Monday, February 1, 2016

How To Properly Care For Leather Goods

By Anna Patterson


If you in the market for leather items and want them to be good quality you know how expensive they can be. Therefore it is important for you to know how to care for leather goods properly. This can help prolong the amount of time you can wear them and can help prevent damage from occurring. Here are some tips that you can use.

You may be amazed at how many different items are made out of this material. Often it is used to make footwear, jackets, pants and other types of outerwear. It is also used to create high quality purses, wallets and other accessories.

While you may think that leather is very durable it actually needs some care to keep it looking great. If a piece of hide is not oiled and conditioned regularly it will slowly dry out over time. When this happens you will usually see cracks forming. The surface can often flake off and the piece may even become brittle enough to snap. If you have paid quite a bit of money for it you will want to prevent this from happening.

Before you use any care product on your garment or accessory, you need to know what kind of leather you are dealing with. Some exotic leathers can be very delicate and using the wrong products on them may end up damaging them permanently. You may find that speaking to the person who sold you the item is a good first start as they may have care tips and tricks that will help you in the long run.

You should also consider what kind of item you are caring for. The type of item it is as well as the conditions it is being used in will also affect how you are looking after it. For example, a pair of shoes or boots will need a different level of care than you would give to a purse or other item that is rarely used and not exposed to dirt or moisture.

Cleaning off the surface with a soft brush or cloth is a good idea. If you have time you may want to let any wet materials such as mud dry on the surface of the item. This will often mean that after it has dried you can simply brush it and have the dried material fall off. It can be time consuming and frustrating to try and wipe mud off of a garment or accessory as this may end up spreading the mess even further.

There are a number of cleansing products on the market that are designed to remove dirt or debris without damaging the hide underneath. It is important to make sure that you are using the right product for the kind of material you are working with. It is also important to try the cleanser on a hidden part of the piece so that you will be able to tell if the color has been affected.

When you are done cleaning your item it is time to condition it. Most cleansers will pull moisture out of a hide even if it is labeled as being gentle. Even if it does not you still need to compensate for the moisture that a hide will naturally lose as it is being worn. Using oils or creams will reverse this and protective sprays can help repel water or other damaging substances.




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