I just recently got a fabric hobo Coach bag on ebay. The seller was a smoker, hence the bag smells horrible. Does anybody have a solution on how to get the smoke smell out of the bag?
I recently bought a Carly bag (authentic too!) at a local second hand store for $25. I knew it would need a turnlock replaced, but Coach will send you those replacement parts for no charge. All you have to do is supply the serial number. Anyway, I didn't realize when I was caught up in the moment, how terrible it smelled. I got it home and it was nauseating almost. It smelled not only of smoke, but of dirt as well. Like if you have ever been in a dirty car that belonged to a smoker...smoke and dirt combo. Yuck.
I tried Febreze to no avail. I called Coach and asked them if they sold a cleaner that could help. She advised me to clean it with mild soap and water. (She probably meant a cloth dampened in that soap and water solution, but I was a little more aggressive). I pulled the liner inside out and rinsed it through the soapy water and the water immediately turned brown.
I then decided that the whole purse was probably that bad and decided to dunk it all. I got fresh soapy water and dunked it all under and it turned the water brown again! I repeated these steps several more times and then hosed the bag down with my shower sprayer to rinse all the soap and or remaining dirt out. I sprayed some Febreze and a fresh smelling Bath and Body spritz on it while it was still wet. This helped tremendously. It didn't damage the leather trim on the bag and it made me feel much better about carrying that bag.
My bag was black signature fabric with black leather trim, so it was a pretty forgiving color combo. Not sure if I would try this with a lighter material or if it was a good bag with just a hint of smell/dirt. However, mine reeked and was filthy although it looked fine, and only cost $25. It was a risk that was worth taking for me, but it may not be worth the risk for you. Good luck either way.
Recently, Tide came out with little gel sachets which are supposed to go on your clothes hanger to keep the laundry-fresh smell. They are in the laundry section, near other Tide items such as sweater hangers. I purchased a Coach bag at my local thrift store, and even though I smoke a little bit, the person who owned it prior must have been at LEAST 2 packs a day because it was nauseating even for me! I was dying to carry it so I plopped one of the sachets inside.
I think the combination of that and the fresh air from carrying it out of the house did the trick. I left the sachet inside for about 2 months, until I was tired of the scent all the time. It completely took the smell away, and even now I get a whiff of sachet from time to time. My bag is small so I used one, but the sachets come in a 6-pack, so you can stuff them everywhere according to the size of the bag. I would think a couple months, maybe 3 if you aren't using it while you treat it, would suffice. I would not recommend placing it in a plastic bag, because the smell would have no place to dissipate.
Take a glass or ceramic bowl half full of Household Ammonia. Place the bag with all the pockets opened and the bowl of Ammonia in a plastic tote with tight fitting lid overnight. Next morning remove bag and air out. This also works to kill the smell of smoke in a car. Use a full bowl of Ammonia, sit bowl on floor board with the windows up overnight.
I used to put my leather coat in the dryer (on lowest setting) with a couple of bounce sheets only for about 5 minutes. This was after a night out when they used to be able to smoke in clubs. I hated coming home smelling like smoke.
1. put the purse in a paper bag, add some charcoal (like the kind for fish tanks), and close the bag. 2. take an plastic dish and fill it with baking soda, place purse and dish in paper bag.
In both cases above, I'd check the bags every few days and change out the charcoal/baking soda for fresh. This is what I would do:
I have several Coach bags and I love them. When you purchase one of their purses, wallets, etc., Coach guarantees lifetime upkeep of them.
Go to a Coach store and tell them you need to send your bag back to Coach for refurbishing. Coach will send bags in for loose threads, shining up, etc.
The last time I did this, I had a few threads that came loose. I believe I had to pay shipping, but the Coach store sends the purse to the Coach manufacturer, the purse gets fixed and then it gets sent back to the Coach store. They call you and you go pick up your beautiful purse! Good luck!
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