Leather jackets have earned their popularity and reputation for their evergreen stylish appearance and durable construction offering protection from the wind, cold, and rain. Although the average person living in modern times is unlikely to push the leather jacket to its limits, it can still take quite a beating and is bound to get dirty at some point. Knowing how to clean a leather jacket is key not only to making sure it keeps looking great, but also to preserving its natural qualities and extending its lifespan.
Whether you are thinking about buying a new leather jacket, or need some help with maintaining your trusty long-time companion, we will walk you through the process and try to provide you with a comprehensive answer to the question “How to clean a leather jacket?”
1. Prepare the Surface You Will Be Working on
The logical first step. Whether you will be cleaning your jacket on a table or with it hanging on a coat hanger, you need to make sure the area around it or the surface it is on is clean. After all, you don’t want dust or dirt anywhere near it once you start cleaning.
It is also a good idea to prepare everything you need at this point and have all the products within arms reach. This includes a couple of clean cloths, the cleaning product of your choice, and a quality leather conditioner.
2. Dust the Jacket
Use a soft damp cloth or a horsehair brush to remove dust and dirt from the leather surface. Make sure you use gentle motions and focus on the parts where dust and dirt tend to build up – the seams and corners.
Once you’ve dusted the jacket and removed surface dirt, you are ready to move to the next step and start cleaning those harder-to-deal-with stains.
3. Cleaning Your Leather Jacket
There are several different products you can use to clean a leather jacket. You should check the labels on the inside, as they often have some useful information and instructions for cleaning and maintaining your leather garment.
Depending on the type of leather, you can use a mild soap and water solution for soft leather, methylated spirits for antique leather, or good old saddle soap – a great option for most leather types, except suede and nubuck. If you want to learn more about using saddle soap to clean jackets or other leather products, you can read our guide on how to use saddle soap. You can also use a 2:1 mix of olive oil and lemon juice for a quick wipe-down if your jacket isn’t too dirty.
Whichever product you opt for, you would be well advised to start with a small amount and increase it gradually as needed, paying special attention to those tough stains. In order to make sure you don’t miss any spots and maximize your effectiveness, it’s a good idea to segment the leather surface in your mind and proceed to clean them one by one.
Once you’ve applied the leather cleaning solution or product to the entire surface of your jacket and tended to all the stains and dirt, use a clean dry cloth to wipe it dry. Your leather jacket should now be clean and ready for conditioning.
4. Conditioning the Leather
Water and most cleaning solutions will deprive leather of its natural oils along with removing stains and dirt. This is why conditioning is a vital step in your leather maintenance routine. As soon as you are done cleaning, grab a bottle of quality leather conditioner and apply it with gentle circular motions to the entire leather surface. To avoid applying too much, start small and increase the amount gradually.
Once again, grab a piece of clean cloth and gently wipe off any excess leather conditioner. Leave the jacket to dry naturally, away from heat sources, preferably overnight.
Conditioning your jacket from time to time, especially after cleaning it, will go a long way in keeping it soft and supple. In addition, the ingredients of leather creams and oils will provide your leather jacket with essential moisture and make it more resistant to the elements, thus extending its lifespan.
So, the leather is now clean and conditioned, and our work is done, right? Well, in most cases yes, however, you might want to consider cleaning the jacket lining from time to time.
How to Wash a Leather Jacket Lining?
Although it is invisible from the outside and cleaning it will have no effect on your leather jacket’s properties, the lining should also be washed from time to time, as it can develop an unpleasant smell otherwise.
When it comes to cleaning the inside of a leather jacket, the process is pretty simple:
Mix some delicate fabrics detergent with warm water and apply the solution to the lining using a soft cloth. For easier access, you can hang your jacket inside out. Make sure the cloth you are using is just damp by wringing it out and scrub the inside of your jacket with it thoroughly.
When washing, focus on the armpits, cuffs, and the collar, as these are the areas that are the most likely to need some refreshing. Once you have cleaned the entire lining, use a damp cloth to remove the last traces of soap and leave the jacket to dry hanging inside out.
How Much Does it Cost to Clean a Leather Jacket?
The cost of having your leather jacket cleaned by a professional will depend primarily on the jacket size. On the other hand, you can do it yourself by following our DIY guide and putting in some elbow grease.
Can I Wash My Leather Jacket?
You should never machine wash a leather jacket, as it would most likely result in the leather cracking and drying out, as well as shrinking. Instead, either take it to a professional or use leather cleaning products at home.
