Caring For Your Leather Goods

• Begin with a light wipe down for mechanical removal of materials and loose debris
• Prepare a soft cloth with warm, but not hot water
• Add 3-5 very small drops of scent free Ivory or Dawn dish soap and very lightly pass the strap across the soft wet cloth ensuring that you clean the top, bottom, sides and hardware
• Don’t scrub the leather and don’t submerge in water
• Rather, only lightly run the cloth across your leather goods until visual contaminants stop appearing on the cloth
• Ensure to frequently clean the rag through this process
• Saddle soap and warm water is a great approach and can be applied with a soft horse hair brush
• While still wet, thoroughly apply a leather saddle conditioner – there are many reputable brands and anything that works on your car leather is a great temporary substitute
• Keep out of direct sunlight and let air dry aided by the breeze from a distant fan
• Periodically put the most-slight drop of oil on the clasp mechanism and metal surfaces. Ensure any excess is removed in its entirely (!) as these products are flammable
• Condition again
• Reassemble
• Do Good Work.
• As an extra step I really like the lanolin wax shipped with your product as a final step.

Over time the acrylic finish on your strap will fade and dull.  Some like this patina, so if that’s your bag press on with just periodic conditioning.  If that’s all that you do, your products will serve you well over your career.  However, if you crave that new high-gloss goodness, periodically applying 2-3 coats of extremely light resolene with a damp sponge will get you back to new.

After a thorough cleaning, a good approach would be:

• Saddle soap clean
• Apply saddle conditioner and let it absorb and dry for 24 hours
• Seal with light coats of resoline
• Wait 3-4 hours between coats

Resolene is tricky, and it’s a product where you can have too much of a good thing.  You need about the size of a quarter on a damp sponge and it tacks up somewhat quickly.  Sponge along the strap rubbing it in until you feel friction on the leather while trying to remove any visible bubbles or streaks from the finish.  You have a limited working time, so be careful not to “tear” the resolene finish or leave fingerprints on your work.  It’s best to tackle your piece in segments where you don’t have to pick it up or hold it.  You’ll apply more resolene to your sponge when you don’t notice a milky sheen on the leather.  As an extra step, I really like the lanolin wax shipped with your product as the final step.

If any of that fails, or don’t want the project, drop me a line and let’s see how we can get you taken care of.