Leather is meant to be a decadent indulgence for the senses: the rich, heady aroma; its soft, luxurious resiliency; the beautiful, opulent finish—but only if cared for properly. Clues of neglect are cracks, fading and leather that is brittle to the touch. Not the treat it’s meant to be, leather in this condition is an eyesore at best and beyond hope for reparation.
What is proper leather care? Good leather care is equivalent to good skin care. Leather consists of thousands and thousands of intertwined fibers, with penetrable pores throughout—just like skin. Proper maintenance starts with cleaning the fibers. Cleaning removes fiber-severing abrasives and pore clogging dirt and dust, both of which will breakdown the leather over time and give it a less than pleasing texture and appearance.
The next step, probably even more important (as long as you’re already neat and tidy with your leather), is conditioning. This nourishes and moisturizes to lubricate individual fibers, keeping them from becoming brittle and dry. It replaces essential, natural oils that evaporate. How can you tell a good conditioner? A good conditioner will offer UV protection. Like human skin, ultra-violet rays will quickly cause deterioration of the leather and shorten its lifespan significantly. A good conditioner will be absorbed into the leather, not sit atop the surface or leave residue behind. The surface should not be oily after application. The very best conditioners are pH balanced, have stain repellants, waterproofing agents to protect from accidents.
Inexpensive leather cleaners and conditioners will contain petroleum distillates, silicon or silicon oils, and gloss agents that deliver an inferior, greasy finish that does nothing for the leather, and transfers to anything that the leather comes in contact with. These chemicals are harmful to your leather. That brings me to the subject of saddle soap. It’s a popular notion that saddle soap is a good cleaner and conditioner. It is neither, that’s why you won’t find any available through our site. Saddle soap originates from the 1800s as a product used in the final stages of tanning hides. A currier used the emulsion of oil in soap (saddle soap) to work into the leather to soften and condition it. The reason it doesn’t make a good conditioner is because it’s alkaline, not pH balanced. There are better modern emulsions which penetrate, soften and condition with greater ease and stability. (To read more about the myth of saddle soap click here.)
If your car has a leather interior, obviously you have good taste and you care about the finer things in life. Leather can’t care for itself, so I’ve taken pains to locate and offer the best in leather care products to help you help your leather. A few minutes every few months should be plenty of time to extend the good health of your leather for years to come. This tiny bit of sacrifice will pay off big in the end—and your leather will look, smell and feel great!