Love the bag, hate the stained pants.

November 16, 2011 6:55 PM

I have a new bag, a great leather briefcase from Dr. Koffer. The leather has a great feel, and I love the bag. Except...it has been staining my pants. How can I clean the pants, and stop the bag from staining?

I carry the bag to work like a messenger bag with a leather cross shoulder strap. The strap has gotten a bit of brown stain on a few shirts, but the bag has really deposited some stain on my khakis. It looks lightly dirty with medium brown stains, and doesn't come out easily with hand washing.

Two part question: 1) how do I remove the stains from my khakis? I think my favorite pair may be a write-off unless I can get the stains out.

2) What can I do to stop the bag from doing this? I could simply carry it with one hand, but I walk three miles a day carrying 10-20 lbs of stuff, so the one-handed solution wouldn't work (would just mean not carrying the bag at all). Will it stop naturally once I've had it for more than a couple of weeks? The bag has not been wet in any of the instances this has happened, FWIW. If it matters, the bag is made from "Venetian cognac" (link for the manufacturers description)

Thanks for any advice or thoughts!

posted by arnicae to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

I had a baseball glove with the exact same problem: I'd lean over with my hands on my knees between pitches, and my game pants got stained by the oils and dyes from the glove. I could never get the pants (polyester) completely clean of the stain.

If should stop doing it eventually, though.
posted by clorox at 7:21 PM on November 16, 2011

Gah!

I'd call the manufacturer and ask what they recommend for cleaning those stains. They know the properties of the dye they are using. My guess it that you're not going to have much luck removing the stains, but it's worth a phone call.

Then I'd return the bag. It should eventually stop bleeding dye, but you'll have ruined a nice stack of trousers by the time it does. I've had several briefcases at that price point and gobs of purses. I've never had one ruin my clothing.
posted by 26.2 at 7:42 PM on November 16, 2011 [3 favorites]

Try using clear shoe polish or a waterproofing gel to seal the leather without affecting the color (much).
posted by lizbunny at 4:48 AM on November 17, 2011

Maybe it's possible to polish the leather with a rag until it stops staining?
posted by Harald74 at 5:30 AM on November 17, 2011

If the bag has a glossy sheen, you could try Fiebings acrylic sheen. It will basically put a clear coating on top of the leather, sealing the dye in the laether.
If your bag is not glossy, Bag Kote might work but it will affect the colour somewhat.
posted by Sourisnoire at 6:01 AM on November 17, 2011