Sticky Leather? Here is How to Take Care

Have you ever tried to clean a suede or leather item that has been stained by a drink spilling over it? When that happens, it can leave behind an awful sticky residue.

While leather jackets are known for their durability and overall strength, they also have a tendency to collect dirt and grime. When dust and moisture become sandwiched between the fibers without being able to escape, it causes a sticky buildup to occur. This buildup is common in a variety of leather products including jackets, belts, gloves, bags and shoes.

Anyone who owns a full-grain leather jacket can attest that dry cleaning can be quite expensive because it requires hand-washing or sending the garment to the cleaners. In many cases it's time consuming as well as expensive.

So what do people do? They turn to other options such as using wipe on conditioners, polishes and cleaners which will temporarily fix the problem but does nothing to actually restore the jacket back to original conditions. You may have also heard of people using hairspray as a way to remove the stickiness from leather.

This is a great temporary fix, but this article will tell you how to remove stickiness on point.

How to fix sticky leather?

Well before fixing it you must know the sources of stickiness! Trust me it will be super handy, at least you can avoid them or be extra careful.

Being a woman I know how important leather products are. Sadly, I have not been able to maintain my leather goods for a long time. If you haven’t noticed it already, there are some basic everyday things that can damage leather. Just try it out one by one, if you are very curious about the problems of your leather products, the source of stickiness is not far away!

• Spills

Even little spills may appear to evaporate quickly, but they could leave behind a sticky deposit (such as soda syrup), or just the wetness itself can cause the leather to feel greasy.

• Body oil

Sweat and other body oils can also contribute to a sticky sofa, especially during the summer.

• Conditioning

If you used too much of the solutions the previous time you treated your leather item, the extra conditioner might cause it to feel sticky.

See, too much of anything is bad!

• Sunlight

Sunlight, or really any intense heat, does not blend well with leather. If your bag or jacket receives a lot of direct sunshine or is near a heat source, this might be causing your leather to get sticky. The warm and humid weather might possibly be to blame.

Now comes the fixing part.

• Cleaning up spills

There is usually a perfect answer to every problem, and in the case of dealing with spills on leather to keep it from getting sticky or clammy, the remedy is very simple.

In the event of a spill, all you have to do is clean it up right away. When dealing with new spills, avoid using dry towels to merely wipe away the liquid. Instead, wipe the liquid with a wet towel to prevent liquids like soda or coffee from seeping into the pores of the leather.

In other cases, you may overlook spills when they occur, especially if the accident was caused by a youngster. For such old spills, use a leather saddle soap and warm water to clean it up. If you're interested in purchasing this leather saddle soap, you may do so on Amazon.

Finally, while spills damage both genuine and synthetic leather, natural leather is more affected owing to its pores.

• Removing body oils

This problem can be solved, but unlike typical spills, body oils can be difficult to remove.

To clean this condition, you will need to apply a leather cleaner, such as mild saddle soap, a clean towel, and warm water right away.

You just massage your water and saddle soap solution gently over the afflicted areas, then quickly air-dry with a clean cloth.

Once dried, treat the leather using a leather conditioner to recover the oils that were lost while cleaning.

• Too much conditioner

Many of us like caring for our leather things, particularly when we see the beautiful transformation and recovery that occurs when conditioners are applied to the leather item. However, if we put too much conditioner on our leather goods, the excess that the leather pore cannot absorb causes the leather item to become stuck.

Conditioning is something you do to natural leather, namely, to keep its natural oils and keep it from getting dry.

Conditioning leather should ideally be done once or twice a year, depending on how much use the leather item receives.

To prevent over conditioning leather products, stick to the conditioning regimen, which will not include daily, weekly, or quarterly conditioning timetables. Over conditioning occurs when your leather products are conditioned on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

You also don't want to use too much leather conditioner on the leather. You must adhere to the exact amount necessary to be applied every session.

If you realise that you have applied too much conditioner to your leather item, blot it off.

If you're not sure, clean the leather surface fully and carefully to remove any conditioner ingredients you may have used previously, and then reapply the conditioner exactly as per the directions on the leather conditioner box once you're through cleaning.

• Remedy for sunlight damages

Direct sunlight has a detrimental impact on leather. At home, you wouldn't want to place your leather furniture in areas of the house where the sun shines directly on it or other heat sources or your bags in a dark-dry place.

Excessive heat is bad for leather because it causes the natural oils in the leather to develop a sticky film on the surface, making it feel damp when handled.

Placement is critical in this case. That is, where you store your leather things is critical.

Leather products should be stored in cool, dry, and well-ventilated areas.

If there is nothing you can do about the location and exposure of leather objects that get a lot of sun, such as purses, shoes, and watches, you may apply this leather UV protection to prevent UV degradation.

Read More: Who Makes The Best Leather Bags For Men.