When it comes to leather products, it is always important to keep them clean and protected. As we all know, leather is a very expensive material, so keeping it in great condition should be one of your highest priorities. If you haven’t started using leather conditioner on your leather products, there is no need to worry! This article will go through everything you need to know about the benefits of using a leather cleaner conditioner.
The Durability of Leather
Leather is one of the most durable materials on the market right now. This is especially true for garments. Leather jackets, leather pants, even trendy leather shirts are all made of a material that can potentially last for many decades.
This is why you will find so many vintage leather products on the market right now. You certainly won’t find any cotton or linen products from decades ago in like-new condition as ins the case with many vintage leather products.
To ensure that your leather products are able to withstand the test of time with flying colors, using a leather cleaner conditioner is so important.
In addition, when it comes to things such as leather seating in your vehicle or your leather couch, it’s important to protect and maintain it properly.
In addition to the fact that leather is so durable, it is also very smooth and extremely comfortable. You certainly want to maintain that soft and smooth feel that new leather has for as long as possible. Whether it be in the seating of your brand new sports car or for the beautiful new leather couch you have ordered, properly using conditioner on it is extremely important.
What A Conditioner Does
The main thing that a leather conditioner does to these products is it cleans it. The chemicals found inside the conditioner are able to infiltrate any dirt and grime on the leather product, and safely remove it. Over time, almost everything will gather dirt and grime. This is especially true for leather, which can often be a grime and dirt magnet due to the composition of its material. Thankfully, dirt and grime can easily be cleaned and dealt with using a proper conditioner.
Another great aspect that comes with the use of a cleaning conditioner specifically for leather is the fact that it can help preserve it. As we have discussed above, one of the great features of leather is the fact that it is so smooth and comfortable. Of course, if you don’t maintain leather it will turn hard and rigid. To avoid having leather deteriorate to this point, a gentle application of conditioner will make sure that the material will be preserved in its new and natural condition for the foreseeable future.
On top of that, using conditioner means that the leather will also be strengthened. Indeed, you can even improve the quality of your leather by generously applying conditioner to it. There are certain chemicals found in these conditioners that are able to bind to leather and make it more durable and stronger than ever. It would be very smart to use this on leather garments such as jackets to ensure that they will be stronger and durable for many years to come.
For items such as as leather car seats, realize that it will be exposed to sunlight for a prolonged period of time. Much like how sunlight can damage skin, it can significantly damage untreated leather. Leather conditioner has anti-UV (ultra-violet) properties which block out harmful UV radiation emitted from the sun which causes the leather to become hard and rigid (it’s like sunblock for leather). By making sure to apply a conditioner yearly to leather car seats, you will be able to maintain the highest quality seats for years to come.
Dangers of Using Olive Oil as a Conditioner
Many leather care websites’ articles recommend Olive Oil and other oils such as Linseed(Flaxseed) etc. as a DIY Cure-All for treating a host of leather ailments, ranging from dryness, to odor, stains and scratches. The mythical properties of Olive Oil undoubtedly originated from the widespread practice of using it to oil horse saddles and baseball gloves etc in the past.
Olive oil does appear to make leather more suppler but you are trading short-term gain for long-term pain. Olive Oil and the other oils not only deceive you into believing they “nourish” your leather goods, they further set you up by accelerating its deterioration and eventual demise.
Unprotected Leather is inherently extremely permeable and readily absorbs any oils and liquids it comes into contact with. If you apply Olive oil, even sparingly, it seeps deep into the leather and spreads everywhere, it eventually resurfaces over time and then you end up with unsightly oil spots. In addition, the Olive oil frequently reacts with the leather to emit a funny smell and you end up with additional odors instead of eliminating the original bad odor.
When that happens, you have no choice but to engage a leather professional cleaner because the oil is embedded deep within the leather and no cleaning product or equipment that is able to tackle this problem is available to the general public.
Although a leather professional may be able to give your leather a deep cleansing to remove most of the oil, more often than not, even the professionals are unable to fully repair the damage done. So stay away from all these so called “kitchen oils” and stick only with the commercial conditioners to give you Peace of Mind.
Conclusion
For all of the benefits discussed in this article, you will be happy to know that a leather cleaner conditioner is very cheap and affordable. For about $20 you can make sure that all of your leather products look perfect for a long time!
This article has shown you the amazing benefits that come with utilizing a specialized conditioner. Leather truly is an amazing material that has the potential to be look great for decades to come, so it’s important to treat it with the respect it deserves by properly maintaining it.