tips: care and restoration of thrifted leather goods

as we all know now, there are gazillions of amazing high-quality leather goods that can be found at thrift stores.  the problem is, how do we care and restore these hidden treasures back to their glorious condition?  i am not an expert on restoration, but here are my tried and tested tips based from personal experience.

molds and mildew:  lysol it down and let the bag sit under the sun.  some people have tried using vodka and water spray with great luck.  never worked for me though.

musty storage smell:  sunlight, fabric conditioner sheet, charcoal, or baking soda.  sunlight is a natural disinfectant and odor eliminator.  fabric conditioner sheet will mask the odor but will not completely eliminate it.  charcoal and baking soda are the least effective.

indentation marks:  blow dry until warm to touch.  massage the indentation marks.  repeat as necessary. recondition after.

superficial scratches:  good leather conditioner.  i suggest leather honey or fiebing's golden mink oil.  always spot test first on hidden parts of your leather goods.

stitches:  use lighter instead of scissors to trim and seal loose stitches.  super glue also works well.

shapeless bags:  i have great success in restoring flat as pancake bags by washing them in tap water with dishwashing liquid.  stuff the bag with towels to give them shape.  dry under filtered or direct sunlight.  apply leather conditioner when almost dry.  works best on most unlined leather bags.

faded color:  at-home redye kit works pretty well and very easy to use.  for minimal scuffings on shoes, cover it with matching shade of sharpie or pentel pen.  saves you a lot of time and money.

beyond repair bags:  keep them for parts such as leather straps, zipper pull, chain strap etc.  possible diy project.

shoes a bit smaller:  blow dry shoes and wear them inside the house.  you should wear thick socks when doing this so as to avoid burning your feet.