A leather jacket is a fairly common wardrobe item that is ideal for the climatic conditions of our country. However, such a thing requires careful care. The question of how to clean a leather jacket at home will eventually arise in every person who wears such outerwear. In our article we will try to analyze in detail the common types of pollution, as well as methods for eliminating them, and talk about the features of caring for a thing made of genuine leather.
Jacket Care
Have you thought about whether a leather jacket is cleaned after contamination? Definitely! However, this should not be done every day, but only from time to time and only in those places where it is most noticeable.
If you notice that the sleeves, zippers, pockets or buttons do not look as good as you would like, you should clean them properly. To do this, it is usually sufficient to use a simple soap solution with a small addition of ammonia. For more serious pollution, other methods will have to be applied.
That is, if there are no difficult dirt on the surface of outer clothing, then you can gently clean it with a normal cloth and soap solution. This procedure will refresh the jacket, and you do not have to wash it all. However, if the wardrobe item is very messy, then you should resort to the use of more serious methods, which will be described in the following sections.
Types of pollution
If you want to quickly and efficiently clean a leather jacket, then you should familiarize yourself with the main list of contaminants to which this thing is most often exposed. Since each variety requires a specific approach, the information provided will allow you to save a lot of time and effort. Here are just the most common stains found on leather jackets:
- ordinary dirt after rain;
- stains from decorative cosmetics;
- ballpoint pen marks;
- paint;
- fat.
It is not difficult to guess that the complexity and method of disposal of each of these species will be different. For example, if you want to get rid of the usual dirt on the lock or pocket, which was formed as a result of falling to the ground after rain, then you should use ordinary warm water with soap. But if you want to get rid of fat or paint, then you can not do without the use of chemicals. Moreover, they must be used with extreme care, so that chemistry in no way corrodes expensive skin.
Cleaning method for thin and soft skin
Before you start cleaning a white leather jacket or a jacket made of very delicate material, it is strongly recommended that you choose the right stain remover. It is strictly forbidden to use a chemical solvent, even if a stain in the form of a paint has formed on the outer clothing. In this case, only a professional product that is used in dry cleaners can help.
However, if the jacket has a stain of a different origin, then you can try to remove it using a natural remedy. The algorithm of actions will be described below:
- Mix in water in equal proportions potato starch and chalk.
- After the formation of a thick mass, apply the resulting product to the stain.
- We stand the "sour cream" for several hours, after which we wipe it with a napkin.
This method will “take” most of the spots, especially if they are not too stubborn. However, if he did not help, it is best to contact a dry cleaner for professional help, since experiments with delicate skin can end very poorly.
Can I clean my jacket with gas?
Judging by online reviews, you can clean a leather jacket at home with a small amount of gasoline. This is especially true when the item is contaminated with paint or another chemical substance. However, this procedure should be carried out with extreme caution, in a well-ventilated area and only on those things that are made of genuine pigskin.
Do not forget that gasoline has a rather specific smell that can soak into your thing. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to immediately treat the jacket with soapy water after cleaning. However, if you do not want to risk an expensive thing, then you can use medical alcohol instead of gasoline. The effect will not be so strong, but ethanol will very quickly disappear.
Baking soda for all occasions
Many people wonder whether it is possible to wash a leather jacket and how to clean an expensive item on their own. The answer is quite simple: in most cases it is impossible to wash a jacket in a typewriter, as this can harm the skin. However, no one forbids the use of folk remedies that help fight even stubborn stains on things.
It is best to clean a leather jacket with a regular soda solution. Or you can completely moisten a sponge in water, and then sprinkle it with soda and begin to get rid of the stain. However, this must be done very carefully - great physical effort can damage the outer clothing. After cleaning, you can treat the surface with table vinegar, which not only “eats” all the remaining soda, but also gives the jacket an extra shine.
Onion Against Stubborn Stains
If you prefer to clean a leather jacket only with folk remedies, we recommend that you try the head of a regular onion. The juice of this root crop ideally eliminates sunken spots. And if you are afraid of an unpleasant smell, then ordinary soapy solution will cope with it without any problems.
If you do not have a bulb at home, then you can replace it with beaten egg white. This method can be repeated several times until there is no trace of the stain. In this case, you can absolutely not worry about your thing. Protein perfectly eliminates even ingrained fat and ordinary dirt.
How to clean the collar?
