Cleaning and caring for your leather.

How often should I be cleaning my leather item?

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There is no golden rule and I tend to go by how my leather is looking and feeling. Is it dirty? Does it look dull? Does it feel less supple? Does it seem like it might start cracking? All of these are good indicators that it is time to clean and feed your leather. I probably clean and feed my bags a couple of times a year and my bags are out and about in all weathers, all year round.

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What should I use?

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This is personal preference and there are a lot of products out there on the market, whatever you choose, make sure you patch test it on a small inconspicuous area incase it isn't ideal for your leather goods. Personally I use saddle soap for cleaning, it is cheap and widely available online and in my video I show you my favourite leather care feed. 

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What happens if I use too much?

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Nothing very exciting, or not with any of the products I have ever used. Your item will become greasy if you put too much leather care feed on and this excess will need buffed off with a soft cloth. Ideally apply in thin layers and leave it to soak in before buffing off any residue.

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What cloth should I use?

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Something soft (so it doesn't scratch the leather) and ideally lint free. If it isn't lint free you might get specks of fibres sticking to the leather while you apply the feed and these will need buffed off again. But don't panic, you don't need to go out buying specific fancy cloths, an old t-shirt or tea towel will do the trick.

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My leather got soaking wet, how should I dry it?

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Whatever you do, don't try to rush it by placing it on a direct heat source like a radiator. Wipe off any excess and leave it dry with plenty of air flow and make sure it is left in the shape you want it to be in when its dry. Wet moulding is a very effective technique using vegetable tanned leather but you don't want to unintentionally end up with a very flat Martha.