Valuable tips and tricks on how to wash leather items

Leather items will always be in trend. But like any clothing, they get dirty and need to be cleaned periodically.

Due to the delicacy of the material, it would be safer to dry-clean leather goods, but many decide to wash them at home. How to do this correctly and whether it is acceptable at all, we will look into further.

Is it possible and how to properly wash leather and items made from it (gloves, skirts, trousers, shoes, etc.) in a washing machine and by hand, and how to soften items after washing, read the article.

Is it possible: possible consequences of machine washing

Opinions regarding the possibility of washing leather items in a washing machine are ambiguous: some categorically say “no”, others allow this possibility if certain conditions are met.

True, manufacturers prohibit washing, wringing and ironing leather products. This follows from the care instructions on the label.

Jackets, gloves and other products made of genuine leather by their nature do not tolerate prolonged contact with water and chemicals. So even after washing in cold water, they will definitely shrink, become deformed, and lose their shine and softness.

So it’s better not to take risks and, unless absolutely necessary, not to resort to machine washing, but to limit yourself to wet or dry cleaning.If the intention to wash the skin is unshakable, then it is recommended to conduct a test first.

Step-by-step instruction

Leather items are so vulnerable that the slightest defects will immediately catch your eye. Therefore, they must be specially cared for. You can clean them in different ways, but it is important to adhere to certain rules. The main thing is the use of water with a temperature not exceeding 30? C.

Manual processing

Before hand washing, the product must be soaked in water. with the addition of a special skin or coat care product:

• Salton CleanTECH gel;
• Toko Eco Textile Wash;
• Heitmann Daunen Waschpflege gel;
• Sonett;
• Nordland balm.

Pour a little water, but so that it completely hides the thing. Particularly dirty areas can be pre-brushed with a soft brush.

Then drain the dirty water after soaking and pour in fresh water. Add the special agent again and carefully begin to wash.

To prevent the product from shrinking, you need to rinse it in water at the same temperature.. After which the item is not wrung out in the usual way, but hung on hangers and placed above the bathtub so that the water drains naturally.

In the washing machine

As already mentioned, washing in an automatic machine is undesirable because it is problematic and risky. This option should be resorted to in exceptional cases when other methods definitely will not help.

It is important to comply with a number of requirements:

1. Select the “Delicate”, “Wool” or “For Leather” mode at a temperature of 30? C.
2. It is advisable to disable the spin option, but leaving it on, set it to no more than 300 rpm.
3. Do not load several leather items of different colors into the machine at once.
4. After washing, take out the item and hang it on hangers so that the water drains spontaneously.

They use exclusively products for the care of leather or woolen items, which are sold in hardware departments (Sonett, Nordland, SaltonCleanTECH).

Steam generator

If you intend to clean a jacket or other item with steam, you must first place it on hangers and straighten it. Then a stream of steam is directed onto it from a special device (steam generator or steamer) from a distance of 15–20 cm.

The video will show you how to steam leather goods using a steam generator (and more):

Chemical means

It is not recommended to use chemicals to clean your skin on your own. Unknowingly, you can ruin your skin. This is especially true for light-colored items - it is better to take them to the dry cleaner once a year.

But in an emergency, you can use chemicals to clean leather products.

Here are the most effective:

• Hi Gear Proline Leather Cleaner & Conditioner;
• Runway;
• DoctorWax;
• Turtle WAX;
• ASTROhim.

Dry and wet cleaning

The most reliable way to clean a leather item is to wet or dry strip it without immersing it in water. In the first case, the sequence of actions will be as follows:

1. Make a soap solution and add about 6 drops of ammonia or glycerin to it.
2. Soak a sponge in it, wring it out well, and use it to treat the leather surface.
3. Next, wipe the product with a napkin soaked in castor oil.
4. Hang the item on hangers and leave to dry.

You can clean your skin dry using citrus fruits (lemon or orange). To do this, squeeze out the juice, soak a cotton swab in it and rub it over the item. Similar manipulations can be done with orange or lemon peel. Only this method is not suitable for light leather products.

A cut onion will help quickly remove dirt from the skin. It is used to wipe the most contaminated areas. If the cut area darkens, remove the layer and continue. At the end, the skin is rubbed until shiny with a flannel.

Traditional methods

It is possible to refresh a leather item and eliminate an unpleasant odor using folk remedies.

The most popular are the following:

• vinegar;
• lemon water;
• soapy water solution;
• soda.

Heavily greasy areas are cleaned with this solution: add 15 g of liquid soap and 1 tbsp to 150 ml of water. l. ammonia.

If after processing the product has lost its softness, then you need to rub it with castor oil or Vaseline.

