Cleaning and Conditioning Leather

by Mistress Michelle Peters

Knowledge about what constitutes proper cleaning and conditioning of antique leathers is the key to either increasing the value of a collectable or rendering it worthless. It is important to understand that different tanning processes produce different types of leather which require different care. Preserving leather depends upon cleaning and conditioning the fibers to maintain their integrity and flexibility. If leather is never cleaned and conditioned, sunlight and the atmosphere take their toll. This is especially true of leather in some museum collections that has been illuminated under glass for decades where one would assume that it is well protected. All leather that does not receive periodic conditioning is subject to dry rot. With dry rot, waxes and oils migrate inward leaving the surface of the leather dry and subject to cracking, and dry rot is accelerated in hot dry atmospheres.

The best time to clean and condition, cleaning removes dust, dirt, salt and all manner of foreign material from the grain and flesh sides of the leather.

The conditioning process is one of applying various saddle soaps, waxes and oils in light coats over several days to several weeks so that all of the internal leather fibers are lubricated. Every day or two conditioners are applied and allowed to penetrate. There are no set rules or guidelines for which conditioner to use other than experience, knowledge of what has worked on old leather in the past, and what the leather being worked is telling you.

I do not mean to discourage collectors from doing cleaning and conditioning, but I do recommend that they get a thorough professional job done first. The cycle of the conditioners reacting with the atmosphere continues and leather will need periodic cleaning and conditioning. How often depends on where you live and how you house your collection. If you live in a hot humid and polluted area, an annual cleaning and light conditioning my be appropriate. On the other hand, if you live where the air is relatively clean, cool and dry, dusting and a light conditioning may suffice for several years. The best guide for frequency of cleaning and conditioning is to look at and feel the leather in question.

Finally, never put lacquer (Neat-Lac, Saddle-Lac, Lac-Kote etc.) on antique leathers. Lacquers produce a nice high gloss finish, but conditioners will not penetrate through them and laquers are extremely difficult to remove.