How to clean a leather jacket at home?

With the onset of cold weather, everyone prepares warm clothes. Leather jackets, raincoats, sheepskin coats are very popular in our country among outerwear. Such things keep you warm, comfortable in them, and they look beautiful, stylish and durable.

But there is also a downside: various stains are clearly visible on leather clothing. So that the services in specialized dry cleaners do not ruin your budget, it is worth trying to restore the appearance of your favorite product on your own. Folk remedies and remedies from the supermarket will help you with this.

A leather jacket will look fresh and tidy if it is cleaned periodically. This applies to both genuine leather and leatherette products.

Depending on weather conditions and other factors, the surface of the jacket should be cleaned approximately once a month. To do this, it is enough to dilute the soap solution with the addition of a few drops of ammonia and wipe the entire surface with gentle movements. Wipe clean with a soft cloth (such as flannel) or a non-abrasive sponge, and squeeze well before wiping.

Do not rub hard or stretch the skin, otherwise, the product may deform after drying. After the soap solution, wipe everything carefully with clean water. The final step in routine care after the jacket dries is rubbing the surface to make it shiny and soft. For this procedure, you can use a special product for leather and leatherette products or improvised materials: castor oil or glycerin.

When the jacket is heavily soiled, there is a desire to wash it in the washing machine. There are cases when such washing in an automatic machine did not spoil a leather product, but often manufacturers do not recommend doing this. Such experiments can irreparably ruin your favorite and expensive thing. There are leatherette and eco-leather things that can be washed in an automatic machine on a certain mode, but this must be indicated on the label in the "Care" section.

Washing leather outerwear at home permissible only for lining and then - with great care... It is necessary to turn the jacket inside out, while trying to protect the skin from moisture as much as possible. Then you need to moisten the lining fabric well, rub it with soapy water or a solution of powder / liquid detergent, and then thoroughly rinse it all off with clean water. Leave the jacket to dry in the same turned out state on a hanger at room temperature, avoiding direct sunlight and heating appliances.

Another option to wash dirty light or colored lining is rip it off and put it in the automatic machine. But this option is suitable for those who can then sew it back on their own. Dark pads can be wiped off with a clean cloth and vinegar and water.

If leatherette things are allowed to be machine washed by the manufacturer, then consider the following recommendations:

• It is better to wash things from the inside out, fasten pockets and fasteners, pull the belt out of the belt loops.
• Use a liquid detergent, it rinses out better.
• Choose delicate or hand wash.
• Do not spin.
• The water temperature should be no higher than 30 degrees.
• After washing, wrap the item in a towel, let the water soak into the fabric, and only then hang it on a hanger to dry completely.

Hand wash an artificial leather jacket is almost the same as machine wash, temperature and detergent requirements are the same. For more effect, you can add vinegar to the basin. And do not rub the thing, but rather use a washcloth. The drying process is the same as for machine washing.

There are many ways to clean stubborn stains from leather products at home, which you can choose from, depending on your ability. But regardless of the nature of the stain, you first need to clean the product from dirt and dust, wash it correctly with soapy water.

There is no one-size-fits-all cleaner for all types of stains, each contamination has its own resistance. But let's make a reservation right away that any cleaner you choose, it is better to check on the area of ​​the skin that is inside, this especially applies to things painted in bright colors - red, yellow, green, pink. There is a possibility that the leather from which your jacket is sewn may not withstand contact with the drug.

So:

• Solvent, turpentine, acetone will help to wipe off the paint. Carefully clean the area of ​​contamination with a soft cloth dampened with the chosen agent, and then wipe the area with an emollient product such as glycerin, castor oil or a special cream for leather. An unpleasant chemical smell will go away faster if the cleaned clothes are left to ventilate for a while in the fresh air. Gasoline will help to get rid of traces of mold, but it is better to take clean or aviation.
• The chemical solvents listed above are suitable for thick and rough skin. If your jacket is made of thin, soft leather, then try more natural remedies.Take chalk (you need to crumble to a powdery state), potato starch or talc, add a little water to make a thick mushy solution. Apply the resulting composition to the stain and leave it on for a few hours.

• Another unpleasant type of stain that cannot be removed with soapy water is the ink from the pen. Such marks are most noticeable on fair skin. It is easy to remove marks from a felt-tip pen or pen with a cotton pad dipped in rubbing alcohol. It will also help remove greasy food stains.
• Traces of salt and streaks that form after precipitation can be removed using a very budget product that every housewife has. You need to wipe the surface with a napkin soaked in table vinegar.

• Blood is another stubborn source of contamination. Wash it immediately with cold water and soapy water. An important point: when removing such stains, it is necessary to move from the edge to the center, otherwise the area of ​​contamination will increase. The blood can still be purified with hydrogen peroxide, but before that, try its effect on the inside of the jacket. In addition to the above, you can remove traces of blood with an aspirin tablet dissolved in water.
• When removing stains on white things, you should be especially careful, there is a danger of discoloration to yellowish shades. Ordinary milk can come to the rescue: it will not leave smudges and streaks on the jacket, moreover, it has a softening effect. Here is another recipe for removing stains on light-skinned clothes: Mix 0.2 liters of water with 2 tablespoons of ammonia and 2 teaspoons of baking soda, and for greater effect, add a few drops of dish detergent to the mixture. Rub the stain with the resulting solution and leave for at least 30 minutes, then rinse with clean water.

