Leather accessories and clothing: how to maintain them?

Zoom on tips and some grandmother recipes to clean, moisturize or restore your shoes, jackets, and leather pants.

Precious leather is a living material that needs special care to last over time. Because when it dries out, it can lose its shine and crack. It is, therefore, necessary to clean it properly and nourish it effectively to regain its suppleness and shine.

How to clean a leather piece?

We try to take care of our jackets or boots fairly regularly by dusting them and brushing them with a soft cloth or a rubber brush, which will remove minor wear marks if our leather is smooth. In the case of patent leather, clean with a damp cloth, dry, then shine with a product suitable for this type of leather.

As for cleaners, you can use Marseille soap that you dilute in warm water and apply with a glove or a cloth. Then wipe off immediately. This trick works very well for much more fragile light and white leathers. The clay stone is also practical; it can be applied with a clean cloth.

Another quick solution is to apply gentle cleansing milk on a cotton pad that you rub in circular motions on the leather. Specialist leather products such as universal cream or care milk are available in supermarkets or from your shoemaker for occasional cleaning.

How to moisturize a piece of leather?

After cleaning and optimal drying, we move on to the hydration stage. Special nourishing milk for leather is applied using a cotton ball, a dry cloth, or a soft-bristled brush. You can also use a leather oil or a colorless care cream from specialized brands that will restore suppleness and shine to the leather, whatever its type, by rehydrating it durably. Be careful not to grease the leather too much; it would become fragile, with a high risk of tearing and a certain looseness in the seams. We then think of recoloring it with a waxing cream, then polishing it with a brush.

How to restore a leather piece?

If your leather piece is torn or if the seams are damaged

It is necessary to take it to a leather professional or shoemaker who can help you. Scuffs or scratches can be covered up with shoe polish, leather dye, or even a permanent marker. The whole thing is to test in an inconspicuous area to understand ​​the result.

If your leather is stained

Before moving on to the cleaning stage and following these grandmother’s recipes, it is necessary to determine the type of stain. Fat? _ We apply a thick layer of talc on the color and let it absorb overnight. Then, we brush and repeat the process if the stain persists, using a specialized cleaner finally.

Chewing gum stuck to your leather jacket

We soften the chewing gum by gently heating it with a hair dryer, then scrape it carefully with a butter knife. We warm up the remaining gum residue with the hair dryer, then rub it with a soft, dry cloth until it rolls up and off. Finally, a leather cleaner and conditioner moisturize the skin after applying heat.

If your leather piece is wrinkled

Attention, it is strongly advised not to iron it in direct contact, at the risk of burning it. However, it can be ironed at the lowest temperature the iron allows by placing a cloth between the skin and the iron.