Leather Care

Leather Care

Vegetable Tanned Leather

The aging process for this kind of leather takes time, and shows its journey through life with you, one of the joys of owning naturally tanned leather is how it changes and that it is totally unique to you, we love ours.

After a while of ownership, you will be rewarded with a development of gorgeous patina that makes your bag truly yours. Of course, as with everything that slowly changes you will probably not notice the change over time, you would need images of it new and then years later to see the changes. The development of the change depends on what type of product you have and how you use it, it stands to reason that a small, natural vegetable tanned leather wallet that is used daily will age a lot quicker than a large leather bag that is not used and handled as much, the leather will naturally absorb oils from your skin when you handle it causing some of the beautiful changes.

Whilst your full grain vegetable tanned bag should last for many years, there are still things to avoid to keep it in tip top condition and at its best, we have detailed some pointers below:

Do not get it wet if possible, particularly in the first month, it takes time for the fibres to become more flexible and when they do, they react less to the water. If you do get your bag soaked as we all have, especially living in the UK, treat your bag as you would your leather shoes, pack it out with absorbent material and let it dry slowly and naturally, do not put it by or on a radiator.

In the same vein, even when the bag is not wet, keep it away from heat sources and never blow-dry it.

Do not use brushes with synthetic bristles to clean it — only natural bristles should be used.

Conditioning - There should not be a need to condition the leather or add any products too often, but if marks appear or you feel the leather needs a refresh, you can apply a natural and neutral colour leather conditioner and very gently rub it in with a soft cloth such as a duster. Always test on a discreet area first to check you are happy with the result and be careful not to coat the stitching.

Non-water spillages - Clean any non-water spillages as soon as you can with a soft damp cloth. Dab gently to avoid damaging the leather.

Marking - Avoid contact with sharp objects to prevent deep scratching or cutting. If you do notice marks in the leather these can be gently buffed out using a soft cloth and natural and neutral leather conditioner. This said, any marks and there will be some over time, will just add to the character of your bag and make it more personal to you.

Colour transfer – Because the leather has been dyed it is possible that some colour could transfer from the dark coloured leather to lighter coloured fabrics. This is normal and not a fault, but will not happen for long if it does occur.

Storage - Ideally store away from direct sunlight in the Primo Sacchi dust bag. Filling larger soft leather bags with a soft filler when not in use will help retain shape.

 

Chrome Tanned leather

Even though chromed leather is created far quicker than vegetable tanned and is not full grain leather, it still needs some love and care. This leather will also soften and age gaining creases and marks in its journey with you, though it will not get the patina in a lot of circumstances people prefer this.

Bags of this type are more fashion orientated, Ang has far more of this type of bag that the full grained leather, one reason is cost, the other the huge range of colours that she has to choose from, to match her equally huge collection of shoes from Italy.

Essentially, the rules for care are very similar as above, the main difference that Ang finds, is that she cleans this type of bag more often, especially the lighter colours.

In this case we recommend that you use a reputable leather cleaner, however, you could use some water with a non-abrasive unscented gentle soap.

Start with the bag dry, we all know that water and leather are not the best of friends, with a clean cloth wipe away as much of the surface dirt as you are able.

Next try the same with a slightly damp cloth, if there is still more after this you can use the leather cleaner on the parts that still need attention, and use a damp cloth to clean off, repeat this as needed.

Once it is as you would like, leave it to dry naturally, as before, do not expose the leather to excessive heat as it will shrink and probably crack. If needed pack the bag out to its shape to help the drying.

Conditioning – Once it is dry you can periodically you can apply a reputable natural and neutral colour leather conditioner and very gently rub it in with a soft cloth such as a duster. Always test on a discreet area first to check you are happy with the result and be careful not to coat the stitching.

As before, if you do get your bag soaking wet during our often very wet seasons, if you do get your bag soaked treat your bag as you would your leather shoes, pack it out with absorbent material and let it dry slowly and naturally, as just stated do not put it by or on a radiator or near an excessive heat source.

It may sound obvious but avoid contact with sharp objects to prevent deep scratching or cutting, unlike a full grain vegetable tanned leather, this does not enhance the look of your bag and irreversible damage can easily be caused.

Colour transfer – As with the vegetable tanned, because the leather has been dyed it is possible that some colour could transfer from the dark coloured leather to lighter coloured fabrics, and vice versa from darker clothing to lighter leathers, we know how denim jeans can mark a light-coloured leather seat, especially in a car, and yes, the leather for car seats is chrome tanned. This is normal and not a fault, but, should not happen for long if it does occur. For my car seats I use Autoglym leather cleaner with a exfoliating glove, this seems to help agitate the blue from my jeans, from the cream seats. I then use a leather conditioner of the same brand. This is not a recomendation, just what I have found to work on my car seats. 

Non-water spillages - Clean any non-water spillages as soon as you can with a soft damp cloth. Dab gently to avoid damaging the leather.

Storage – Again, ideally store away from direct sunlight in the Primo Sacchi dust bag. Filling larger soft leather bags with a soft filler when not in use will help retain shape.

We hope that this has helped you, if you have any questions, or need any help, please do not hesitate to let us know HERE.

All the best and stay safe.

Paul and Ang