How To Clean Your Leather Jackets
Let’s face it: we love leather clothes because they make us look cool. It makes us feel as if we’re on a Hollywood movie, cavorting with the likes of the late James Dean. But while it makes us feel good, we sometimes forget we must give some love to our leather clothes, especially jackets. They get thrown around and discarded, sometimes even forgotten for a very long time. Worse, they don’t even get to be washed or cleaned for weeks, sometimes even months! As clothes care professionals, we at Eazihome find this unacceptable. As your partners in keeping your clothes as amazing as you first bought them, we want to share some tips on how to keep your leather jackets clean and looking brand new.
DON’T #1: Never let your jacket get wet. EVER.
Rain pouring down, a guy walks down the city in his leather jacket. Sure, they’ve done that in movies. But remember that movies are not real life. What would most likely happen is that your leather jacket will get damaged because of the water damaging the material due to its porous nature. To avoid this, make sure to trade your leather jacket for something more water-friendly, like a cotton sweater during gloomy days. Sure, it’s not flattering, but so is a jacket that looked like it went through the apocalypse and back.
DON’T #2: Throwing your jacket and calling it a day is a sin.
If you had a leather jacket that just had cracks appear all over, it may be because of this. Like silk, leather is very delicate and must not get bunched up. Once they do however, cracks start to surface because of the damage they incurred. Like water damage, this is often irreversible.
DON’T #3: Sun drying is a big NO.
If it feels like the elements are against leather, it seems that they really are. While getting your jacket under the heat of the sun is no problem, getting it heated up while moisture is clinging on its surface is. This can also damage the leather and result into cracks and peeling- two of the worst things that could ever happen to leather jackets.
With all the don’ts listed above, you may now be at loss on what is the right thing to do for your leather jacket. Worse, you may be even be discouraged on getting one! Not to worry, here are the things that you SHOULD do:
DO #1: Alcohol is Your Ultimate Anti-Stain
No, not your favourite liquor. We mean isopropyl alcohol! Yes, your favourite rubbing alcohol is an effective germicide and anti-leather stain. For this to be rendered effective though, you need to gently put absorbent cloth soaked in alcohol on top of the stain, making sure you’re not pressing it down. Again, leather is highly absorbent, and you don’t want the stain to fully incorporate with the fibres. This also works to keep the moulds at bay.
DO # 2: Air drying is the ONLY Way.
We know that amongst all of the don’ts, getting your leather jacket wet is the most likely crime you’ll ever commit. Don’t fret, we have a solution for that! Simply air dry your jacket in areas in your house or apartment that has a good air flow all around. This helps keep moisture off your beloved leather jacket, just make sure to hang it somewhere it won’t get scrunched up.
DO # 3: Use Leather Conditioner
Leather is expensive, and like most expensive things (such as sports cars and jewellery), maintenance work must be performed on it. Putting on leather conditioner on your jacket helps keep the leather healthy and supple. It can also help prevent cracking and peeling later on in the jacket’s life.
And lastly…
DO #4: Let Professionals Dry Cleaning Your Leather Jackets
This should be a no-brainer, but some people attempt to do some things on their own. This can result in long-term damage to their clothes, especially delicate ones such as leather jackets. Routine dry cleaning leather jacket has to be done by people who have it as their profession. Care tips are good, sure, but they mostly serve as a reminder of what you can do as the owner to help in the upkeep of your clothes. Professional-grade cleaning though has to be handled by laundry service professionals who know exactly what kind of cleaning procedure is ample for your beloved delicate and expensive fabrics.