Leather Care

Care for the Obsessed Piece

Luxurious to the touch, all our bags and leathers, like all prized possessions, need to be taken care of with love and lots of attention. Bags should be kept away from direct sunlight and extended heat. When wet, wipe your bag with a soft dry cloth and let it dry natuarally. Products can be used to protect and prolong the life of your KLutched bag, such as Protector Spray for your suede and python clutches, and Protective Oil for other leathers. When in doubt, always consult a leather expert. Obsess over your KLutched pieces by keeping them stored in their dust bags and in our classic black boxes.

Want to obsess more?

General

To keep a fine leather product looking new and lustrous, it should be properly cared for. A regular cleaning with a soft brush or dry cloth is essential for preserving the life of your leather goods. After considerable use or after leather product has gotten muddy or extremely dirty, it should be thoroughly cleaned down to its pores.

After a deep cleaning, a leather product should then be conditioned to replenish the lost emollients. Again, there are many products available but their basic premise is the same. Add moisture to leather to seal it and keep it from drying.

Take care of your leather. Always keep it in a clean dry place. It will continue to look new and you will enjoy it for a long, long, long time.

Taking care of leather in general is rather simple and straightforward. These suggestions may apply to most kinds of leather. Exceptions are suede and nubuck.

Dirt

Dirt can usually be removed by wiping it off by using a clean cloth. The cloth can be barely moist. Saddle soaps and other cleaning detergents are not to be used. These remove the natural oils of the leather and instead of protecting leather may cause permanent damage. If you own gloves and similar leather accessories you may use leather cream but use sparingly. This will help enrich the leather material.

Storage

In keeping your KLutched leather pieces, it is best to avoid having the leather items come into contact with each other. The finishing may cause the leather items to stick together. Plastic bags are not the best wrap for all accessories, tissue paper is recommended. Plastic is the cause of excessive drying of the leather. Store your leather products in a well-ventilated, cool and dry place. Use cloth like cotton sheets or any cloth that is breathable to cover your leather. Avoid extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold and humidity. This is especially a constant problem in south-east Asia. Avoid extreme dryness, too. Your leather should not be exposed to direct sunlight or heat for long periods of time. It will cause your leather to dry.

Suede & nubuck

Suede leather is a special kind of leather made from calfskin. The leather is buffed on the flesh side. It is very soft and resembles fabric. Nubuck is similar that it is buffed to have the fabric-like quality. These kinds of leather are not fit for everyday use and cleaning them needs special cleaning kits.

Wet

When your leather becomes wet do not put it into the dryer. Let it dry at normal room temperature. Empty the leather item first and stuff it up with tissue paper and let it stand to dry. Like dry cleaning, putting your leather product into the clothes dryer may cause permanent damage. If your leather has fur, use a hair blower and set it to the lowest temperature. Let it blow on the fur and shake the fur during the drying process.

Special tips for exotic leathers

Leather products made of animals such as crocodiles, snakes, lizards are different from ones made of cow skin. These animals have special membranes that keep the scales together. Because of these special membranes, the leather products should be cleaned and conditioned more frequently than products made of other animals. However the procedures are the same.

The key in caring for exotic leathers here is using the minimum or mild. Use a mild cleaner and conditioner for skins derived from reptiles or snakeskins. The cleaner and conditioner mentioned here are products designed to clean leather. As mentioned, they should be mild. Leather care products are not the same. Products that are used for smooth leather may leave a residue. Do not use such products. This may build up later on around the base of the scales and cause the scales to crack of fall off.

Alligator / Crocodile Leather

Alligator leather, in particular, is one of the most beautiful and durable of the luxurious exotic leathers. Without proper care, the flexibility, durability and overall appearance of alligator leather will diminish drastically. Under normal use and over time, some of the oils that tanners put into the leather will disappear. These oils and compounds must be replaced periodically, in order to maintain the beauty and longevity of your exotic leather product.

NEVER use household chemicals (like Pledge furniture polish), alcohol, or other solvents to clean your exotic leather skins. These harsh products can destroy the natural glazed protein finish on classic alligator finishes, can often remove any coloring or finish applied to skins, and over time leave your bag looking dull and worn. It is also important to understand that you cannot clean exotic skins with polish, oils or creams... you will only seal in the dirt/dust. Your items need to be cleaned first, then conditioned. And, NEVER use nail polish or super glue on your bags!

For matte finishes, use a leather cleaner & conditioner purposed for exotic skins to keep them properly hydrated and providing water and stain resistant qualities. Although Mink Oil can be used successfully on matte finishes only, great care should be taken in its application to avoid stitching as Mink Oil can impact the strength / effectiveness of cotton / cotton blend threads.

Apply a small amount of cleaner / conditioner to the skins, buff off, and then follow with a treatment of the same color polish or cream.

For classes and high gloss bombe finishes, wiping with a soft, clean cotton cloth regularly and a monthly or bi-monthly treatment using a exotic skin specific leather cleaner & conditioner, followed by polishing with the same color polish or cream is recommended.

If your skins are excessively dry, flaky and brittle, this means they have dry-rotted (which happens when natural oils are not replaced into the skins over a long period of time, or they have been exposed to moisture / water). Unfortunately, and sadly, the item is probably beyond rehydration, and your best bet is to retire it.

Snake & Lizard Skins

Although very durable exotic skins, they too, over time, will dry out, flake and/or lift if not given the proper oils necessary to keep them soft and supple. It is important to note that Python skins have large scaled areas on their skins that naturally lift slightly. This should not be mistaken for damage or dryness.

Unlike lizard skins, snake skins have more prominent, defined "scales". It is critical when treating your snake skin items, that treatment applications be applied (in the direction of the scales). The proper direction can be determined by lightly running your hand along the skin. It will either be smooth (indicating the direction of the scales) or it will be rough or your hand will catch more easily (indicating that you are going against the natural "grain" of the scales). If you rub or apply any products against the natural "grain" of the scales, you will pull the scales up and give the skins an undesirable "flaking" appearance.

Snake and lizard skins are also exotic skins that will last decades if properly cared for with a regular scheduled cleaning with a exotic skin specific Leather Cleaner & Conditioner.

Additional Tips

Do not send your leather clothing to the dry cleaner. Dry cleaning will remove the natural oils of the leather resulting in cracking, fading and shrinking. If the stains seem to be stubborn, you may need to send it to a leather specialist. Even then, there may be some slight discolouration or changes in size.

If you are unsure of special leather cleaning kits or leather care kits, test it first on a part of the leather item that is not visible when worn or used. An example is the inside part of a leather jacket. You will be able to see results and evaluate if it is indeed useful in protecting and caring for your leather.

When dressing up, do not apply hair sprays or perfumes near your KLutched piece. This may cause stains or discolouration. Do not attach pins or adhesive tags or badges to the leather. Pins will puncture the leather and later on the holes may stretch or tear the leather. Adhesive tags or badges may create permanent stains.

*Leather care tips courtesy of www.vintageskins.com and www.tropicalleather.com.