Is it possible to wash a leather jacket in a typewriter or at least manually?

Beautiful, stylish and practical leather clothing has a special place in the wardrobe of both men and women. Like any other clothing, genuine leather jackets and raincoats get dirty over time and lose their attractive appearance, which can only be returned by local cleaning. It is not recommended to wash a leather jacket either in a typewriter or by hand. Another thing is if the product is made of artificial leather. In this case, things can be washed both manually and automatically, but certain conditions must be observed.

Why is it impossible to wash a leather jacket?

For tailoring jackets usually use skins of merino or coarse-haired sheep. Natural material is subjected to a special finish, which includes several stages:

1. salt treatment - prevents decay during long-term transportation;
2. tanning - the process is aimed at the destruction of bacteria;
3. coloring - gives the skin the desired shade.

To provide the skin with strength and stop the processes of protein decomposition, its pores are filled with tannin. Depending on the type of tanning, this can be willow or oak bark, fats of marine animals and fish, and chromium compounds. Sometimes tanning agents are combined.

A real leather jacket is afraid of exposure to water and detergents. If genuine leather is washed in a machine with the addition of washing powder or gel, the structure of the material will be violated, as its impregnating composition will be washed. As a result, the product will lose its softness and natural luster, the leather surface is deformed, many folds and creases will appear. The paint is likely to peel off. Recovering a damaged product will be impossible.

Despite the fact that not a single manufacturer of genuine leather jackets recommends - and, moreover, categorically prohibits - washing such products, there are craftsmen who supposedly manage to spin a thing in the washing machine and take out a clean, like new, jacket. Most likely, the thing that has been washed is not made of leather, but of leatherette, which is fairly easy to wash in the car and manually.

Genuine leather jacket cleaning

A genuine leather product will withstand only local cleaning. The collar, cuffs, pocket area, lining - that is, very dirty places - must be carefully treated with a soft sponge or a brush dampened in a soapy composition, without immersing the product in the whole water.

Here are some ways to get rid of all kinds of contaminants at home:

• A leather jacket is considered demi-season clothing, and in autumn or spring, it is especially likely to be exposed to rain or wet snow. Returning after such a walk, you need to wet a cotton towel in warm water and wipe the surface of the clothes. So it will be possible to wash away traces of raindrops, street dust and get rid of other frivolous pollution. Do not use purchased wet wipes for cleaning, as they almost always contain alcohol - they will leave matte marks on shiny material.
• The washed jacket should be left for several hours to dry. If you put on a freshly processed wet product, it may stretch.
• Using glycerin, you can mask cracks and scuffs that often appear on leather clothes after prolonged use.To do this, moisten a cotton pad with glycerin and gently wipe the damaged areas.
• A nail polish remover (only without acetone) or vegetable oil will help to cope with the stain from the paint. In the second case, it should be borne in mind that after the paint disappears, it will be necessary to remove greasy traces.
• Oil or grease stains can be removed with a mixture of potato starch and gasoline. The ingredients are taken in equal amounts, mixed to the state of the paste and applied to the place of contamination. After 10-15 minutes, when the composition is completely absorbed, the starch is shaken off and the surface of the product is wiped with a dry cloth.

Having leather clothes, it is worthwhile to purchase one of the many stain removers that are inexpensive, but can easily cope with many types of stains. For example, a PATERRA pencil to remove stains from fabric and leather.

How to tidy the lining?

The inside of the jacket is no less dirty than the outside. The fabric lining absorbs sweat and odors, therefore, periodically requires cleaning. Unlike skin, it can be washed. For this, it is necessary to gently spread the places of tissue attachment and separate the top of the product from its inner part.

It’s good if there is a label on the jacket, which indicates the composition of the lining material and indicates how to properly care for it. Otherwise, wash in a gentle mode: manually, in cool water, without aggressive detergents. After the lining has dried, it is ironed and sewn into place.

Of course, not everyone will cope with such work, since such work requires the experience and skills of a tailor. If neither one nor the other is available, it is better to take the item to the workshop, where a new lining is sewn.

The lining can be washed without separating from the jacket. To do this, do the following:

1. turn the product inside out;
2. hang the jacket on the shoulders above the bath;
3. type warm water in a basin and add a little liquid soap or gel;
4. moisten the sponge in soapy water and clean the inside of the jacket with it, moving from top to bottom;
5. when the cleaning is finished, you need to dial in a container of cold water, add 1 tbsp. l vinegar and repeat the treatment, removing residual detergent.

Having soaked the seamy cloth with a terry towel, remove excess fluid and leave the jacket to dry.

In what mode to wash an artificial leather jacket?

Saying "leather jacket", often mean a product made of leather. In fact, high-quality artificial leather is very difficult to distinguish from genuine, as these materials are so similar in structure.

Leatherette clothes can be washed in the machine and with your hands. But it is necessary to observe some rules:

• The artificial leather product is washed separately from other clothes.
• Before washing, detachable parts are unfastened, zippers and Velcro are closed, the thing is turned inside out, rolled up and placed in a bag.
• The washing mode is “Delicate” or “Wool”.
• Water temperature no more than 30 ° С.
• As a detergent, a gel for washing wool materials is used.
• The spinning machine must be turned off, and the additional rinse, on the contrary, must be turned on.

After completion of the washing machine, the jacket is removed from the drum and laid out without squeezing on the grate above the bath. When excess water drains, hang on wide shoulders with rounded ends for drying out.

At what temperature do you wash the jacket manually?

For jackets made of leatherette, gentle washing in a manual mode is better suited. Moreover, the less often you resort to such drastic measures, the longer the product will last.

The order of work:

• in a long basin, a fairly large amount of water is collected with a temperature of + 30 ° C;
• diluted liquid detergent without bleach and stain remover;
• immerse the jacket from leatherette in water and immediately, without soaking, start washing;
• wipe the lining, collar and cuffs with a soft sponge, pass along the outer surface of the jacket;
• rinse several times until the water becomes completely transparent.

The washed product is laid out on a grate to remove excess water. The jacket can be rolled up and slightly washed with your hands. Squeezing the product out of faux leather is strictly prohibited.

The jacket is dried, spread out on a horizontal surface or hung on a coat hanger, away from heaters. It is advisable that the surface of the product is not exposed to sunlight.

It is undesirable to iron leatherette, but in case of urgent need you can use an iron with a steam generator, setting the minimum temperature. Ironing is carried out through an additional layer of material and only from the inside.

How to care for leather clothes?

Leather clothes are durable, but only with proper care. If you wear things carefully, clean them and store them in time, you won’t have to deal with stained spots or bad mold.

• Using silicone or acrylic spray can make the skin more moisture resistant. Processing with this agent is carried out several times a year according to the manufacturer's instructions and taking into account the type of skin.
• To restore the fat balance of dry and rough skin, it is necessary to process leather products with a special conditioner.
• Polishing will give a shine to the jacket, but may discolor, dry or clog the surface of the skin. It should be used only when necessary, in rare cases.
• Natural skin must not be wetted, washed, or kept near an open flame.
• Soft leather hangers should be used to store leather goods. This will prevent wrinkles and stretch marks. A leather jacket is best placed in a closet where it is not too hot and there is good air circulation.

Practical and durable products made of genuine leather will for many years please the owners with their natural shine and beauty, if properly looked after. Leather clothes cannot be washed either in the machine or by hands. Local cleaning of the surface and, if necessary, washing or replacing the lining is the only way to return the contaminated product to its neat appearance.