Are your leather goods lacking luster? Winter weather can take a toll on our leather goods. Often we feel the dryness on our lips and skin but forget to care for the more benign objects around us. After a while we start to see an aging effect on leather goods and I'm here to remind you that a little buffing and conditioning can go a long way to preserve and prolong your favorite bags and accessories. It's not rocket science, just a little rub down will do the trick!
Below I'm going to give you a few of my favorite products that I personally use to breathe new life into my leather. There are no affiliate links here, but I'm freely adding these to give you a good go-to resource for reference.
If things need a little sprucing up, I'll often apply some Saddle Soap
Saddle Soap is a great product for cleaning. You'll want to apply it with a damp rag and rub with a polishing motion until you're happy with the result. The great thing about this is that it will also condition your products and protect them. It works great for light cleaning and overall dinginess.
My other go-to product for polishing and finishing is called Aussie. This product has the look and feel of Vasoline and goes on like lotion. I use a dry rag to apply and work it into the leather for an even polished finish. I like this because it isn't runny but it's also not too thick. I can easily apply it to an entire bag with little effort and it's a nice even application.
My recommendation is to treat everyday goods once every couple of months. If they need cleaned or refinished more often I do so! Otherwise, I will condition larger things like furniture a couple of times a year. If your environment is on the drier side feel free to treat your leather more frequently.
A note about stains and spots. Often I will hear from people asking about my recommendations for cleaning stains such as water stains or ink stains. The sad reality is that there is not a great solution to perfectly restore leather that has been stained, BUT either of the above options will definitely improve your leather and sometimes it will even it out well enough to conceal the stains in question.
The moral of this story is if you love your leather, it will love you back! Now is a great time to give it a little boost through conditioning and cleaning. As always, if you have any specific questions you can always reach out and I will respond with my best advice.