video! Any tips on finding out what year a vintage bag is one of the few that have no serial number? 😊

Thank you for the video. I wonder if you could do one on how to move a hangtag from the strap back to the side. I purchased a Coach vintage bag and the hangtag is attached to the strap's closure. I don't know how to fix it. Please show how to do so. Thank you in advance!

Josh can you do a video on how to clean vintage coach raw leather handbags

New Subbie and New to Vintage Coach collecting! Thanks for all of the great tips! I have a question…when you use the shoes polish for discoloration, does it show up as more shinier than the rest of the bag? I’ve been hearing that using shoe polish on the bags are a no no! Thanks

Thanks Josh. If have a Coach soft briefcase with a combination lock. How would you clean it so as not to soak the lock?

I love this. I have several legacy leather bags. A question. i have some legacy leather cosmetic bags with pillow ticking liners. How would I clean them? Thanks!

Wow! Great video. How can I throughly clean my Coach bags that are from 2010-2018?

It’s very rainy where I live so do you think using a hairdryer or a fan would work? This is a great video also thanks. 😊

Hi Josh. I read your comment about stains being tricky.. if it does have a "stain", is there anything you have found does get them out or lighten them if it seems the vintage leather has been penetrated? or do you just decide to pass on buying those?

My vintage Gucci very vintage is in perfect condition outside except the inside leather cover who is damaged.There are some chances to fix it? Tks

Hi Josh my Coach bags are from the original collection. Pre-Legacy from the early 80s. I believe it is the same leather. These are the original leather. Is this method ok for the originals (I have one that is pre-creed)? If I didn't see this with my own eyes lol.

Hi Josh! I have the same bag in red and am ready to clean it. The Brasso won’t hurt the leather? I’m sort of afraid to try that.

Amazing video!!!🙏🥰

Hi Josh. Awaiting arrival of my screaming red 9966. My question...have you ever done this with a red. Bag? I’m worried about water marks with that bright color. Thank

Great video Josh, thank you so much. I have an older Coach bag, from the same line as your small chalk clutch-with the silky fabric liner. Would you clean that bag the same way, or just do a surface clean on the leather?

I just stumbled on this video because I have a vintage coach purse that I thrifted that needs some TLC. It has the same scuffed edges as the purse you cleaned. What would be the difference between a shoe polish, like you used, and leather dye? Thank you for all the good information!

Hi Josh, your restoration looks amazing! how do you clean nickle on vintage Coach?

So if there is odor, how do you recommend using the white vinegar? Incorporate it in the water and dish soap when soaking?

Hey Josh! I purchased one at a tag sale and I washed it the way you suggested. It is a cordovan/mahogany bag. When i washed it the water turned burgundy. I question if the previous owner had used some type of polish (like kiwi) on it. The finish of the bag doesn't appear that great (appears to be a REALLY old one). Do you think that washing it again might help? Any other suggestions? Also, I am looking for a camera style bag (more squarish lines) do you happen to know which bags would have the longest strap for a cross body? Being a guy it appears some of the straps on certain bags may be too short?

Thank you so much!

Josh, what do I did it my bag smells? It has an “old lady thrift store” smell.... no offense to any one. I have washed it twice already, and used vintage. Should I keep trying?

Great tips! Would this bath also work for faux leather? I have a vintage coach I will definitely be using this on but I also have a modern vegan leather bag that needs to be cleaned as well.

I woud love for you to restore a Dooney & Bourke vintage as well or will it be the same process as the coach?

My vintage coach I purchased is smoked filled on the inside and out. I have washed my bag several times and each time the water is black from the smoke. Do you have any suggestions?

What’s your closet name @Poshmark?

Hi there I have a leather coach purse in cream/ivory color not sure how to clean it - does it similar way to what u did to this bag? Please give advice thx u ☺️. I’m nervous when think about my love bag take a bubble bath worry I might ruin it😅😅.

I have a Coach lazer cut leather bag and I love the feel and the smell of the leather. Would this process affect the feel and smell of the leather do you think?

Two bags were delivered today from poshmark one bag smells horrible .. I got a Patricia Legacy and a Janice locally I got the city bag from a neighbor ...

Could I do this with a leather bag that it lined? I mean mostly the dunking in water?

How would you treat the new coach bags. I have a pebble leather bag newly purchased on Poshmart. The inside is dirt and the bag itself has a smell and stain.

Great video 👄

Hi Josh, thank you for your informative videos. I have learnt a lot. I recently re-conditioned a 9966 black bag using Saphir Canadian creme. I think I have overdone the treatment. Can this be reversed/fixed by re-dunking & starting the process again?

Josh, would you recommend doing anything different with a Beekman briefcase? I just got one and would like to give it a good cleaning. Thx.

great video. can i use brasso for cleaning gold finish hardware? if not what would you recommend?

I just purchased this 9966 it needs to be cleaned. Will this work for it?

Hi Josh! Love your videos! Do you know how to remove oil stains out of vintage coach saddle leather? I washed the bag and conditioned. Stains still on bag. I’d appreciate any advise you can give. Thanks!

Coach used to refurbish for free …do they not do that anymore?

what brand is the shoe cream?

Hi. Do we need to deglaze the areas of leather before using shoe polish? Or not needed? Thanks.

If this makes any sense how to you stiffen up the leather after it’s been washed to make it hard again ? When you purchase a new hand bag it’s all new shiny and harden/stiff the leather is obviously new is there a way to resort the dents and mold it back to its shape? Please help with that process.

Hi Josh, how can I remove the stains of my Coach bag.

Can I do this on a Roots purse? The inside is almost like suede

Hi josh! I just bough a goldish kinda silver leather coach too on ebay but it has a few stains on the bottom, how can I paint them as well because I don’t know if there exists gold polish paint?

Do you have any recommendations for pebbled leather? Same procedure?

What kind of conditioner do you use? Would it work on a light tan, not shiny leather?

Could you please tell me which color you would use of the Moneysworth shoe cream for your British Tan bags? Thank you