Valuable tips and advice on how to wash leather items

foto14340-1Leather items will always be in trend. But like any clothes, they get dirty and periodically need to be cleaned.

Due to the delicacy of the material, it will be safer to give leather products to dry cleaning, but many decide to wash them at home. And how to do it correctly and is it permissible at all, we will understand further.

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

Is it possible: possible consequences of a machine wash

foto14340-2Opinions about the possibility of washing leather items in a washing machine are ambiguous: some categorically say "no", others admit this possibility, subject to certain conditions.

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

Jacket, gloves and other genuine leather products, by their nature, do not tolerate prolonged contact with water and chemicals. So even after washing in cold water, they will certainly shrink, deform, lose their gloss and softness.

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

To do this, rub a place where there is contamination with a damp cloth. If the rag is dyed in the same shade as the clothes, then washing is strictly contraindicated. Otherwise, the product will be completely discolored.

Step-by-step instruction

Leather items are so vulnerable that the slightest defects will immediately catch the eye. Therefore, the care for them should be special. You can clean them in different ways, but it is important to adhere to certain rules. The main one of which is the use of water with a temperature not higher than 30 ᵒС.

Manual processing

foto14340-3Before proceeding with hand washing, the product must be soaked in water with the addition of a special skin or wool care product:

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

Water is poured in a little, but so that it completely hides the thing. Particularly soiled areas can be rubbed with a soft brush beforehand.

Then the dirty water is drained after soaking and fresh water is poured. They again mix in the special agent and gently begin to wash.

To prevent the product from shrinking, rinse it in water of the same temperature.... After that, the thing is not wrung out in the usual way, but is hung on a hanger and placed over the bathtub so that the water flows naturally.

In the washing machine

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

It is important to comply with a number of requirements:

  1. Choose the mode "Delicate", "Wool" or "For skin" at a temperature of 30 ᵒС.
  2. It is advisable to turn off the spin option, but leaving it, set no more than 300 revolutions.
  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 a hanger so that the water will drain off spontaneously.
Do not put ordinary washing powder into the machine tray, since when dissolved, it creates an aggressive environment that negatively affects the skin structure.

They use exclusively products for the care of leather or woolen things that are sold in the household departments (Sonett, Nordland, SaltonCleanTECH).

Steam generator

If you intend to clean a jacket or other thing with steam, you must first hoist it on a hanger and straighten it... Then a stream of steam is sent to it from a special device (steam generator or a steamer) from a distance of 15–20 cm.

How to steam leather products using a steam generator (and not only), the video will tell you:

By chemical means

It is not recommended to use chemical products for cleaning leather on your own. Unknowingly, you can ruin the skin. This is especially true for light-colored products - it is better to wear them once a year to dry cleaning.

foto14340-4But in an emergency, you can use chemicals to cleanse leather products.

The most effective ones are:

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

Dry and wet cleaning

The safest way to clean leather is wet or dry cleaning without dipping it in water. In the first case, the sequence of actions will be as follows:

  1. Make a soapy solution and add about 6 drops of ammonia or glycerin to it.
  2. They moisten a sponge in it, squeeze it well and treat the leather surface with it.
  3. Next, wipe the product with a napkin soaked in castor oil.
  4. Hang the item on a hanger and leave to dry.
You can also freshen up a jacket or any leather product by quickly wiping it with a solution of water and shampoo. After the skin is dry, treat the surface with beaten egg white to add shine.

You can dry the skin with citrus fruits (lemon or orange)... To do this, squeeze the juice, moisten a cotton swab in it and pass it over the thing. 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 impurities from the skin. The most contaminated areas are wiped with it. When the cut site darkens, remove the layer and continue. At the end, the leather is rubbed with a flannel until it shines.

Traditional methods

foto14340-5It is possible to refresh a leather thing and eliminate an unpleasant smell with the help of folk remedies.

The most popular are the following:

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

Heavily greasy places are cleaned with such a 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 it is necessary to rub it with castor oil or petroleum jelly.