• To remove old stains on black and brown leather things, there is another popular recipe for a cleaner: you need to mix denatured alcohol and turpentine in equal parts, add a few drops of glycerin. Apply the resulting composition with a brush to dirt and rub it a little, then rinse with water. Be sure to use a soft bristled brush, an old toothbrush will work well.
• For colored leather goods, it is better to use more natural ingredients. An ordinary onion can perfectly cope with this. It is necessary to cleanse the contamination with an onion cut, the procedure should be carried out in several stages and at the same time the cut must be constantly updated. Finally, dry the jacket with a soft cloth.

If you did not manage to clean the stains at home, then it is better to resort to the services of a professional dry-cleaner. But it is better to choose specialists according to the recommendations of friends and acquaintances, cases of damage to products are known.

It is worth talking separately about such contamination that occurs at the points of contact of a leather product with the owner's skin. The collars, cuffs, pockets, and clasp most often suffer from fat and sweat. Such stains can be easily removed by hand; there are several ways to do this:

• The iron does a good job of removing sebum. Place a paper towel over the stain and gently iron on top with a heated iron. The high temperature will begin to evaporate fat from the jacket and be absorbed into the napkin. But this method is not suitable for cleaning an artificial leather jacket, it is better to use the second method for it.

• Alcohol does an excellent job of cleaning greasy stains. It is necessary to spread the contaminated area on a flat surface, gently wipe it with a cloth soaked in alcohol, then smear it with lemon juice (it will help dissolve the greasy traces) and complete the procedure for cleaning the jacket by rubbing with an emollient.In the absence of lemon juice, you can rub the jacket with an orange peel, it will give freshness and hide scuffs. Remember: using orange peel is only permissible when cleaning a dark leather jacket.

Here are a few more home remedies that will be useful as home stain removers:

• Cleaning solution for LCD monitors. Such a solution may well cope with fresh stains, since surfactants and alcohol are present in the composition of such products. Soak a cotton ball in the solution and wipe the stain.
• Coffee grounds. Such a gastronomic cleaner is more often used for shoes, but you can also try it with clothes. Sprinkle coffee leftovers over the stain and let sit for a while. Then wipe the residue with a dry cloth.

• Stove cleaner. Sometimes, in the struggle for the cleanliness of outerwear, a gel or a spray for plates is also used. Suitable for removing greasy stains, but it is not worth keeping on the product for more than 1 minute, and then you need to thoroughly wipe the place of application. Since such products can be very aggressive, carefully read the composition on the bottle and be sure to try it on the inside of the leather product. If the color has not changed, you can start removing the stain.
• Egg white + lemon juice. This mixture is good for light-colored leather items, it adds shine and can deal with some stains.

• Petrolatum. Plain petroleum jelly can keep the lacquered surfaces of a leather jacket shiny. Apply it to a cotton swab and wipe dark marks with it.
• Ammonia + salt. Sometimes stains are removed well with an aqueous solution to which ammonia and fine salt are added (about 1 tablespoon each). It is better to remove dirt with a sponge, and after that it is imperative to rinse with water.
• Special cleaners. On sale there are various products in the form of pencils, sprays, creams, wipes for removing stains at home. As a rule, they cope well with plant and animal pollution.

And so that you less often have to resort to cleansing procedures, here is a list of helpful guidelines:

• Try to remove impurities as soon as they appear, without allowing them to penetrate deeply into the skin.
• After cleaning, treat leather clothing with special water-repellent agents.
• If the jacket is intended for winter and spring, then it is useful to polish it with wax. It will protect clothes from sun-burn and stains that rain and snow can leave.
• Small physical damage to leather products (scratches, cracks) is eliminated with “liquid skin”. Choose the color carefully and follow the instructions.
• You can remove unpleasant odors by creating a "bath" for your jacket. Fill the bathroom with hot water, add one or two glasses of vinegar and leave the jacket hanging over the bathroom for about 3-4 hours.
• A mild baking soda solution will remove tobacco and sweat odors from your jacket. It is better to apply it from a spray bottle.

And here is a list of what not to do with a leather jacket:

• Never dry leather clothing near heating appliances, do not use a hair dryer or iron.
• Do not wear wet leather, otherwise the moisture-laden leather may stretch out.
• Do not overuse cleaning products, do not rub your favorite jacket every day and "just in case." Excessive cleaning may cause discoloration.
• Do not wring the item by hand while twisting it.
• Do not touch clothing immediately after using hand cream, unwanted grease stains may remain.
• Do not wear dark or colored leather bags with light-colored leather unless you are sure they will not leave marks.
• Do not use perfume to remove unpleasant odors (sweat, smoke, mold). The smell will not only not go away, but will become even stronger.

We pay special attention to the storage of things. To avoid wrinkling and deformation, always hang jackets and raincoats from your hangers. When the season is over for your jacket, clean it and store it in your closet for next season. Use fabric covers for storage, never PVC... And for protection from moths, put a handkerchief, piece of cloth or cotton pad with lavender oil in your pocket.

For information on how to clean a leather jacket at home, see the next video.