BONUS: 10 Tips to Keep Your White Leather Jacket Bright
Are you thinking about buying a white leather jacket? While most people choose leather jackets in a traditional color, such as brown or black, others prefer a more modern color, with white being a popular alternative. A white leather jacket will add a uniquely stylish touch to your appearance. And because of its bright tone, it will naturally reflect sunlight to keep you cool and comfortable during the spring and summer months. If you’re planning to purchase a white leather jacket, though, you should follow these 10 tips to keep it bright.
#1) Store Indoors
I know this probably sounds like common sense, but it’s still worth mentioning that you should store your white leather jacket indoors. If you leave it outside for long periods at a time, it may fade to a darker, dingier tone. Storing your white leather jacket indoors ensures that it’s protected against ultraviolet (UV) sunlight, which could otherwise cause it to fade.
#2) Choose Cleaning Products Wisely
Before using any new cleaning product on your white leather jacket, read the label to ensure that it’s safe for leather. Not all stain removing products are safe for leather. Even if they work with other common fabrics, including cotton and wool, they could cause permanent damage to a leather jacket. And because white leather shows stains more easily than leather in other, darker colors, you should err on the side of caution by only using leather-safe cleaning products. If a cleaning product doesn’t say “safe for leather,” don’t use it on your white leather jacket.
#3) Spot Clean When Dirty
While speaking about cleaning, it’s a good idea to spot clean your white leather jacket when it’s dirty. What is spot cleaning exactly? Spot cleaning refers to selectively cleaning dirty areas of a garment rather than washing or cleaning the whole garment. If your white leather jacket has a small blemish on the front, for example, you can blot that area with a damp washcloth to clean it.
#4) Go for Quality
You’ll get a bigger bang for your buck by choosing a high-quality white leather jacket over a low-quality one. The quality of a leather jacket is typically, at least partially, reflected by its price. Cheap leather jackets tend to cost less than premium, well-made leather jackets. But you shouldn’t try to save a couple bucks by choosing a low-quality leather jacket, especially if it’s white. It may look fine at first, but over time the otherwise bright white color will fade to a darker and less-attractive tone.
By choosing a high-quality white leather jacket, such as the Pure Leather Biker Jacket sold here at LeatherCult, you can rest assured knowing that it won’t easily fade.
#5) Don’t Distress It
Some people prefer the aged look of distressed white leather jackets. As with other distressed garments, distressed jackets feature intentional areas of wearing. Distressing can make your white leather jacket look older or even vintage, but it’s not always the best idea. If you distress a white leather jacket by buffing it with sandpaper, you may strip away the heavily dyed outer layer of leather, leaving behind a darker and more faded layer of leather. To preserve the bright tone of your white leather jacket, don’t distress it.
#6) Hydrate It With a Conditioner
You can also retain the bright tone of your white leather jacket by hydrating it with a conditioning product. Leather conditioning products are designed specifically for hydrating leather. In other words, they contain water, as well as other ingredients, that protect leather jackets from severe dryness. If you don’t use a conditioning product on your white leather jacket, it may dry out. And over time, severe dryness can cause your white leather jacket to crack open, resulting in a darker, dingier appearance.
#7) Line Dry When Wet
If your white leather jacket gets wet, don’t place it in your clothes dryer. Instead, hang it on a line to dry. With that said, it’s recommended that you line dry your white leather jacket indoors so that it’s not directly exposed to the sunlight. A simple way to line dry a damp or wet leather jacket is to hang it from a shower curtain rod. After leaving it on a shower curtain rod for a few hours, it should be dry and ready to wear.
#8) Store It in a Shaded Area
In addition to storing your white leather jacket indoors, you should also store it in a shaded area. In other words, don’t store it by a window where it’s directly exposed to sunlight. Leather jackets can still fade when exposed to sunlight beaming through a glass window. It typically doesn’t happen overnight. After countless days of exposure, though, a white leather jacket can fade to a darker tone. By storing your white leather in a shaded area, such as a closet, it won’t be exposed to the sunlight. As a result, it will retain its original bright-white color.
#9) Don’t Bleach It
Bleaching may sound like an easy and effective way to restore or increase the brightness of a white leather jacket, it typically does more harm than good. Bleach, even laundry bleach, is a strong, harsh chemical. When used on a white leather jacket, it may create patches of discoloration. Granted, some areas of your jacket may be brighter than before, but others could feature a rainbow of colors, which isn’t particularly attractive. Unless you’re willing to take this change (which you shouldn’t), don’t bleach your white leather jacket.
#10) Wear Dark Clothes With It
While this won’t necessarily preserve the original, bright tone of your white leather jacket, it can create the appearance of a brighter jacket. If you wear dark clothes with your white leather jacket, such as a black t-shirt, your jacket will look brighter. This is because dark colors, including black, contrast with white. Therefore, wearing dark clothes with a white leather jacket will make your jacket look brighter and more visible.