Leather is an essential item in the wardrobe for autumn and winter, looking much more noble compared to other clothing, so leather care is very important. When the seasons change, leather is often put away without proper care, stored in the closet for a winter or summer, and when worn again the following year, it often becomes wrinkled, damp, or moldy due to prolonged storage. Therefore, proper care and storage are particularly important.
How to Clean Leather Jackets Properly?
Before washing and dyeing, you should understand the risks that may occur and are unavoidable during the process, as well as the potential damage that could affect the product, as stated in the instructions for leather, fur, and fur leather items.
Three Taboos for Cleaning Leather Jackets
Avoid washing with water – After the leather garment gets wet, the originally loose fibers of the leather will stick together, making the garment stiff and deformed. Additionally, impurities in some leathers may seep to the surface of the garment, causing it to lose color or form spots. It is difficult for the garment to dry completely after washing with water, making it prone to mold. For general dirt, you can use leather cleaner or neutral detergent to wash it.
Avoid incomplete cleaning – The surface of the leather garment is often sticky with oily substances. If it cannot be cleaned thoroughly, the garment will easily shed paste after being oiled, or even peel off the membrane.
Avoid exposure to sunlight – After washing, the leather garment should be placed in a cool, ventilated place to dry, never exposed to sunlight or baked, otherwise the garment will become hard or shrink.
How to Clean Leather Jackets Effectively
1. Spot Cleaning Method
A simple cleaning method is to use a clean cotton cloth or cotton ball dipped in cleaning agent to directly wipe the stains on the leather surface. This is specifically for wiping oil stains on a particular part of a leather coat. Of course, we cannot always perform local cleaning on leather coats; doing so for a long time can easily cause certain parts of the coat to darken and differ from other parts.
2. Full Cleaning Methods
In addition to local cleaning, leather coats should also be cleaned overall at irregular intervals. The best methods are dry cleaning or manual wiping. During dry cleaning, to prevent the oils in the leather from being “extracted” and lost by the dry cleaning agent, making the leather hard, low-temperature, short-duration, rapid dry cleaning is generally used. This approach not only avoids the loss of oils within the leather but also prevents the potential risk of the coat deforming due to excessive mechanical action. However, the investment and cost for machine dry cleaning equipment are relatively high.
3. Professional Cleaning Services
Choosing a professional cleaning store is important, as the service quality in the current leather coat cleaning and maintenance industry is uneven. Some cleaning stores do not clean the coats they receive at all and simply apply a thick layer of paste with a sponge to cover the stains. This not only fails to achieve the basic cleaning effect but also completely loses the original breathability, softness, and comfort of the leather. Meanwhile, some maintenance stores use low-quality materials instead of environmentally friendly cleaning and maintenance materials to reduce costs, resulting in stiff and rough handfeel, color fading, paste cracking, surface cracking, and surface peeling after cleaning and maintenance. In some cases, it can even pose potential health risks to humans.
4. Hand Washing Method
Manual cleaning refers to the method of using a clean cotton cloth or cotton ball dipped in cleaning agent to directly wipe the stains on the leather surface. This method is generally used for less dirty leather coats when there are no conditions for machine washing.
When hand washing, lay the leather coat flat on a clean surface and wipe off the dust with a wrung-out damp towel. Use a sponge brush to apply the cleaner evenly on the leather coat, applying more on dirty areas, and let it soak for about 1-2 minutes. Then, repeatedly wipe with a wrung-out damp towel. If there are stubborn stains that cannot be removed, you can apply “Heavy-Duty Stain Remover” to the stained areas and then wipe it off with a towel. After cleaning, the leather coat must be hung in a cool, shaded place to dry.
Hand washing is essentially just oiling and polishing the leather coat, which is like applying makeup without washing your face. This method not only fails to completely remove dirt but also damages the surface coating of the leather, allowing various molds and bacteria trapped in the stains to seep into the inner layer of the leather, eroding the collagen fibers, making the leather coat hard, deformed, and giving it an unnatural luster. A dirty lining cannot be thoroughly cleaned or disinfected, failing to achieve the purpose of complete cleaning and maintenance.
