The reasons for leather’s appeal aren’t hard to understand. It’s a material our ancestors used for clothes, pouches, and a variety of other useful wares. And leather is so durable that many of those heirloom items are still around today. Adding to this literal toughness, is an aura of it, borne from the material’s ancient connection to hunting. Plus, leather just looks really good.
While it’s tough as nails, we must also remember that leather is in fact skin. It can dry, crack, stain, warp, etc.
What Do You Want Your Leather to Look Like?
The first task in deciding how to treat and care for your leather is simply asking what you want it to look like, and the role it plays in your life. Leather accessories generally do not need as much attention as a pair of classy dress shoes. It also comes down to taste. Some men want a clean, polished look for their bag, while others are okay with scratches, blemishes, and natural wear and tear. Dave Munson, founder of Saddleback Leather Co., prefers to minimally treat his own personal bags, and allows them to have the beaten-to-hell look that tells tales of adventures.
Leather Treatments
Polish. Polish is largely actually for aesthetics. On its own, it’s mostly about the actual shine of the product (usually shoes and bags) rather than protecting it from the elements. Having said that, many polishes have a moisturizing element, so you really have to look at the product description and user reviews to know what you’re getting and what it does. Frequency of polishing simply depends on your own preferences for how you want your leather goods to look, but most casual items won’t need it. If you have a nice briefcase or fancy dress shoes, that’s where polish really comes in.
Conditioner/Cream. Leather conditioner or cream moisturizes the material so that it doesn’t dry out and crack. Note that in most cases conditioners don’t waterproof your leather. Leather conditioners are lotion-like, and are to be gently rubbed into the leather. The hide will soak up the conditioner, just like your skin would soak up a moisturizer.
How often you use conditioner, as with the other treatments, really depends on what you want. Dave Munson, mentioned above, conditions every 6-12 months, preferring to let his bags completely dry out before re-applying. That keeps the leather looking rugged and tough, and allows it to accrue some scuffs, scratches, etc.
A Note on Lanolin. Lanolin is a natural waxy secretion from sheep. Just as human skin secretes various oils, sheep produce lanolin. It’s found in all kinds of human-use products from moisturizers, cosmetics, and baby wipes to leather care products.
It’s nearly a 50-50 split of leather companies and style folks who advocate for or against the use of leather care products that contain lanolin. While a fine moisturizing product, it will soften the leather to a greater degree than other products. For jackets especially, and sometimes bags and shoes, this might be exactly what you want. So, always know to look for lanolin as an ingredient in leather care products, and use that knowledge to get exactly what you want out of your material.
Waterproofing. Waterproofing sprays or waxes provide a coating to your leather product to repel water, snow, baby drool, etc. These treatments generally only need to be done once a year, depending on your use of the product. Sprays should only be used in a pinch; they’re convenient, but create a lower quality effect. You’ll need to re-apply a spray several times over the course of a single winter or rainy season. Waxes (and sometimes creams) are much more durable, and can be applied with greater precision and control. With a spray, you’ll be coating laces, zippers, etc., perhaps unnecessarily wearing them and exposing them to chemicals.
Damp Cloth. Using a damp cloth is the old reliable when it comes to leather care. Since leather is so very naturally durable anyway, giving it a wipe down (without soap — its chemicals can ruin the leather over time) once a week to get rid of the dirt and dust (the most nefarious culprits to premature wear and tear) constitutes a minimally sufficient care routine. If you use nothing else, this is the way to go.
Ultimately, you just need to test the various treatments to see what they do to your leather — how it looks, how it wears, how it handles the elements, etc. Leather is indeed hardy, so if you’re following the principles below, don’t worry too much about messing up your shoes or bag with the wrong product.
Leather Care Principles
1. Leather needs to breathe. Just like skin, leather needs some ventilation to prevent mildew and rot. Air can naturally pass through leather, leaving moisture to evaporate naturally. That can’t happen when your leather is all sealed up, though. So don’t ever store or transport it in a plastic grocery bag. Either use the storage/travel bag the item came with, or some type of breathable fabric — pillowcases are great for shoes, bags, and/or other accessories.
2. Keep leather away from direct sunlight/heat. If a leather item gets waterlogged, it can be tempting to throw it in front of a heater or to use a hair dryer to speed the process. Don’t do that, ever. Just like skin and other fabrics, when leather gets wet and then heated right away, it can shrink and dry out too quickly. Rather, let it dry naturally, even if it takes a couple days.
3. Also, just generally keep leather out of direct sunlight when storing. The leather fades naturally over time, but sunlight speeds up that process. Drying and cracking can also ensue. Darker places with some humidity are preferred, although again, ensure air flow so that mildew can’t form.
4. Go with natural/neutral colours. Many polishes and creams will come in either black, brown, or neutral. The added dyes are thought to liven up any faded colour in a leather product. While black is a pretty safe choice for black products, there are just too many shades of brown to match things up perfectly. To avoid unnecessarily changing the hue of your leather, stick with neutrals (usually either white or gray in the can/bottle).
5. Regularly clean with a damp cloth. As mentioned above, the most fool-proof way to keep any leather product from prematurely aging, even if you do nothing else, is to give it a regular wipe-down with a damp cloth.
6. Leather doesn’t need waterproofing. Most leather goods sold these days are treated to some degree or another with some sort of waterproofing agent. In most environments and conditions, your leather will hold up just fine to rain, snow, etc. If you’re someone who is hiking with leather boots, or you’re regularly out in deep snow or heavy rain with them, then you should waterproof — and even then, it’s more for the contents of the leather item (your feet, your laptop, your body) than the material itself.
Things to Consider for Bags and Wallets
Your primary concern here is to avoid over-filling these items. Once misshapen, leather isn’t going to spring back to its original form. Bags generally need less treatment than shoes just because they aren’t subject to the same beating as footwear. Still wipe them down regularly, though, and condition every 6-12 months.
To sum up, ensure that you have a good routine for caring for your leather goods. In many instances, it will look something like these 3 easy steps:
1. Wipe down leather with a damp cloth 1-2 times per week depending on use and accumulated dirt and grime. Store leather shoes on cedar trees.
2. Condition leather every 3-6 months, sometimes more depending on the environment and season.
3. Waterproof once a year, if desired, and if your lifestyle/environment calls for it.
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Know your leather