If the skin is light in color

If the leather product is light, then to give it its original purity in the following way:

  1. Water at room temperature is poured into the basin, a little baby shampoo is added.
  2. Add 3-4 drops of ammonia.
  3. Dip a sponge in the resulting liquid and squeeze well.
  4. Contaminated areas are treated with it, and the remains are wiped off with a damp cloth.
  5. Finally, the leather is polished with a light woolen cut.
In the care of fair skin, it is permissible to use a mixture of powdered white magnesia with gasoline. Stir these 2 ingredients until a thick gruel, apply to problem areas and then remove with a soft brush.

Another effective recipe for white skin:

  1. Combine milk and whipped protein in a 1: 2 ratio.
  2. The resulting composition is rubbed into the dirt.
  3. Wait for drying and wipe with a damp cloth.

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

Features for different products

Cleaning of leather goods may vary depending on the type:

  • jacket,
  • skirt,
  • pants,
  • gloves,
  • footwear.

Each case requires a different approach.

Gloves

foto14340-6First, it is recommended to clean leather gloves dry, using standard methods for leather. If you do not achieve the desired result, then start washing. But at the same time, you cannot completely immerse the products in water.

Treat them with a damp disc, after soaping the products with baby soap.... Then they are washed 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 the hand.

How to care for leather gloves, video tips:

Pants

Before a major wash, the pants should be briefly soaked in warm clean water. Then it is hand washed using the rules for leather goods.

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

foto14340-7If there is no handwash prohibition on the leather skirt tag, then do it like this:

  1. Soak for a maximum of 10 minutes in warm soapy water.
  2. First wash gently outside, then turn 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.

Footwear

Despite the fact that manufacturers do not recommend washing leather shoes in a typewriter, you can still do this, but in compliance with a number of rules:

  • pre-take out the insoles and laces (they are washed separately);
  • clean the tread from stuck debris with a stiff brush;
  • first place the shoes in a special cloth bag for washing and load into the drum;
  • set the mode for shoes and the temperature no more than 30 ᵒС.
Dry such shoes by stuffing with crumpled paper. This will speed up the process and prevent the shoe from warping.

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

How to wash the lining?

foto14340-8If it is not very dirty, then you can use a spray or foam for dry cleaning. When this option is not suitable, then they resort to washing.

They do it like this:

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

Do not wear a thing with a lining that is not yet dry, which can lead to stretching of the skin.

If a wardrobe item with leather inserts

Items with leather inserts cannot be washed by yourself at home. It is more rational to hand them over to dry cleaning, which guarantees them the preservation of their original shape.

You can try to remove minor dirt yourself. To do this, use the methods that are used for leather products.

How to remove stains?

During the operation of a leather product, stains are inevitable.It is not necessary in such a case to resort to dry cleaning services. You can cope with many pollution yourself.

Methods for removing stains depending on their origin:

  1. foto14340-9Grease, mold... For elimination, use a solvent (for example, gasoline or turpentine). Then you should definitely soften the skin with glycerin or castor oil.

    Even greasy traces can be removed well with starch (chalk). It is necessary to dilute one thing in water to a mushy state and apply to the area of ​​contamination. After 15 minutes, remove the mixture with a dry sponge.

  2. Ink. Remove the marks from the pen with pure alcohol.
  3. Salt erosion... Use table vinegar. A cotton pad is moistened in it and wiped. For the same purpose, you can use a solution of liquid soap.
  4. Paint. In this situation, any vegetable oil will help out. Linseed is especially helpful.
  5. Blood. Remove with soapy water. If the skin is light, then you need to add 1 more aspirin tablet or peroxide.

It is unacceptable to wipe off any stains with acetone and similar aggressive liquids.

How to soften after?

So that after wet or dry cleaning the skin does not lose elasticity when the product dries, proceed as follows:

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

How to dry?

It is recommended to dry leather products in a straightened form, preferably hanging on a hanger. The skirt and trousers can be attached to the clothesline with clothespins.

And so that they do not lose their shape and do not sit in several sizes, a place is chosen with good ventilation (preferably in the fresh air) and without direct exposure to heat.

Conclusion

A leather thing will retain its presentable appearance for a long time if it is constantly and properly looked after. It is better to remove the stains right away than to look for ways to get rid of them later. And after the rain, you need to thoroughly dry the thing. In general, they are guided by the manufacturer's recommendations indicated on the label.

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