This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
After spending four months studying abroad in Florence, Italy, you could say I’ve gotten to know leather pretty well. I’d walk through the leather market on my way to class and pass hundreds of leather stores adventuring throughout the city. As a typical study abroad student, I ventured down to the leather shops and purchased my token leather jacket that I’ll have forever… aww
My friends and I all got our own special souvenir to take home, but one of my friends ran into a problem with her leather jacket. She got it so dirty and didn’t have the time or patience to go get it cleaned – not to mention the money. The man who sold her the jacket recommended that she clean it herself since it wasn’t that bad. I helped her decide whether or not to take his advice, at the risk of ruining the leather, but in the end, it turned out great! By using this simple cleaning method, her jacket turned out clean, and kept it’s leather smell, shine, look, and feel! So try this out next time you need to clean your jacket!
1) Fill a bucket with warm water and add a small amount of mild soap or detergent.
2) Mix it up really well.
3) Dunk a sponge or soft cloth into the soapy water.
4) Gently wipe it over the outside of the jacket – don’t scrub!
5) To rinse it, wet another sponge or soft cloth in plain water, and wipe the soap residue off of the jacket.
6) Blot with a dry cloth and hang it up to dry completely.
7) Once it’s dry, apply a leather conditioner to keep the leather soft and flexible – and of course, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.
As always, only clean your leather jacket when it really needs a freshening up. Otherwise, keep enjoying your jacket–a little wear and tear makes it special, right??
Make sure to check out How To Get Wrinkles Out of Leather and How to Hang Leather
[Photo: Mel Denisse ]
