Our first article, leather lasts forever, was an introductory piece to the different types of leather. We emphasized that leather does last forever, but only if you look after it with the correct handling, storage and care.
In this article, we share some care tips informing you how you can look after your valuable leather piece.
Your leather goods need to be consistently cared for. This will ensure you extend the life of your accessories and pieces and avoid unnecessary wear and tear.
- Leather stretches - The most important point we need to make about leather is that it is skin – therefore requires delicate handling by ensuring you do not overfill your leather bag, wallet, backpack or purse.
- Clean dust weekly – wipe your regularly used leather piece with a soft cloth or brush to take off dust. If the dust doesn’t come off easily, consider using a wet cloth to gently lift off the dust as moisture can loosen the dust.
- Avoid scratches – try and avoid your piece getting into contact with sharp or pointy surfaces, jewellery and so forth to avoid scratches that distort the skin
- Avoid the rain – avoid getting your leather piece wet as this will require extra care to get it back to its original state. If your bag gets wet, blot out the water or moisture as soon as possible. Ensure you dry the leather item naturally, away from artificial heat.
- Air it out – regularly air your leather piece by placing it in a well-ventilated room. If it’s a bag then it’s advised to empty it and place it where there is sufficient air circulation.
- Condition – keep leather moisturized and supple by conditioning it with leather conditioner every 3 to 6 months. Ensure you test the conditioner or polish or was beforehand on a small hidden spot before applying it to the entire leather piece.
- Store carefully – keep your leather piece in a dust bag or dust-free environment to avoid scratches. Avoid using plastic bags as they don’t allow free circulation of air. It is advisable to keep the leather piece away from direct sunlight and artificial sources of heat.
- Clean – use soap flakes and warm water, soft cloth or brush to clean away any spots or stains on your leather piece. And in the event of buildup after some time, use a steam cleaner to disinfect and remove the buildup.
- Over and above the care information for accessories, there’s an additional special treatment that should be applied to leather clothing items.
- Professional cleaning - have the garment cleaned by a reputable dry cleaner. This speaks to garments that have anything moist in contact with them – such as rain and sweat. Pointing out any stains or soiling to the dry cleaner ensures they give adequate attention to these stains.Clean regularly – don’t leave items until they are too dirty before cleaning them.
- Avoid extreme weather elements – just like your skin, leather is affected by overexposure to rain or sunshine. While some work can be done to reverse damage caused by water, damage caused by too much sun exposure cannot be reversed.
As you can see, it is not difficult to care for and look after your leather piece. Abiding by a few rules will guarantee your leather piece will last for the foreseeable future.
