clean leather

[250450]

how can i clean a tan leather jacket

[Clanad]

There are probably several good methods, but my suggestion is to go to a furniture store... strange, I know, but any good furniture store that sells good quality leather furniture will have a kit for sale to clean an condition leather. We used the kit for a soft leather couch that was stained and it cleaned it very well with no stain (It looks terrible until it dries). I then used it on a nice leather (light brown) man's jacket and it cleaned it equally as well...

[judyb]

You need to use a good quality water based foam leather cleaner. (LTT Leather Shampoo) With light coloured leather dye transfer from clothing can be a problem although using a good quality leather protector (LTT Leather Protect) will help inhibit this. Black obviously does not show this problem.

DO NOT use anything containing oils, waxes or silicones. (Most 'conditioners' contain waxes or oils) and furniture polish (pledge) contains silicones which will eventually destroy the finish on the leather. Most car cleaners also contain oils or waxes so should not be used as they leave residues on the surface of the leather which attract more dirt which eventually leads to cracking.

BABY WIPES are the worst thing you can use as they will destroy the finish on your leather.
Saddle soap is for saddles, a very different product and it is far too harsh to use on todays leathers.

A lot of leather wipes contain chemicals which will also destroy the finish or leave residues on the leather which will damage it.
Fairy liquid contains more salt these days to get dishes clean and this will break the finish down on your leather.
You should also follow cleaning with a good water based leather protector which will act like a 'scotchgard' and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed and make cleaning easier the next time.

It is important to maintain a regular cleaning regime cleaning dirt off the surface regularly and inhibiting the absorption of body oils into the leather with a protector is the best way of doing this. The only 'moisturizer' a leather needs is from water.

The alternative is a brand new product on the market called Lazy Leather. This is the latest technology in cleaning and combines an effective cleaner with a protector. It is quick and easy to use and should be used as a maintenance product once your suite has been cleaned or from new if you have just bought it.