Tips to Maintain a Leather Jacket

Leather jackets are the best human companions among all outwear garments. It is because of their natural suppleness, softness, breathability, sturdiness, and longevity that have made them stand out among all human-made materials and garments.

However, the longer life of this masterpiece depends not only on its natural tendency to sustain longer but also on the timely essential maintenance that ensures its lasting performance and companionship over time. In this short guide, we are sharing tips that will help you keep your real leather jacket in mint condition. So the question is, how to maintain a leather jacket? Following the tips, we will share with you the DON’Ts for maintaining a leather jacket. 

Below are the essential tips for maintaining your leather jacket:

• Brush Off Your Leather Jacket Daily to Keep It Dust-Free
• Hang it on a Hanger and Don’t Shove it Inside the Cupboard
• Avoid Excessive Direct Contact with Sunlight
• Use Leather Conditioner to Avoid Cracking
• Get the Wrinkles Out by Ironing Them with Care

Brush Off Your Leather Jacket Daily to Keep It Dust-Free

A real leather jacket is breathable, and this feature is hidden in the natural porous texture of the leather. Daily traveling around the town lets the dust particles sit in it. Therefore, it is necessary to keep it clean by properly brushing the dust off at least once a day. Additionally, use a soft brush to remove the dust particles. A horsehair brush is ideal for it. However, if such a brush is expensive, then you can also use a soft nylon brush instead.

Hang it on a Hanger and Don’t Shove it Inside the Cupboard

The leather jacket is indeed a garment, but unlike casual garments, it is not one that can just be folded and stuffed in the wardrobe. To keep the jacket free from wrinkles and cracks, it is important to hang it on a proper-sized hanger that keeps the jacket erect across the shoulders and straight from the front. This regular treatment with the jacket will save you from ironing it daily and keeping it in ready-to-go condition.

Avoid Excessive Direct Contact with Sunlight

When getting in contact with water, it is recommended to dry the leather jacket by exposing it to direct sunlight. However, when dry, it is advised not to keep the jacket in direct contact with the sunlight as it will dry the natural oils of the leather, leaving it to peel off quickly. Instead, you can keep it in indirect contact with the sunlight in an airy place to get the irritating smell out of it. 

Use Leather Conditioner to Avoid Cracking

A leather conditioner prevents the jacket from dryness and therefore protects it from peeling off over time. Regular conditioning provides the jacket with ample flexibility that results in lasting suppleness and softness of the jacket over time. It also helps maintain the outer shell of the jacket by adding a thin protective layer over it that doesn’t allow the alien particles to settle on it. However, it is advised to use high-quality renowned company conditioners only to avoid chemical damage to the leather.

Get the Wrinkles Out by Ironing Them with Care

Sometimes, even after hanging the leather jacket, some wrinkles become prominent on it. It usually happens because of certain wearing patterns and postures. Like, if you regularly wear leather while driving a car or sitting on a chair. To get rid of them, you need to iron them delicately to keep them wrinkle-free. 

However, unlike typical regular garment ironing, a leather jacket requires special care, i.e. ironing without direct contact of iron over the surface of the jacket. This can be done by placing a thick jersey fabric on the leather jacket and then ironing over the jersey fabric. This way, the leather stays safe from getting burnt while leaving the stiff wrinkles immediately.

How to Maintain a Faux Leather Jacket?

Taking care of a faux leather jacket differs a bit from real leather, because faux leather is of human origin and can crack as time goes on. Here are some extra tips to look after your faux leather jacket:

• Clean off dust and dirt with a soft cloth and mild soap mix.
• Don’t use strong chemical treatments meant for real leather.
• Keep the jacket in a cool dry spot to stop it from peeling.
• Put a tiny bit of baby oil or petroleum jelly on it to keep it flexible.

Apart from the above caring tips, if a leather jacket gets so many stains on it, then it is advised to get it professionally cleaned instead of trying any tricky way to remove such stains. 

This will definitely require you to pay a fee to get the specialized cleaning services, but it will 

Save your expensive and elegant classic leather jacket from getting ruined.

Now, let’s get down to some DO n’ts of the leather jacket.

• Don’t Wash
• Don’t Try to Recolor It
• Don’t Try to Sew It When Torn
• Don’t Clean a Waxed Leather Jacket with an Excessive Damp Cloth
• Don’t Keep Pointed Sharp Objects Inside the Leather Jacket

Don’t Wash

A minor stain can be removed using a damp cloth gently over the surface of the leather jacket. However, if the jacket has deep, big, or various stains, then it should not be cleaned with an overly damp cloth on the overall surface of the jacket. Besides, washing the jacket in the bucket or in the washing machine in such a scenario is absolutely a big no!

Don’t Try to Recolor It

If you want to change the color of your leather jacket to give it a new look or just to embrace a new color, it can be possible that the leather can be re-dyed. However, it is not as easy as several online guides and videos suggest. If tried, it can possibly ruin your entire jacket besides the money that you invest in buying the dye and associated chemical agents for the dying process.

Paying a specialized leather dyer for the same is comparatively a smart decision as it will prevent your jacket from an unguided experiment and will give you the look that you want.

Don’t Try to Sew It When Torn

If any part of your leather jacket gets torn, it can be repaired and fixed. Where the clothing garments can be sewn to mend minor tears, a leather jacket needs some specialized tools, relevant material, and chemical agents to fix such tears. In the case of a torn seam, a stitch is required but such a stitch cannot be done with the home sewing machine and thread.

Therefore, it is again advised not to sew your leather jacket at home as it can destroy the seam further. It is because of the home sewing machine which stitches the thread narrowly that can further result in tearing the leather surface.

Don’t Clean a Waxed Leather Jacket with an Excessive Damp Cloth

Contrary to regular leather jackets, a wax leather jacket has a glossy wax treatment on it. It gives the jacket a sparkling shine and stain-resistant protection. If an excessively damp cloth is applied to remove the stain, it can remove the wax layering out of it. Therefore, a mild damp cloth is acceptable to remove the minor stains from a waxed leather jacket.

Don’t Keep Pointed Sharp Objects Inside the Leather Jacket

A leather jacket is sturdy enough to protect you from chilly winds and minor accidents on the roads, while at the same time, fragile enough that it can be easily torn using a sharp object like a knife or nail. Therefore, it is advised not to keep any sort of sharp object inside the pockets that can result in severe damage to the jacket. Always keep such objects after properly wrapping them in sturdy packaging.

Conclusion

Maintaining a leather jacket requires less daily effort and more discipline. If the above-recommended maintenance tips are followed regularly and religiously without procrastination, they will definitely keep your leather jacket in an off-the-rack condition for several years.

Also, check out this blog discussing leather jacket collar types if you are interested.