Leather Care

In order to keep leather beautiful for as long as possible, it is a good idea to care for your leather. First of all, it is a good idea to consider that leather needs protection from outside sources. Among others, leather should be protected from heat, water, direct sunlight and from sebum. If your leather material is exposed to these different elements, it might cause a loss of pigment or stains. 

When it comes to cleaning you leather materials, it is generally a good approach to try with the least intrusive methods before employing other methods, like with most other materials. 

If you wish to clean your leather materials, the first step is to regularly dust of the surface of your leather materials in order to prevent the dust from settling too much. You can use a soft cloth or microfiber cloth for this purpose. This step can take you a very long way, since leather is generally very low-maintenance. Afterwards, if further cleaning is necessary, you can use a damp cloth to clean your leather more thoroughly. If needed, you can use mild or moisturizing soap as well to clean off different stains and marks. Do not spot clean your leather too much, it is better to wipe off the entire surface, when cleaning it. If you are in doubt whether or not your leather can handle the use of soap, it is always a good idea to test it on a less visible spot first.  

If you spill something on your leather, wipe it off immediately, since some substances might eventually consume the protective finish on your materials. In this way, you can avoid future needs for additional care and cleaning and thus keep your leather healthy and beautiful.  

How you should clean your leather is also dependent on the type of protection, your leather has. Generally, unprotected leather should be treated with more care, since it is more sensitive. If you can avoid using water and soap, this would be preferred. However, if necessary, use only water or an approved leather cleaner. Protected leather can handle heavier cleaning and use, however, it is always recommended to be cautious and clean it as gently as possible.  

Furthermore, it is an option to apply a leather conditioner, e.g. after cleaning it or whenever needed. This will keep your leather soft and supple for at very long time and help the leather materials preserve its natural oils. If you wish to, you can even buy and apply leather conditioners with sunscreen, which helps protect your leather materials from sunlight. In that way, you might avoid the damage on your leather, which sunlight can cause. 

These guidelines are general guidelines for cleaning and caring for leather. However, there are certain types of cleaning products and such, which are designed for particular types of leather. Be aware that different sorts of leather cannot necessarily be treated with the same products and some leathers materials are more sensitive than others etc. Therefore, if you wish to go beyond the above-mentioned guidelines, make sure that you use the right treatments for your leather.