Leather Care Tips by The Leather Laundry

Leather Care Tips

Leather is everywhere in the world of carry, and so we thought we should have a little look into how to care for the stuff.

It essentially takes the highly evolved hide of an animal, removes anything that might rot (like any life, proteins or peskily vermin), and leaves behind a collagen structure that is strong yet pliable, and which can be dyed, painted or imprinted with almost any form of craziness.

There are two types of leather care:
1. Pick a leather that develops a rich patina.
2. Preserve leather so it forever looks new

We are much more for type number 1, so our tips are going to be about how to keep your leather dead, while letting your history of use bring it to life.

Tip 1
If leather gets too wet: Dry it slowly. Speed drying leather changes its chemical structure, and you end up with stiff crinkle cut chaos. So room temperature with gentle air works better than direct heater time with hair-dryer. And keep it in the shape you want it to end up.

Tip 2

If leather gets too dry: Rub something moist into it. Pick a leather dressing or cream, preferably recommended by the maker. Leathers can have paints, waxes, oils and all sorts of things applied to their surface, so you probably want to pick something similar to how it came.

Tip 3

If leather gets dirty: Just use a damp cloth. You don’t want to be putting any soaps or foreign substances in there.

Tip 4
Leather stretches out, but not back: If you start to overfill a wallet, it will never really return to it’s former taut self. If you stretch a leather bag when wet or very humid, it will move even faster. Just learn to carry the right amount, and this takes care of itself.

Tip 5
Don’t wrap it in plastic: Think of leather as having the life frozen rather than completely killed. Your leather gear needs air. What you’re really trying to stop is any mildew growth, so keep some ventilation going.

Source: www.carryology.com