Leather care tips

It is said that the same thing happens to leather as to wine, that it improves over the years, but this is only true if we take good care of it.

The word leather comes from the Latin curium , which means tanned animal skin. This is because the skin is treated by tanning, which is the technique by which the animal's skin is transformed into a rot-proof material, called leather. This manufacturing process begins by separating the layer of skin from the animal's body, eliminating wool or hair (unless you want to preserve it), and with it, you can make bags , clothing, footwear, purses ...

The leather comes from a layer of fabric that covers the animals, having characteristics that make it unique such as its great durability, resistance and flexibility which make it perfect for subsequent handling. All these properties have made this material the favorite of man throughout history. The Iberian Peninsula, for example, has been closely linked to the skin since its beginnings, highlighting the definition that Strabo ( Greek geographer and historian ) gave of it: “Hispania is similar to a skin extended along from the West to the East.”

As we have seen, leather has always been used , even up to the present day, and is considered a valuable material. Therefore, we must know how to take care of it, giving it special treatment, protecting it and moisturizing it. If you continue reading, you will see the leather care tips we give you, they will help you!

7 useful tips for leather care

All skin needs care and leather is no less, so if we want the years to pass and keep our suitcases , jackets, footwear , bags, wallets... in perfect condition, showing off their beautiful and elegant appearance, we have to take care of them. . This way we will prevent them from getting damaged, causing stains to appear, or losing their smell, or even cracking. To prevent all this, we give you 7 useful tips for leather care:

1. Keep it away from plastic: yes, although at first it may have shocked you to read this, you should know that plastic can cause mold on the skin since it does not allow it to breathe. Although it is very common to store our most valuable garments in plastic bags in the closet, in the case of those made of leather it is not a good idea. Store them in a ventilated, dry and dark place as both sunlight and humidity can deteriorate them.
2. Try to carry your leather wallet or bag with as little weight as possible: we recommend this because the leather gives way with weight and humidity. And if for some reason your leather bag gets wet, you will be grateful not to carry too much weight in it, since this is a flexible material, it can deform under the weight.
3. Avoid sun exposure: sunlight damages our leather garments , discoloring and dehydrating them, so avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, especially leather chairs or sofas .
4. Use a damp cloth to clean the leather , do not use soaps or cleaning products. Do not wait until they are very dirty to clean them as it will be more difficult to remove the dirt later, plus they can dry out or fade.
5. Moisturize them, there are numerous leather conditioners that help hydrate it and prevent it from cracking. A little trick we give you is to put a little hand cream without lotion to keep your smooth leather garments or accessories in good condition.
6. Brush them whenever your leather is suede or nubuck , but yes, with a special brush and with circular movements, in addition to using a cleaning product.
7. In the case of clothing, use a padded hanger, thus preventing the leather from adapting its shape, and in the case of shoes, fill them with paper so that they do not lose their shape.

Leather care products

In addition to the leather care tips that we have given you, we recommend that you also buy products indicated for cleaning with which you will make your leather items look like the first day.

First of all, we have to keep in mind that depending on the type of leather we have, some products or others will be used. Therefore, if it is nubuck leather we must avoid water when cleaning it, since it darkens the area where it falls and has no solution. To clean it, you could only use a dry leather spray cleaner with the help of a brush. This product could also be used for suede and suede leather.

If it is rawhide leather, we recommend constantly using leather cream since this type of leather is less resistant than nubuck and absorbs stains and sunlight more, causing it to discolor.

In the event that you need to intensify the color of your leather garments or accessories , whether made of nubuck, suede or leather, we recommend using color intensifying products ( specially for leather with lint), which restore the color they had before.

Smooth leather also needs care and over time it needs certain hydration and nutrition care using some type of liquid to protect and clean the leather. You can also use skin care products that have a protective and waterproofing treatment, thus preventing stains from penetrating.