Leather Care for Beginners :: Presented by BLC Leather

When you’ve splashed the cash on a prime piece of leather carry it’s important to provide adequate leather care to protect your investment. So we turned to the experts at the BLC Leather Technology Centre to share their advice on caring for leather and keeping your carry classy…

Looking After Your Leather: Some Helpful Tips

When you’ve managed to get your hands on a beautiful bit of leather carry, you want it to stay looking great, right? So here’s some general tips for looking after your leather before we get into the nitty-gritty of each leather type:

– We all hate reading the instructions but they’re there for a reason! When using proprietary care products always follow the instructions carefully – and use on an inconspicuous area first.

– When not in use store the leather away from direct sunlight, this will help to avoid any changes in shade which may arise from poor lightfastness properties.

– Regardless of leather type, if the product does get wet, allow to dry naturally away from direct heat. No hair dryers or radiators needed!

That’s the basics, the need-to-know for leather care; but there are a few specifics dependent on leather type that you may want to check out.

Leather Care: Aniline

This is leather in its purest form so there will be inherent natural variations in colour and markings – that’s what makes it so beautiful but it does mean that you’ve got to look after it!

These leathers can present a problem as water will penetrate into the leather, causing darkening. We know it’s not always easy – especially in the world of carry – but keep the product away from extreme sources of heat and protect from rain as much as possible.

The surface may be polished with a soft dry cloth but treatment beyond this should be avoided.

Leather Care: Suede and Nubuck Leathers

It’s a similar story here: try to keep the product away from extreme sources of heat and protect from rain as much as possible.

For these leathers, rain may cause temporary darkening whilst the nap (the raised, fuzzy-feeling surface of the leather) is wet but they should dry out to the original colour. If you’re not so lucky and there is a residual darkening then the nap can be brushed occasionally with a dry sponge or soft-bristled clothes brush to restore the original colour. This is best done when the nap is slightly damp, for example after hanging in a steamy bathroom. Remember to treat the leather with care; this is not the time for being tough – do not use a wire or hard-bristled brush.

Leather Care: Patent Leathers

These leathers are made to be that little bit more resilient but do still need some TLC! Follow the general rules above and you should be okay.

Missed anything? Contact info@blcleathertech.com for more information.