Leather care: cleaning, conditioning and storing bags, jackets and shoes

Everyday

• Wipe smooth leather with a dry, soft cloth. Dust and grit are what scratch it.
• Empty bags out at the end of the week; a bag that lives full loses its shape.
• Keep pens, make-up and unlidded bottles in a pouch. Ink and oil are the two stains that do not come out.
• Let a wet piece dry on its own, at room temperature, stuffed with paper. Never on a radiator, never with a hairdryer — heat cracks leather.

Cleaning smooth and pebbled leather

For marks a dry cloth will not shift, use a cloth barely dampened with water and a drop of mild soap or a proper leather cleaner. Work in small circles, then wipe with a clean damp cloth and let it dry. Test any product on the inside of a strap or a hidden corner first, because dyes vary.

Do not use baby wipes, alcohol, vinegar or kitchen sprays. They strip the finish and leave a dull patch that is worse than the mark you started with.

Conditioning

Full-grain leather is skin: it dries out. Once or twice a year — more often for a jacket worn daily — apply a thin coat of leather conditioner or balm with a cloth, let it absorb for half an hour, then buff off the excess. The leather should look slightly richer, not greasy. Over-conditioning is the most common mistake; it darkens the leather and attracts dust.

Skip conditioner on croco-embossed and quilted pieces except sparingly on smooth areas — the embossing holds product in its grooves. Never condition suede.

Suede

• Before the first wear, spray with a suede protector and let it dry overnight. Repeat every few months.
• Brush regularly with a suede brush, in one direction, to lift the nap and remove dust.
• Dry marks and shiny patches: a suede eraser (or a clean pencil eraser), then brush.
• Wet suede: blot, do not rub; dry naturally; brush once dry. Water spots usually brush out.
• Grease: cornflour or talc left on the spot overnight, then brushed off. Do not wet it.

Jackets

Hang a leather jacket on a wide, shaped hanger — a wire hanger leaves dents in the shoulders that do not come out. Give it air after wearing, and do not store it zipped inside a plastic garment bag; leather needs to breathe. A cotton cover is fine.

Creases at the elbows and waist are the jacket fitting you and are permanent by design. Deep scratches on smooth leather can be softened by rubbing gently with a fingertip — the natural oils in your skin blend the mark. Anything more than that, take it to a leather repairer rather than trying home dyes.

Shoes

• Use shoe trees, or at least stuff them with paper, so the leather dries in shape.
• Alternate pairs; a day off lets the lining dry fully.
• Wipe the uppers after wearing; condition every few months; clean rubber soles with a damp cloth.
• Rain-soaked shoes: newspaper inside, away from heat, and expect two days to dry properly.

Storage

Store bags stuffed with paper (not newspaper against light leather — the ink transfers), in the dust bag or a cotton pillowcase, upright on a shelf, out of direct sunlight. Do not hang a bag by its strap for months; the strap stretches and the seam takes the strain. Remove metal chains from quilted bags before storing them, so the chain does not press into the leather.

If a piece is going away for a season, condition it first and check on it once — leather stored in a damp cupboard can mildew, and that is easy to catch early and hard to fix late.

What patina is, and what a fault is

Darkening where it is handled, a soft sheen on the high points, and creases where it folds are patina — the reason to buy full-grain leather at all. A seam opening, hardware failing or the finish peeling off in sheets is a fault, and we want to hear about it: write to us with a photo and your order number.