Okay, you just bought that terrific leather jacket, handbag or the new leather sofa was just delivered. Now is the most crucial window to get a base of protection on these that will require refreshing with consistent regular maintenance.
Why? Applying protection now will:
Fill in the leather’s pores (not to be confused with sealing them) preventing liquids and soil from getting deeply ingrained, making cleaning the leather much, much easier.
Doing this also creates a thin film that protect’s the leather…whether coated leather or aniline…and helps to repel contact soiling. Suede protectors coat the fibers in much the same way. Examples of contact soiling are: putting your handbag on a counter, floor, shopping cart seat etc. Jeans dye transfer on a leather seat or side of a bag is another example. It can be as simple as rubbing up against someone is an elevator, a subway car or any mass transportation seating. You’re not immune in an Uber either. Every time your garment comes in contact with the outside world…there’s a micro-transfer of environmental dirt; it just takes awhile to accumulate enough to grab your attention!
Leather sofas and chairs acquire similar soiling from pets, newspaper ink, body oils and again, jeans… never mind food and drink mishaps. This dirt slowly builds up over time if maintenance isn’t done regularly, until one day you look and think “Wow, this looks grubby”. By then, you’ve waited too long to clean and condition your leather and you may have just compromised your future results and shortened the leather’s lifespan. Protection and regular maintenance pays off…example:
I have an everyday Rebecca Minkoff bag I protected upon arrival. I’ve used it an average of 6 days a week Autumn through Spring. I’ve given it a basic cleaning/reapplied a protection conditioner about every 3 months…the change of seasons. Below are images of it after 2 years constant use:
Above I show the side of the leather bag that would normally be against my body, a side view, and most tellingly…the bottom. Go ahead…zoom in. Pretty good condition for 2 years constant use, yes? I haven’t done any leather color touch-up, just consistent routine care. These are results anyone can achieve when cleaning and conditioning leather on a consistent basis. Tip: put the chore into your phone’s reminders!
The ideal “foundation” conditioner doesn’t darken leather when applied, or darkens slightly until the leather has dried then leaves no apparent change in shade. The cleaner and conditioner I rely on for finer leather garments, furniture and accessories comes in a kit for the consumer, which is available here: https://amzn.to/2ufBW5a . Understand this is currently the ONLY cleaner/conditioning products I’m currently recommending for consumer use. There are many different products on the market and most are not for every leather type. Whe I find another I’ll post it. It is the consumer’s responsibility to read and follow directions. When in doubt, call their Consumer Hotline BEFORE you begin!
Now here’s an example of total neglect…however unintentional… by someone who wore this jacket as her everyday “go-to” yet never protected or cleaned it until she got caught in the rain which revealed how dirty it really was.:
Ever get your car washed and in less than 48 hours a brief small amount of rain passes over…and your car is left with dappled dirt spots? Well, that’s what rain stains are; the dirt on the surface of the jacket was displaced by the rain drops that hit it. It takes a serious amount of surface dirt to get like this, in addition to the greasy food stains and else I found.
Despite wet-cleaning and quite a bit of pre-spotting…one can stress lamb leather just so much. In this case the only option was to match the original color at an inside seam and then apply colorant and finish. The results below:
“Rain-stained” leather jacket after cleaning and applying original color. “Rain-stains” are caused by water droplets pushing around dirt on leather.
Not protecting suede from the start is just foolish, especially if it’s a medium to lighter shade. Suede will “mark” if struck against itself in footwear. Using the right protection spray can actually repel the soil …greatly reducing if not eliminating marking…as well as keep them cleaner longer. Below are my fav Cole Haan suede over-the-knee boots. I did a thorough application of protector (completely wetting the suede as directed) hung them side by side on a skirt clip hanger until dry and then brushed them out with a soft horsehair suede brush, used for finer suede and nubuck. See the markings of the boot on the right?
That’s just the “nap” that was pushed all around by the tissue paper I keep in the box with them. They brush right out with the soft brush (R). The stiff suede brush (L) is for mud, salt removal and thicker , heavier suede such as cow. And while we’re at it…getting clear toe taps put on at the start is another smart move. It prevents you from scraping your toe tip..which can easily rip open with suede…is difficult to repair ( = $$$) and protects that area of the soles. Not all cobblers bother to carry the clear versions but you can find them online; buy a handful, they’re very cheap and you may need to replace more than once a year depending on # of wearings. My local shoe guy puts them on for me half-price to cover his labor.
Next up is this loose back cushion. My best guess is someone got out of the shower and wasn’t completely dry when they leaned back into it. So that’s a combo of water, body oil/soap residue that stained it. Had this had an application of protector when the chairs arrived, staining would have been minimized if not eliminated, but sitting on leather when you’re damp or sweaty is never a good idea! It was cleaned (yet the stains didn’t budge) so we covered them up with matched color and finish.