5. Machine Dry Cleaning Method
This refers to a method of washing clothes using organic solvents in a dry cleaning machine. Its advantages are that it can clean both the surface and lining of the leather coat, and it is more efficient than hand washing.
Dry cleaning agents are highly effective at removing oily stains. Common dry cleaning agents include perchloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, and trichloroethylene. Among these, perchloroethylene dominates the dry cleaning agent market. In terms of various factors (safety, cleaning power, recyclability), perchloroethylene is relatively ideal and is widely used in the laundry industry. However, perchloroethylene has certain toxicity and requires a high level of sealing in the washing machine. The concentration of perchloroethylene in the air outside the machine must be controlled within 100 PPM to meet safety standards. Sometimes, dry cleaning agents alone may not be able to remove certain special stains, and additional dry cleaning aids may need to be added for complete use, such as washing additives and detergents. The choice of dry cleaning agent should be determined based on the needs. During dry cleaning, to prevent the oils in the leather from being “extracted” and lost by the dry cleaning agent, causing the leather to become hard, low-temperature, short-duration rapid dry cleaning is generally used. This method not only prevents the loss of oils within the leather but also avoids the risk of the leather coat deforming due to excessive mechanical action. However, machine dry cleaning equipment requires a significant investment and has high costs.
After machine dry-cleaning, phenomena such as fat extraction, paste cracking, and color fading may occur. This is especially true for dry-cleaning velvet leather, suede, reversible leather, and fur clothing, which are most prone to issues—either they don’t get clean, or the finish layer peels off, making it difficult to fully restore the leather jacket.
Types of Leather Jackets and Their Cleaning Methods
01 Polished Leather Jacket Cleaning
Only the exterior surface of the leather jacket is cleaned, oiled, colored, polished, and maintained; the lining is not included in the cleaning scope. If the lining needs cleaning, it can only be wiped as much as possible, but some stains and grease may not be removable.
02 Oily Leather Jacket Cleaning
Glossy leather is a special type of leather that can only be treated with colorless oil during cleaning and cannot be colored. Therefore, if there are stains on the glossy leather itself, they cannot be covered after oiling, and if there are oil stains, there will still be marks after cleaning.
03 Fur Coat Cleaning
It is generally cleaned using a perchloroethylene dry cleaning machine at a low temperature of 6℃-8℃. During the cleaning process, fur brightener is added, and after cleaning, it is further processed. The maintenance of fur clothing is special because the structure of the pelt and the fur has unique characteristics. It should be ventilated and kept dry because the pelt and fur are primarily composed of protein. In a humid state, the pelt is prone to rot, and the fur is prone to insect damage. Before storing in a box, it should first be sent to a professional laundry for maintenance to remove the oil and dust from the fur clothing. This is because dust contains a large amount of mold, which, if attached to the fur surface for a long time, can cause the protein of the fur to harden and damage. When wearing fur clothing, it is important to follow the “five protections”: “protect against rain, protect against humidity, protect against sun exposure, protect against friction, and protect against oil stains.”
04 Smooth Leather Coat Cleaning
Adopt emulsion fatting and coloring care. The coloring care is mainly based on different color requirements of the leather surface, to evenly color the leather coat, covering mild damage and certain stains that cannot be removed, making the coating color bright, uniform and delicate.
Conclusion: How to Clean Leather Jackets for Longevity
Properly cleaning and maintaining your leather jacket is essential for preserving its quality and extending its lifespan. Whether you choose spot cleaning, hand washing, or professional dry cleaning, always follow the recommended methods to avoid damage. Remember to store your leather jacket in a cool, dry place and avoid exposure to harsh conditions. By following these best practices on how to clean leather jackets, you can keep your favorite leather pieces looking luxurious for years to come.
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