Cleaning Leather & Leather Products Guidelines
Posted by Ethan O. Tanner on July 4th, 2009
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A good starting point for cleaning leather is to determine if your leather item is finished or unfinished. In general finished leather items will have a shiny or smooth surface which may be luggage, garments, handbags, wallets, or garments. Unfinished leather and suede usually have a natural dull finish or nappy finish like saddlery, work boots and shoes or sport gloves etc.
Buy good leather cleaner and rub, using a circular motion it into leather. Follow with a leather conditioner. Leather Balm with Atom Wax Leather Conditioner is an outstanding dressing to clean, soften, and condition leather. Do not use saddle soap on a leather couch, as it is too harsh for furniture.
Keep leather out of direct daylight as it will fade or discolor the leather. One idea for removing spots from leather is to rub the spot with a cloth that has been dipped in rubbing alcohol. Contrary to what it would seem water spots can be removed from leather by moistening the area again with a little water. Let dry or gently blow dry and then oil leather with a leather treatment such as mink oil.
Wipe leather shoes often with a damp cloth. Keep shoes polished with a shoe polish paste. If leather shoes should become soaked with water, let air-dry with shoe trees in place. Regarding discoloration use a leather spray to bring back the color to leather garments, gloves and bags.
Initially try it on a small amount of leather conditioner in a spot not apparent in case your particular brand of leather does not react well to the treatment. Saddle soap should not be used on a leather couch, as it is too unkind for leather furniture. Do not use products like mink oil, shoe polish and waxes when cleaning leather furniture or garments. Use a damp cloth or sponge to rub saddle soap into the leather working the soap into a light lather. Oil leather with a leather stabilizer such as mink oil or leather balm.
Dry leather needs rehydrating with water and oils. Waxes are not used as the natural oils do not dry out of leather. It is important to uphold a regular cleaning routine. Cleaning dirt off the surface regularly and inhibiting the absorption of body oils into the leather with a protector is the best way of doing this. Automobile leather seats can be cleaned using a 5% solution of detergent like Woolite. This is not what you would expect, but a wool cleaner cleans well and protects all different leathers.
Another option for cleaning leather is to take a damp cloth, wipe it across moisturizing soap and lather the leather. Remember: When removing spots from leather, always test any cleaning method on an out-of-the-way spot first.
For suede shoes, try an art gum eraser. If that is unsuccessful, use undiluted white vinegar on a soft cloth, blot the spot. Never rub when cleaning suede. Suede being unfinished type of leather needs to be handled with care. An inexpensive leather cleaning processes, like baking soda or salt may also be used.
The best method for cleaning leather is determined by the type of the stain and the type of the leather. The following are instructions for common leather cleaning: Always test the cleaning on a small invisible patch of leather before proceeding on the whole item. You should also follow cleaning with a Fiebing Suede and Fabric Coat leather protector which will act like a ’scotchgard’ and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed and make cleaning easier the next time.
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