As much as we love wearing a leather jacket, there is one thing that we have to make sure that we are cleaning regularly. If not regularly then at least occasionally. However, cleaning them is not easy, it requires quite precision and detailing. It is not your regular dress that you can just put in the washing machine and get it done with. You need extra care while washing it as a men’s leather jacket is one expensive garment that requires you and whoever washing it to be extra vigilant. When you get a jacket from the Real Leather Garments, you are already on the right track since their quality is top-notch and you would not regret buying from them. Nevertheless, that does not mean you do not need to “clean” them.
We all know that cooling shot and impact that a leather jacket adds to your wardrobe, they are undeniably more expensive than the regular jackets. Therefore, their upkeep is pretty important and should be quite extraordinary. As expensive as you think the jackets normally are, their upkeep is kind of pricey too. Nevertheless, if you make sure you are doing it regularly, the whole process becomes much easier and most importantly easy on the pocket too.
Gone are the days when you had to pay dry cleaners for the leather jackets. Now you can do it all on your own too. However, there are a few dos and don’ts of it that you should take care of. Never go with the cleaners that are bleach-based and have ammonia in them. First thing first, you need to take a soft cloth in order to clean the spill right when you spot dirt on it. The fabric of leather is porous which means it absorbs liquid pretty quickly and refrains it to form a stain. More importantly, you need to keep all the sharp things away from your jacket because they can get scratched easily.
Following are a few ways to clean your jacket without breaking your bank or going broke.
1. Use water and soap
These are the things that are ALWAYS available in your house, the grocery list is incomplete without them. All you have to do is take your mild liquid soap and mix it with water. Take a large and wide container and add a few ounces of warm water into it. Now you need to add a liquid dishwasher to the tub and dissolve it completely in the water. You have to create a gentle solution so you can easily wipe your jacket without incurring any damage to it. However, make sure you are not adding a lot of detergent to it because the excess of it can result in deteriorating the leather and it ends up giving a discolored and blotchy appearance.
2. Use Sponge or Wet Towel
Dip the sponge or towel in the soapy solution and take all the excess liquid out of it. You have to make sure you are not wetting the towel or your sponge sopping wet, you need to damp it only. If the towel or the sponge is too wet, it would just end up saturating the leather which would just cause more damage to the jacket. When you are taking the towel and dipping it in the solution make sure it is of soft fabric as the rough fabrics end up leaving scratches on the leather if you are not very careful. The best fabric is the microfiber cloth.
3. Clean the Outside of the Jacket
Jackets tend to get dirty from the outside more than they get dirty from the inside. To deal with the dirt on the jacket and to keep it clean, you need to run the damp cloth or the sponge in long and smooth motions, avoid scrubbing the jacket. You have to ensure you are paying particular attention to spots where water has been, the dirt patches along with the discolored patches that have been built upon the leather. You need to clean the whole jacket and whenever needed rewet the towel all again.
4. Clean the Soap and Dry the Jacket
It’s time for you to wipe the whole jacket again, however, this time you should use the clean water to clear the overall soap residue as well. You should not let any standing water remain on the jacket. Use the dry towel and pat the leather till it goes completely dry. Now it is time you hang the jacket in your closet and let it dry. Do not in any circumstances have a direct heat contact with your leather jacket, particularly when you have just moisturized it. Do not use a blow dryer or any other electronic device to dry your leather jacket.
5. Use Leather Cleaning
The best thing that you can do with your leather jacket is to get a special leather cleaner. These cleaners have some strong ingredients that can easily scrub away all the stains and dirt. You can get some oils as well as it helps in softening the leather and keeping the whole jacket healthy. You can find all these cleaners at superstores along with all the places where you can specialize in leather. This is one of the cheapest forms of cleaning and costs only a few dollars only and it will further last you for years as well.
6. Apply it to the Jacket
Take the pea-sized cleaner and apply it on your jacket to clean your leather jacket, make sure you are applying it on the dirty spot of the jacket only and not the whole jacket. All you need to do is get some leather cleaners which include sprays, bars, and gels. If you are using any of all these things, you should always start with a small amount of the cleaner and apply as much as it is needed.
When you are done with the overall process, you need to wash it all off immediately.