How to Look After Leather - BrandAlley Blog

Our Guide to Caring for Leather Clothes & Accessories

Looking to bring life back into your favourite leather jacket? Or perhaps you’ve been gifted a designer handbag under the strict instruction to “look after it”?

You’ve come to the right place – our How to Look After Leather guide will show you the need-to-know tips and tricks to revitalising old leather and keep new leather looking fresh.

What Can Damage Leather?

To kick things off, let’s discuss what can cause damage to your leather in the first place.

First of all, sunlight: the sun can make your leather fade and become brittle. This is due to leather being naturally porous, meaning it will release moisture and natural oils when exposed to excessive light or heat. This damage is irreversible, so make sure you’re not staying in the sun too long when wearing leather (as if you would want to anyway – sweaty!) and store your leather jackets, bags, shoes and purses in a cool, shaded place.

Chemicals like alcohol, acetone, and even those found in your cleaning products can degrade leather, too. So, we wouldn’t recommend wearing a leather jacket on your spring clean, and if you’re at the bar, make sure to keep it well away from your vodka cranberry.

How to Clean Leather

Still ended up with a spill? That’s ok – let’s try fix it!

First things first: stay away from the DIY cleaning solutions. Your usual remedies like vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda will be too harsh on leather and could make the problem worse.

With liquid stains, the trick is to treat them as soon as they happen. Grab a soft, dry cloth and gently blot the area to soak in as much moisture as possible. Then, you’ll want to dampen a second cloth with warm water (no soap!), and dab gently. The stain, if not too severe, should lift away, however grease stains, ink stains, and makeup stains that don’t come clean after gentle spot-cleaning may need to be professionally cleaned.

When using a leather cleaner, spray the product onto a cloth first, rather than directly on the leather. Don’t rub (you’ll end up with a water mark!), but dab gently and blot again with a dry cloth.

How to Soften Leather

Because leather is a natural material, it can stiffen over time. For this, a good leather conditioner is your best friend – check the instructions first, but usually, you’d apply onto the leather surface using a moist cloth.

Coconut oil can help with softening leather, too. We know we said no home remedies, but coconut oil is the holy grail of – well, just about everything – and it will, when left for a couple of hours, help restore stiff, dried leather to its soft, supple form. Just make sure you don’t use this method too frequently, as you could end up with some discolouration.

Lastly, WEARING your leather will help soften it up! If it’s not quite soft enough to wear out the house, try putting on your leather jacket or shoes while vacuuming your living room – trust us, it works!