Now you know several ways to clean a leather jacket at home. However, in order for the cleaning procedure to be as safe as possible for the item, it must be borne in mind that each part must be handled in a special way. Here's how, for example, to clean a collar that is so exposed to soiling? This is exactly what we’ll talk about later.
We lay out the jacket on a flat surface and straighten the collar. If you decide to use medical alcohol or gasoline, it is best to moisten a few cotton pads in the substance, and also use protective gloves so as not to get irritation on the skin. The collar should be handled with very gentle movements, since in most cases the skin in this place is much thinner than in the rest.
We clean fasteners, sleeves, pockets
Various hard-to-reach areas can be difficult to clean, but they are subject to almost daily contamination. It is enough to stick dirty hands in your pocket or button them with a button, after which they get a rather unpleasant appearance. In this case, the cleaning procedure is carried out similarly to the collar, but with greater intensity. To get to a difficult area, you can use an old toothbrush or a toothpick. If you carry out such a procedure at least once a month, then your jacket will always look like new.
Erase Lining
How to wash a leather jacket at home with your hands or in a typewriter? This can only be done if your item has a detachment of the lining from the main part. The inside of the jacket can get dirty no worse than the outside, so it should also be cleaned or washed from time to time.
If you decide to do all the work with your hands, you can treat the lining with soap and water with the addition of a small amount of powder and fabric softener. Cleaning should be done with a soft brush or sponge so as not to tear the fabric.
In the case of a washing machine, everything is much simpler. Just disconnect the lining from the jacket and erase it in the mode shown on the label inside. If you cut it long ago, then use a delicate wash with a water temperature of no higher than 30 ° C. Otherwise, you risk ruining the lining.
Sleeve, front and back cleaning
How to clean a leather jacket and give it shine, you already know. However, the technology for cleaning the most frequently polluted areas has still remained undisclosed. So how to wash your outerwear with soapy water or other means?
It all depends on the nature of the damage. If this is ordinary dirt, then it will be enough to wipe the surface with a sponge. However, it will be necessary to remove difficult spots with a soft brush. After this, it is necessary to moisten the sponge in clean water and get rid of soapy stains, and then hang the jacket on the balcony for ventilation.
As for the sleeves, special care should be taken with them. In these places, the skin erases quite quickly, so if you clean your old jacket with a rough brush, you can peel off the skin, after which the thing will become worthless.
How to deal with specific pollution?
How to clean leather jackets in dry cleaning? First, the nature of the contamination is revealed, after which the appropriate method for cleaning outerwear is selected. This is especially difficult if the contaminants are of a specific origin, for example, a blood stain or a paste from a ballpoint pen. What to do to a person who does not have dry cleaning in the city? You will find the answer in the list below.
- Blood. Clotted blood is much more difficult to eliminate than fresh. The worst enemy of such "blots" is hydrogen peroxide, but before you start cleaning, you need to test the substance, since it can change the color of the product. Blood stains can also be eliminated with regular aspirin. Just dissolve one tablet of this drug in a glass of water (250 milliliters).
- Ball pen. Eliminating such pollution is not as difficult as it might seem the first time. The best tool is considered medical alcohol and heated glycerin, mixed in a 1: 1 ratio. We moisten a cotton pad in such a solution, and then we treat the problem area with it. You can also optionally pour a little moist table salt on the stain, then erase it, and treat the product with a soap solution.
- Salt stains. What works best with salt? Right, regular table vinegar. To clean a leather jacket, it is necessary to moisten a cotton pad in it and treat it with a dirty surface. A soap solution may also be suitable. To do this, mix 1 liter of water and about 30 grams of chips.
As you can see, even the most problematic spots can be dealt with without much effort. To do this, it is enough to know what spots and how to display. Therefore, if you decide to clean your jacket, then for a start, be sure to read the theoretical information, and only then proceed to practice. Otherwise, you can simply ruin an expensive thing.
Video and conclusion
We hope our article helped you better understand how and how to clean a leather jacket. I would also like to recommend you to watch a short video in which the author talks about another effective way to clean a leather product at home. In addition, in it you will learn how to distinguish skin types with the help of simple manipulations with water. This will allow for better cleaning of your product.
There are many ways to clean a leather jacket. The choice of methodology should be completely based on the nature of the pollution. Also, one should not forget about problem areas that require careful care. If you carry out cleaning of outerwear in accordance with all the rules, then it will serve you for many years.