Cleaning My Leathers

[joe camarda]

After 5 years I've decided to clean my leathers (yeah...I know youre thinkin' its about damn time )..Anyway I'm wondering if anyone has some "do it yourself" suggestions.

 

Its a two piece "Erbo" suit, black white and tan. Ive lost some weight and so I'm not too worried about some minor shrinkage. The armor is not entirely removable.

 

I'd like to do more than a surface cleaning, as I noticed after virtually living in it this past (Moto GP) weekend that it was somewhat rank.

[Skeeve]

.. Ive lost some weight and so I'm not too worried about some minor shrinkage. The armor is not entirely removable.

 

I'd like to do more than a surface cleaning, as I noticed after virtually living in it this past (Moto GP) weekend that it was somewhat rank.

 

Colors will generally bleed if you get the leather wet thru.

 

Whatever you do, do not use a modern washer detergent or dishwashing soap on them: these zippy "all new, all singing, all dancing" enzymatic-ally enhanced detergents will literally digest the proteins in the leather* (per Thurlow custom deerskin gloves.]

 

The non-removable armor is pretty low on your list of worries: it's just rubber or plastic, so as long as you keep the suit away from heat (which would shrink it, anyway) & aggressive solvents [which you don't want the leather absorbing & spreading to you later, anyway], it's pretty much a non-issue.

 

The universally accepted method of cleaning leather is taking saddle soap, a damp cloth, & a lot of time & elbow grease to it.

 

Me, as long as the leather is chrome-tanned (vs. vegetable [oak] tanned), I'd try sticking in a front-loader washer on gentle cycle w/ warm water & a cup of soap flakes or maybe woolite. Once out, I'd lay it flat to dry on a couple of towels laid out on a balcony or picnic table out of direct sun (more towels covering it would work in direct sunlight). After a day or two when it's 90% dry, I'd put it on for that custom "only me" shrink fit. Once totally dry, I'd start rubbing mink oil into the outside to replace all the protectant/preservative oils that were leached out in the washing process. On the inside, it's probably best to use something safe for skin contact like cocoa butter, lube yourself up liberally, & then slide into the suit. But that's probably pushing the bounds of good taste for a public forum, & you can pursue further information on what to do after that over at usenet.alt.leather.kinkyS&Mbondagenonsense...

 

Good luck!

 

* - leather being, pretty simply, preserved skin, which is made up of an interesting blend of bio-polymers, high up on the list being collagen.

[JoeV11]

A 50-50 mix of denatured alcohol (from a hardware store, not rubbing alcohol) and water will clean up leather without ruining it. I had a lot of mildew on my old jacket from sitting in the basement for years. It came out like new! It will also clean up sweat stains in the liner. I dipped clean rags and wiped my jacket, but I don't know, you could mix enough to dunk a set of leathers. Joe

[rocker59]

Saddle soap, then LEXOL...

[jsciullo]

This is the best stuff I've used on any leather products. http://leatherique.org/default.aspx

Jim