Leather Help

Leather Care Made Simple

Leather care is a subject I am asked about all time. So, let's first of all, take a look at the 2 main things that destroy or speed up the deterioration of leather upholstery:

Now, independent leather testing authorities have carried out extensive tests to find out what destroys leather and here's what they discovered: many ordinary household chemicals dramatically reduced the life of leather upholstery.

Some of these chemicals are:

They also discovered that many care products sold to consumers for leather, in fact did more harm than good! Ouch! Many of these products contain bees wax, silicone and other surfactants.

You see, what happens is, these products will eat away at your leather finish, undoing the binders that hold the finish resins together . . . severely reducing the life expectancy of your leather.

So, if you want to avoid any leather restorationwork on your leather, it really pays to understand what it is you are dealing with.

Now, the same leather testing authority tested many leather care products and they found that virtually ALL of them failed in varying degrees . . . except one. This particular one not only passed with flying colours . . . it was found to DOUBLE the life of the leather finish when used as directed! To find out more, have a look at Leather Care Products.

Automobile Leather Care

Automobile leather care can be a very touchy subject with many car owners.

Here's an example that immediately comes to mind:

A man with a MK2 Jaguar came to see me some time ago. He was very proud of the fact that he regularly oiled the leather upholstery in his car, to keep it supple. Yes, he certainly oiled them all right . . . with 20-40 engine oil! When I explained to him that engine oil had completely ruined his leather, he went rather pale. He then told me that the guys in his car club recommended it! Oh dear!

Even saddle soap, house hold detergents and many leather care products sold for automobiles, will actually speed up the deterioration of your leather.

You see, it's critical to understand that the colour of your leather is a very thin film on the surface. It is made up of binders and resins that are not bullet proof. When these products are applied to your leather, they leave a residue on the surface which slowly etches in, and chemically undoes the binders and resins resulting in the colour breaking down and wearing off.

That's why I don't recommend ANY care products that haven't been thoroughly tested and approved . . . doing so could result in termination of any leather warranties.

If you are serious about keeping your leather upholstery in top condition, I highly recommend the Pelle Leather Care Products. These products can be used on BOTH lounge AND auto leather. The process of Leather Cleaning and Leather Conditioning is exactly the same for ALL top finished leathers. Simple!

General Leather Care Advice

Here are some general leather care instructions recommended by the tanneries