How to apply that base protection on new Leather
Give yourself at least 45 minutes to an hour for a jacket, shoes or bag and an afternoon for a sofa.
Use a soft, fine sponge (No kitchen sponges or those add-water pop-up types!) I recommend tack (horse harness) sponges for clothes and accessories. A bag of 1 dozen is very inexpensive. Keep separate ones for light, medium and dark colors. Link:
https://amzn.to/2OqGBZa
Here are similar sponges in a larger size for furniture…cut them in half if you’d like:
https://amzn.to/2GN0d5E
On clothing and accessories: Use a clean DRY small soft sponge. Apply the protecting conditioner directly ONTO THE SPONGE.. NEVER APPLY CLEANER OR CONDITIONER DIRECTLY ONTO LEATHER. Why? If the leather is “thirsty” it may absorb that dollop you just applied onto to it so fast that you’ll be left with a darker area there than the rest of the leather panel. Put a nickle-sized dollop on the flat side of the sponge and spread thoroughly edge to edge achieving a thin layer. Test a small wipe in a hidden area. If it darkens, don’t panic, but you’ll need to work briskly over the piece so all areas are somewhat evenly darkened. . This temporary effect is common in aniline leathers…particularly lambskin. Do one panel (section of leather seam-to-seam) at a time, then move to the next. Then hang away from heat to dry naturally. You’ll see the dark fading as it dries. Then buff with a clean soft terry or flannel rag.
Cleaning is performed the same way, but constantly turning the sponge/rag to a clean spot as it becomes dirty. Repeat until the rag stays clean. Allow to thoroughly dry (DO NOT BLOWDRY! You could distort the leather!) then apply conditioner as above…again buffing when dry. Use the same technique for furniture with a larger sponge to apply and more rags to wipe until they come up clean. Work on one cushion panel/armrest/headrest at a time. This takes effort. With furniture it’s better to do half the sections completely, and finishing the rest another day than a poor job in one shot!
Applying a thin even film of protecting conditioner one row at a time.
WARNING! Kidskin,…AKA baby goatskin …which is rarely used other than in gloves, will turn yellow with ANY type of liquid if light colored. These pieces are pro-clean only. I encountered a pair of white leggings recently by a major European design house that were kid, but the label didn’t state this. It was a poor leather choice for the company as the consumer would later find out when she was advised by Customer Service to use a home-made concoction as a spot cleaner…that backfired. So keep this in mind if purchasing medium to light colored luxury price-point garments with thin to tissue-thin leather. Ask the salesperson, or call Customer Services but get that info BEFORE you buy!
How to properly apply protection to new suede and nubuck
Fact: you need to do a very thorough job applying the protector. Have your suede brush handy for this. Brush the suede in the direction that lifts the fibers. Read the directions thoroughly before you start as they can vary from product to product. Most are flammable when wet and should be used in a well-ventilated area. Opening the window of your bathroom and treating the piece there will work for city-dwellers in winter. Spray thoroughly starting at one end and slowly work your way down. On a jacket do one front half, then the other, then each sleeve front and back, then the back. Similar approach for shoes and handbags. All those little fibers need to be coated with protector. Spraying like you’d use an air freshener won’t accomplish anything! If directions call for completely wetting the suede, do so. Unlike leather, when you clean suede, clean the entire panel or bag, or both shoes . Be gentle. Suede always loses a slight bit of color when cleaned, so spot-cleaning will result in a lighter “spot” where you worked on it. Pros always replace some dye with the conditioner when they clean and finish Uggs and other shearling or suede products.
Hang garments/handbags to dry from a plastic hanger, boots by their tops at each end of a skirt hanger, or plastic hanger with strong clothes pins, booties and shoes- soles on a surface. When thoroughly dry, brush the nap until your happy with the appearance. Extra points if you then brush the nap the other way and repeat the process!
You can protect your gloves as well; it greatly reduces staining. Wear one at a time as you clean and protect.
For suede furniture…unless its a small piece or simple chair seats… have a pro do this . I’ve made house calls where I applied such in their garage right after delivery or the pieces were sent to my studio. It’s a matter of which makes the most sense cost wise.
You can protect hair-hide, suede and leather rugs and wall installations as well but pro application is necessary in most cases.
NOTE: If you’ve purchased “bonded”,“coated” or “stain-proof” leather furniture,…this is an entirely different category as it has a plastic coating. Sounds great, right? Problem is… in 6-10 years the plastic will start to “peel” and there’s NO way to successfully resolve this.
Just as it took time to craft your item…so does proper maintenance. Care for it yourself or pay a pro, but you’ll thank me after that first guest spills on the sofa cushion or your coffee-to-go accidentally becomes “coffee-be-gone”!