If your skin is light in color

If the leather product is light, then It is possible to give it pristine purity in the following way:

1. Pour water at room temperature into a basin and add a little baby shampoo.
2. Add 3-4 drops of ammonia.
3. Dip the sponge in the resulting liquid and squeeze out well.
4. Treat contaminated areas with it, and wipe off the residue with a damp cloth.
5. Finally, polish the leather with a light-colored piece of wool.

Another effective recipe for white skin:

1. Combine milk and whipped egg white in a 1:2 ratio.
2. The resulting composition is rubbed into the dirt.
3. Wait for it to dry and wipe with a damp cloth.

You can add talc or peroxide to milk instead of protein.

Features for different products

Cleaning leather products may vary depending on the type:

• jacket,
• skirt,
• trousers,
• gloves,
• shoes.

Each case requires a different approach.

Gloves

It is recommended that leather gloves be cleaned dry first using standard leather cleaning methods. If you don’t achieve the desired result, then start washing. But at the same time, you cannot completely immerse the products in water.

You should treat them with a damp disc, after washing the products with baby soap.. Then rinse several times with warm water.

At the end, the gloves are straightened and hung in the fresh air, but so that the sun's rays do not fall on them. To prevent the gloves from bending during washing, put them on your hand.

How to care for leather gloves, video tips:

Trousers

Before thorough washing, pants should be soaked briefly in warm, clean water. Then it is hand washed using the rules for leather products.

Jacket

A genuine leather jacket cannot be washed in the usual way - only wet or dry cleaning is allowed.

Read about how to properly wash a leather jacket. Here.

Skirt

If there is no hand wash prohibition on the leather skirt tag, then do it like this:

1. Soak for a maximum of 10 minutes in a warm soapy solution.
2. Carefully wash the outside first, then turn it inside out.
3. Rinse the product and shake to remove excess moisture.

Dry the skirt so that the lining and skin do not touch.

Read more about washing a leather skirt in this article.

Shoes

Despite the fact that manufacturers do not recommend washing leather shoes in a machine, You can still do this, but subject to a number of rules:

• first remove the insoles and laces (they are washed separately);
• clean the tread of stuck debris using a stiff brush;
• first place the shoes in a special fabric bag for washing and load them into the drum;
• set the shoe mode and temperature to no more than 30? C.

Do not dry leather shoes in the sun, on or near a radiator. You will find a lot of useful information about washing leather shoes. here.

How to wash the lining?

If it is not very dirty, you can use a spray or foam for dry cleaning. When this option is not suitable, they resort to washing.

They do it like this:

1. Hang the jacket on the hangers with the wrong side out.
2. Carefully lather the entire lining.
3. Rinse off the foam from the shower head. At the same time, try not to get too much water on the skin.

You should not wear a garment with the lining fabric not yet dry, as this can lead to stretching of the skin.

If a wardrobe item with leather inserts

Items with leather inserts cannot be washed at home. It is more rational to have them dry cleaned, which guarantees that they will retain their original shape.

How to remove stains?

During the use of leather products, stains are inevitable. In such a case, it is not necessary to resort to dry cleaning services. You can deal with many stains yourself.

Methods for removing stains depending on their origin:

1. Grease, mold. To eliminate, use a solvent (for example, gasoline or turpentine). Then you should definitely soften the skin with glycerin or castor oil.

   Still greasy marks can be easily removed with the help of starch (chalk). You need to dilute one thing in water to a paste-like state and apply it to the area of ​​contamination. After 15 minutes, remove the mixture with a dry sponge.

2. Ink. Remove pen marks with pure alcohol.
3. Salt erosion. Use table vinegar. Soak a cotton pad in it and wipe it. For the same purpose, you can use a solution of liquid soap.
4. Dye. In this situation, any vegetable oil will help out. Flaxseed oil helps especially well.
5. Blood. Remove with soapy water. If the skin is light, then you must also add 1 tablet of aspirin or peroxide.

No stains should be wiped off with acetone or similar aggressive liquids.

How to soften it after?

To prevent the leather from losing its elasticity after wet or dry cleaning when the product dries, proceed as follows:

1. Soak a cotton pad in castor oil or glycerin.
2. The whole thing is processed.
3. Leave it for 1 hour, then repeat the procedure.

How to dry it?

It is recommended to dry leather items flattened, preferably hanging them on hangers. The skirt and trousers can be secured to the clothesline with clothespins.

You will find maximum useful information about washing clothes and various fabric products Here.

Conclusion

A leather item will retain its presentable appearance for a long time if it is regularly and properly cared for. It is better to remove stains immediately than to look for ways to get rid of them later. And after rain, you need to dry the item thoroughly. In general, they focus on the manufacturer’s recommendations indicated on the label.