What Happens When Leather Gets Wet?
Your leather jacket or precious leather laptop bag can be your favorite accessories to carry to the office every other day. Considering the ever so unpredictable Australian weather, there are higher chances that the sun is shining in the morning so you don't carry an umbrella but when you leave the office to get home, it suddenly starts to rain. What happens then? If you’re a leather enthusiast, you’d know that water can ruin real leather. However, we won’t let you give up on your favorite piece of accessory without a fight. Here’s what you can do to bring it back to life in case it’s been exposed to water damage.
How To Deal With Rain-damaged Leather?
Although leather can survive small amounts of water droplets, however, if there’s been a storm and your jacket is soaked, the first thing you must do is tap dry with a piece of cloth gently. Let it rest at room temperature to fully dry. In order to remove dust or any dirt, you can use the leather cleaner as well. Once it’s dry, use your hand or a dry piece of cloth to apply the leather conditioner. It will help keep the leather from getting stiff. Hang your leather jacket for 2-3 hours so that the conditioner is fully absorbed.
How Do You Fix Water-damaged Leather?
Water can leave stubborn spots on your leather products especially if they’re of a dark color. In that case, once your jacket is fully dried, take a piece of dry cloth and dip it in lukewarm water, and gently rub it on the spot. If that doesn’t work, mix leather cleaner into the water and make a cleaning solution and do the rubbing. Make sure to apply conditioner once the leather is dry. One of the most common mistakes people make is to expose their leather accessories to the sun when they get wet. Remember, too much heat can do more harm than good.
Will Leather Shrink If It Gets Wet?
Some people use water to shrink their leather clothing on purpose for better fitting. So the answer to this question is, Yes.
Yes, your leather jacket can shrink when it gets wet. A common misconception is that using a hairdryer or exposing your wet leather jacket to the sun can help. In fact, in reality, using heat on wet leather can actually shrink it down to a size Small from Medium. In order to avoid such a catastrophic situation. make sure to keep your precious luxury leather accessories away from water.
How Do You Get The Moisture Out Of Leather?
That’s the tricky part. Leather is basically animal skin that requires a certain amount of moisture to keep its shape and texture. However, too much moisture can ruin the leather. So if your jacket gets wet, make sure to tap dry all the access water and then let it dry at room temperature. Using a hairdryer or hanging it in the heat can lead to cracking and tearing.
No doubt leather is a luxurious and durable material that can serve you for a really long time. But you need to take care of it and avoid water, heat, and dust exposure to keep it as good as new for a lifetime. Make sure to use a leather cleaner once in a while to wipe off all the dirt followed by applying conditioner and moisturizer to maintain the texture.
