How doyou clean a leather jacket?

Question

i bought a great looking leather jacket the other day in goodwill. genuine leather, good condition, no rips, tears or anything. it just needs a little spuce up, i guess. it's kind of wrinkled and could use a little polish. do i take it in to a dry-cleaners or can i do it myself? and if so, is there a special type of polish i should get, or any other specific i need to know???

Answer 1

It saddens me to see the mis information that is rife when it comes to leather care. I have worked in the Leather repair and restoration industry for over 11yrs and work with one of the founders of the modern Leather restoration industry who has 40+ yrs experience.
Water based cleaners will not hurt leather as long as it is a finished leather ( one with a surface coating) naked leathers will absorb water or cleaners etc. NEVER use saddle soap, murphy's soap, armor-al etc or garment/furniture grade leather....they are tanned completely differently from saddlery leathers and this will create massive pH damage. Leather is acidic ( 4.5-5.5 pH approx) most soaps are very alkaline so create damage. Facials soaps or woolite in warm water are closer in pH so are a better "cheap" alternative to quality pH balanced professional cleaners.
Leather NEEDS OILS but not in pure form ( ie dont just apply mink oil or neats foot oil etc) a good conditioner has the correct ratios ( my company makes our own cleaners and conditioners so we know exactly what is in them and that they are doing what is needed) The leather used to be attached to a cow- where it got the oils etc from the animal- it has been removed and has a residual oil content- this decreases over time and has to be supplimented by you in the form of leather conditioners...not doing so dramatically reduces the life of leather.
You do not need to go to the expense of professional cleaning. Clean yourself and use some of the money you would have spent to buy a good quality leather conditioner that will last you multiple applications to the jacket and other leather goods you might have.
Good luck
David

If you want to learn more about leather care,chemistry, tanning etc we have alot of info on one of our sites www.advleather.com (this is not a solicitation for you to buy anything, just if you want to learn more)

Answer 2

How To Clean Leather Jacket

Answer 3

You need to use a good quality water based foam leather cleaner.
DO NOT use anything containing oils, waxes or silicones. (Most 'conditioners' contain waxes or oils so should not be used) and furniture polish (Pledge etc) contains silicones which will destroy the finish on the leather.

BABY WIPES are the worst thing you can use as they will destroy the finish on your leather. They are very strong alkiline cleaners to neutralise urine (acid) on babys skin so they are not the right thing to use on leather.

Saddle soap is too harsh to use on delicate leathers.

A lot of leather wipes contain chemicals which will also destroy the finish or leave residues on the leather which will damage it. They are not cheap in the long run as you would need a lot to clean a whole leather sofa. A bottle of foam cleaner should do your furniture 1-2 times.

Fairy liquid contains more salt these days to get dishes clean and this will break the finish down on your leather. This has been verified by the manufacturers (as with the baby wipes).

You should also follow cleaning with a good water based leather protector which will act like a 'scotchgard' and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed and make cleaning easier the next time.

Dry leather needs rehydrating with water and oils and waxes should not be used as the natural oils do not dry out of leather. Wiping over with a damp cloth regularly will help to do this.

It is important to maintain a regular cleaning regime 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.

The alternative is a brand new product on the market called Lazy Leather. This is the latest technology in cleaning and combines an effective cleaner with a protector. It is quick and easy to use and should be used as a maintenance product once your suite has been cleaned or from new if you have just bought it.


Sadly even the professionals in the business these days are often misinformed.

Leather does NOT lose its natural oils. When hide is turned into leather it does not keep its natural oils from the cow,these are all removed and replaced during the retanning process with a carefully balanced formulation which then is permanent. LEATHER DOES NOT NEED CONDITIONING with oils and on some occassions if these are added will do more harm than good. What leather loses is its moisture and it is this that needs replacing.
Source(s):

http://www.LTTsolutions.net
Leather care consultants to the furniture and cleaning industries

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How doyou clean a leather jacket?
i bought a great looking leather jacket the other day in goodwill. genuine leather, good condition, no rips, tears or anything. it just needs a little spuce up, i guess. it's kind of wrinkled and could use a little polish. do i take it in to a dry-cleaners or can i do it myself? and if so, is...

Answer 5

You may clean at home yourself with Leather Clean. I have been using this solution for 3 months now. I do not want to damage my jacket as I love to wear leather jacket often. When it gets dirty, stinky germy. I use this solution to do a deep clean at home in water. I think you will also like it.

Answer 6

You could try some saddle soap, but if it is pre-owned I'd take it to a cleaners that specialize in cleaning leather. Even if it cost you a little your ahead, depending on what you paid for it. Leather jackets are expensive.

Answer 7

There is only one way, your local dry cleaners that cleans leather too. You CAN clean it yourself, but not as good, with saddle soap. It is in a flat can, located in the shoe polish section of the store. It looks like paste and you use a old towel and rub on the soap. DO NOT EVER USE WATER. It ruins suede and leather. Just polish the jacket in circles then buff with a clean towel. Best is the dry cleaners cuz they do the inside too. Happy buffing! :D

Answer 8

The best ways to protect and clean leather.

* An easy and inexpensive option for cleaning leather is to take a damp cloth, wipe it across moisturizing soap and lather the leather. Don't rinse -- buff for a nice shine.

* Remember: When removing spots from leather, always test any cleaning method on an out-of-the-way spot first.

Answer 9

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KB is right! Don't risk ruining it. And be sure to take it to one that specializes in leather and suede

Answer 10

http://www.ehow.com/how_3138_clean-leather.html
Go to this web site for step to step instructions on how to clean your leather jacket