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Looking after leather
Some simple treatments and precautions will keep your leather looking perfect!
Storing leather correctly is the most important thing you can do to keep it in its best condition.
Try to avoid storing where there is excessive dryness or humidity. If leather goods
are to be wrapped, use acid free tissue paper.
Storage of leather items in plastic containers
isn't advisable because this can lead to discolouration of the leather.
Cleaning:
The most common stains to remove from handbags are finger marks, but simple regular treatments will stop them from building up into unsightly stained areas.
The kind of cleaning treatment you should use depends as always on the type of leather your product is made from. Here are a few tips for looking after leather...
- Treat or remove any stains on the leather before washing it.
- Using warm soapy water made with a gentle cleanser like baby shampoo or soap flakes rub the leather with a soft cloth to produce a lather in any area you want to clean.
- Wipe away excess lather with a clean cloth.
- Rinse leather thoroughly either by running through warm water or wiping several times with a damp cloth.
- Pat leather dry with a clean towel to remove excess water.
- Allow leather to dry flat in a warm place out of direct sunlight and away from a strong heat source (fire, heater, stove, etc.)
Suede Leather
Brush regularly with a soft suede brush or rub gently with a plastic foam block.
Minor stains and marks may be removed with a hard rubber eraser, or by touching up
the surface with a fine emery paper.
The leather should retain its colour and appearance if it is regularly treated with a fluorocarbon aerosol spray product. These make the leather water repellent, and offer protection from grease and dust.
There are a wide range of suede cleaning and colouring products on the market, and these will give excellent results - provided that the product manufacturers' recommendations are strictly observed.
Conditioning
A leather conditioner is necessary for this step.
There are hundreds of products available for this task, so be sure to read the label before using a leather conditioner to be certain that the particular product is suitable for your leather item.
- Always use a lint free soft cloth when conditioning leather; microfiber cloths are ideal.
- Dampen the cloth with water before applying the conditioner to it so that there is not too much conditioner applied to the leather.
- NEVER apply conditioner directly to the leather, apply to cloth first.
- Apply conditioner to leather by gently rubbing into the lie or nap of the leather until the entire surface has been covered.
- Several light applications are preferred over a heavy soaking of conditioner.
- Allow conditioner to penetrate the leather for at least 30 minutes before applying another coat.
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