Congratulations! You have bought a top quality leather product and 100% handmade, Now you have to take care of it to always have it beautiful.
This post is dedicated to trying to explain the care and maintenance that can be done to the acquired pieces of natural vegetable tanned cowhide, which is the basis of our work in the Forge of Prometheus.
For other skin types, go to a specialized site. Each type of skin has its own particularity (porosity, finish, etc ...). As a tip, if you are not sure of the type of leather you are dealing with, go to a shoemaker or professional laundry so they can advise you.
The first thing I want you to see is What you should NEVER do:
- AVOID the piece of being exposed to the sun or direct sunlight for a long time
- Do not leave it near heat points such as radiators, heating, fireplace ... (thinking of sofas, armchairs, armchairs.), Because they dehydrate and can crack if not well protected.
- NEVER wash them in the traditional way by soaking them in water, since the leather in contact with water is damaged and loses all its finishing properties.
- NEVER use baby wipes or those that contain alkaline substances
- Of course, DO NOT USE bleach, ammonia, and those kinds of aggressive chemicals
- Do not apply perfumes directly to your leather garments, because they can cause irreversible stains when cleaning a leather jacket or bodice.
TIPS for General leather maintenance:
- Remove dust frequently with a chamois or feather duster.
- Store the pieces using mannequins or fillers so they don't lose shape.
- Store your pieces in a cool and dry place.
To Clean the leather:
- As always, start by dusting with a dry cotton cloth.
- Clean them slightly (without excess of water) with a damp cloth and if they have spots, impregnate the cloth with a few drops of soap that is also neutral pH.
- Let it air dry in a cool dry place.
To Hydrate and Nourish the leather piece:
- Before using a cream, it is advisable to wipe it with a rag to remove dust and dirt, subsequently applying Horse Grease or moisturizing cream on a clean cloth or rag with which to apply on the leather piece.
- Rub gently until the part partially absorbs the product.
To Brighten your leather piece:
- Start by dusting off with a dry cotton cloth.
- Apply colorless gloss bitumen for normal leather or horse fat for oily leather.
- You can shine it with a soft brush after cleaning is completed.
- For metallic look leather, it must be taken into account that friction can wear away its shine. We advise you to take care of them with multi-use silicone that is softer than bitumen (always colorless) and more recommended for leathers of this type.
If the piece of leather gets wet:
- The first and most important thing is to act instantly. Most leathers absorb liquids, and for this reason, you must try to clean the garment immediately.
- If the piece gets completely wet, remove any excess of water that may be with a sponge, or absorbent paper without rubbing so as not to spread and let it dry in a closed and dry place. (Never in the sun)
- If it gets partially wet, moisten it completely to avoid water marks and let it dry in a closed and dry place.
- After this process hydrates the leather (see instructions above).
** It is very important not to apply heat such as a dryer or leave in the sun. This causes hardening of the leather.
Remove the bad smell
A very simple way to remove the smell of leather is using coffee. It is important to use coffee beans and not ground coffee, since otherwise we could take the risk of staining the leather article or that the ground coffee remained more or less impregnated on the object. To remove the smell of leather with coffee, we must follow these steps:
- Take a bag and make sure it doesn't have any holes or punctures.
- Insert the leather object and add a handful of coffee.
- Close the bag so that air cannot get in or out.
- Shake the bag a little to make sure the coffee is spread throughout the item.
- After 24 hours, open the bag and take out the leather item.
- Then let it air out for a few hours.
- After all this process, both the smell of leather and the smell of coffee will disappear.