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How to Maintain your Leathers?
Feb 16, 2021
Rédigé par Chloe Cazebon
Whether it is for some of your clothes, everyday objects or of course your Arion saddle, leather is a living material that needs to be maintained. This will prevent it from withering away faster than expected.
But beforemaintaining the leather itself, you will need to do a thorough cleaning of the leather piece. We'll discuss viable products and the types of cloths that are best for this step.
Then we will have time to discuss how to care for all types of leather, including nubuck and suede, as well as worn leathers that may require special treatment.
Summary:
- Leather care: how to clean it?
- How is leather maintained after cleaning?
- Is there a difference in the care of used leather?
Leather care: how to clean it?
Contrary to what many people think, cleaning is an integral part ofleather care! It is even essential to prevent stains from penetrating into the leather itself during maintenance.Use non-aggressive products
Regardless of the type of leather or even the object in question, cleaning with clear water is sufficient in the vast majority of cases!To do this, use demineralized water to limit the encrustation of minerals in the object when it dries. If your saddle or shoes are simply dusty, then cleaning with water will be the best solution.
Sometimes, it happens that our leather object is slightly dirtier, that it has some mud on it or stains from various sources. In this case, the use of Marseille soap, Aleppo soap or even baby make-up remover is necessary.
Avoid using, in any case, corrosive products or those that are too aggressive for leather, because we must not forget that it is a living material that is fragile in the face of many commercial chemical products!
Rub gently with a cotton object
When you have the most suitable cleaning product for the degree of dirt of your leather object, then take a cotton cloth or even cotton fibers, simply. This natural material is part of theleather care products that will help you not to scratch or hit it.
Soft to the touch, cotton should be soaked in Marseille or Aleppo soap or make-up remover. Then take it in one hand and rub in a circular way an area of the object that is difficult to see. This will allow you to test that the leather is not attacked by one of these soaps. This can happen even though it is rare.
When you have verified that everything is fine, then you can clean the entire object, making sure to use circular movements. This reduces the amount of friction on the object.
An ARION sheepskin glove is included in your care package!
Discover our Arion products to clean and maintain your leathers!
How is leather maintained after cleaning?
After cleaning, rinsing with clear water and drying the object in question, it is now time to move on to the next step in leather care.
Maintenance of traditional leathers
There is no one miracle product to maintain a leather article. In fact, there is a whole range of products for each type of leather in the world. For the vast majority of them, a weekly maintenance is necessary so that it keeps a new aspect, in good condition and that it can resist on a long time.
With a soft and clean cloth (cotton if possible), you will apply some cream for the skin, like the famous Nivea cream! Very good for our skin, it is also good for themaintenance of leather in everyday life.
Don't forget that leather is originally tanned animal skin. This cream will nourish the leather, prevent it from drying out while protecting it from temperature variations and humidity. It also provides a certain waterproofing without using a waterproofing product.
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Special leather care: suede and nubuck
The maintenance of the leather of nubuck or suede is different because the characteristics of these tanned hides vary significantly from other more traditional types of leather.The nubuck is a sanded material that requires a specific interest. There are maintenance kits for suede and nubuck, with a scraper as a tool to remove dust or mud that has settled on the leather.
You'll also need to do a thorough scrubbing before even applying a maintenance spray and long-term waterproofing.
Is there a difference in the care of used leather?
Because of its age or fragility due to long use, the worn leather object must be maintained in a different way.
The white clay stone for an effective cleaning
The white clay stone is a very well known method for tanners and other leather craftsmen who are looking to deep clean old leather.
Available in powder form in all DIY stores, this famous white clay can remove all stains, even ink or diesel! To do this, soak a cloth in water and then gently dip it in the white clay. This will serve as a scrub and cleaning at the same time.
Note that it is better not to use white clay for themaintenance of newleather and even less patent because it may deteriorate or scratch it.
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Maintain worn or old leather
One product is truly effective for themaintenance of wornleather: glycerin or glycerin-based soap.
The interest of this product is its triple action: it will clean the surface of the leather, then it will come to nourish it on all its thickness and finally, it will soften it, in order to limit the ageing of the material. To use it, simply soak a soft sponge and rub in a circular motion directly on the worn leather.
When it's done, don't rinse! Let it dry for a few hours and then wipe the top with a soft cotton cloth to lightly shine the outside of the leather.
3 questions to summarize leather care
What products should I use to clean leather?
ARION Glycerine Soap! where Marseille soap, Aleppo soap or even baby makeup remover are three useful products to clean leather efficiently.What is the purpose of the white clay stone?
The white clay stone can be essential to clean a worn leather without damaging it.How to maintain nubuck leather?
Specific maintenance kits are required to maintain nubuck leather or even suede.
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