Once you have purchased the perfect leather coat, you want to keep it looking great for seasons to come. Leather coats can be expensive, and the investment deserves a great deal of care to make sure you are wearing your signature style for years into the future. Depending on use, with preventative maintenance and proper care your leather coat can last indefinitely.
A few simple tips can help you maintain your leather coat. First, always hang leather coats on wide, padded hangers to ensure that you don't stretch or puncture corners or shoulders.
When storing your leather coat over the summer months, avoid storing leather goods in plastic bags or other non-porous covers, because leather is best preserved if it can "breathe." If clothing must be stored in a garment bag, keep it open for ventilation or choose a natural fabric garment bag. Place in a cool, dry closet to store, not in any area with excess moisture.
Always allow wet or damp leather to air dry naturally away from any source of heat, to avoid mildew build up or scorching from a heat source. To prevent mildew, protect never store your leather coat in an area with excessive humidity.
Otherwise, in a dry environment like the western states, regularly condition your leather coat to prevent drying and cracking. Apply a little leather conditioner when the leather is nearly dry to restore flexibility to your leather coat. Follow this first treatment with a full conditioning treatment after the leather has completely air dried.
Avoid using waxes, silicone, or other leather preparations on your leather coat which will impair the natural ability for the leather to breathe. Also, don't use caustic household cleaners, which can dry out or stain leather coats.
Leather coats, including traditional leather, suede, nubuck, and shearling, the skins can absorb and retain dirt if not treated or protected. While some leather treatments should be avoided because they can damage the natural skin, if you select a quality product and spot test it on an inconspicuous part of your leather coat, a treatment for waterproofing can be helpful to increase the wear of your leather coat
As to cleaning your leather coat, usually you can clean your coat once per season, with either a polish or a protecting spray. With all things in life, moderation is to be remembered, as over cleaning can lead to a build up of product on your leather coat.
If you have an unfortunate accident and spill something on your leather coat, you are best served to avoid rubbing the stain in to the grain of the leather. Always blot dry any stains. You can remove dry stains and marks by softly rubbing a pencil eraser on affected areas. There are also dry cleaners that specialize in spot treatments for stains on leather, though few will guarantee their results as stains on leather are quite difficult to remove. Bottom line - be as careful as you can to avoid the stains in the first place!
