Red is a stylish, as well as versatile, color in which leather jackets are made. As shown in the photo above, red leather jackets are bright and vibrant, allowing for a more attention-grabbing appearance when worn. Unfortunately, red garments tend to show stains more easily than other-colored garments. You can keep your red leather jacket looking clean and new, however, by giving it a little TLC. Just follow these maintenance tips, and you’ll be rewarded with a better-looking, longer-lasting red leather jacket.
Store It on a Clothes Hanger
When you aren’t wearing it, try to get into the habit of storing your red leather jacket on a clothes hanger. Doing so is beneficial for several reasons. First, storing your red leather jacket on a clothes hanger allows it to retain its shape. It won’t develop wrinkles or creases but, rather, its shape will stay the same. Second, storing your red leather jacket on a clothes hanger protects it from dirt, dust and debris. If you toss your red leather jacket on the floor, a table, a sofa or elsewhere in your home, it may get dirty. To keep your red leather jacket clean, you should store in a clothes hanger
Don’t just store your red leather jacket on any clothes hanger, though. For maximum protection against deformation, choose a heavy-duty clothes hanger that’s made of solid wood. Cheap clothes hangers are typically made of plastic. If you store your red leather jacket on a cheap hanger such as this, the hanger may break. And if the hanger breaks, conventional wisdom should lead you to believe that it won’t retain your red leather jacket’s shape.
Watch the Heat
Along with storing on a clothes hanger, you can preserve the integrity of your red leather jacket by keeping it away from direct or high heat. What’s wrong with a little heat exactly? As a natural material consisting of tanned animal hide, leather doesn’t tolerate heat very well. You can expose it to a little heat, but if leather is exposed to high heat or heat for a prolonged period, it may succumb to damage. Therefore, you should watch the heat with your red leather jacket.
Keep your red leather jacket away from all sources of heat. Common heat sources to which jackets are exposed include the following:
- Clothing irons
- Garment steamers
- Clothing dryers
- Space heaters
- Fireplaces
- Fire pits
- Central heating vents
- Hot water
Clean With Water and Dish Soap
Even if you store it on a clothes hanger, your red leather jacket may still get dirty. Each time you wear it, for instance, your red leather jacket will accumulate a little more debris on the surface. Eventually, this debris may manifest in the form of a superficial stain or blemish. The good news is that you can clean your red leather jacket using water and dish soap.
As previously mentioned, you shouldn’t expose your red leather jacket to hot water. To clean it, you should use lukewarm water. Run a washcloth under lukewarm water, and after soaking it, ring out any excess water. Next, place a few drops of gentle dish soap on the damp and lukewarm washcloth. You can then blot the surface of your red leather jacket with the washcloth until it’s clean. The entire process should only take a few minutes to complete, after which your red leather jacket will look like new again.
Quality Matters
When shopping for a red leather jacket, check the type of leather from which it’s made. There are over a dozen types of leather, some of which are higher quality than others. If you choose a red leather jacket made of low-quality leather, it may offer an insufficient level of utility.
Napa leather is an excellent choice for a red leather jacket. It features a finer grain than nearly all other types of leather, resulting in a superior level of softness. You can find red leather jackets available in other types of leather, but for the highest quality possible, there’s no substitution for napa leather.
Condition It
Of course, you should condition your red leather as well. Conditioning is arguably one of the most important steps to maintaining leather garments. What is conditioning exactly, and why is it important? Conditioning refers to the topical application of a hydrating product to protect genuine leather from drying out. You rub the product, known as a conditioner, onto the surface of your red leather jacket to hydrate it. Once hydrated, your red leather jacket won’t dry out.
Keep It Away From Other Garments
You should try to keep your red leather jacket away from other garments. When storing it on a clothes hanger, for example, make sure that it doesn’t touch other garments, especially those featuring a different color. If your red leather jacket touches another shirt, sweater or any other garment in a different color, it may absorb some of the garment’s dye. As a result, your red leather jacket may develop a stain. You can protect it from stains such as this by keeping your red leather jacket away from other garments, especially those featuring a different color than red.
Watch the Water
Both dehydration and overhydration can damage your red leather jacket. To protect against dehydration, you can condition your red leather jacket. To protect against overhydration, on the other hand, you’ll need to take a few basic precautions. For starters, don’t condition it too frequently. While conditioning can protect against dehydration, it can also cause overhydration if you perform it too frequently.
With that said, you can still wear your red leather jacket in the rain. A little rain shouldn’t cause any ill effect, assuming you dry your red leather jacket shortly thereafter. When you get inside, use a towel to dry any lingering rainwater off your red leather.