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Will Leather Therapy Restorer/Conditioner darken very light leathers?

The processes used to keep leather looking light-hued, including bleaching and spraying with water-based lacquers, trys to overcome leather's natural tendency to mellow with age.

Leather Therapy Restorer is not petroleum based and therefore will not significantly darken leather. For those very pale leathers, you could expect a slight deepening of the natural leather.

However, to effectively condition the saddle, while retaining the surface 'look', Restorer should be applied on the underside of the saddles' paneling. Use a paint brush to reach into tight areas.

Leather Therapy WASH (non-darkening) should be used as the maintenance cleaner/conditioner to prevent sweat and dirt build-up on leather bridles and saddles. This product will not darken -- but should be sprayed on a sponge to insure only the minimum of product is used.

Can Leather Therapy products be used on exotic leathers?

It is these combinations of exotic skins and “collector” type tooled leather pieces that our Leather Therapy products have been restoring and maintaining for years.

You’ll find that Leather Therapy WASH will clean all exotic leathers without drying or stripping. Colored leathers are therefore not compromised, but rather enriched when cleaned with a soft cloth or sponge.

Product of the Year 1997 winner, Leather Therapy Restorer/Conditioner is a most exciting product and has proven itself invaluable throughout the years as the workhorse of our product line. It works literally from the inside-out, enhancing colors, restoring flexibility, inhibiting molds and increasing the longevity of leather items. It is safe on metal, threads and skins. Be aware that some manufacturers apply a "sealant" application to protect exotics and some leathers.

Leather Therapy Restorer is used by leather crafters to help prevent fracturing of dry leather while stitching (for manufacture or repair). And, there is no need to worry about product build-up near stitching, and beautiful tooled areas. It also enriches faded colors – in all leathers. That would solve your problem there.

We have personally used the products to restore a wide variety of items like exotic skin handbags, golf bags, equestrian tack, shoes, motorcycle leathers, etc.. We’ve tested on ostrich, elephant, alligator, snake, reindeer, along with the more familiar leathers. Haven’t yet had the opportunity to test on stingray or eel, but my guess is that it would keep it flexible and looking just fine also.

What makes Leather Therapy's SADDLE PAD/BLANKET WASH & RINSE different from the detergent I now use?

They are indeed different from "regular" detergents like Tide. Why?

Each ingredient in Saddle Pad/Blanket Wash handles a unique aspect of cleaning imbedded grime, contaminants and resultant odors. As with all Leather Therapy products, these products were created to solve problems safely and conveniently while keeping them biodegradable and Earth Friendly. Safe for the consumer -- Safe for the horse.

The deeply imbedded soils and protein-based grime and odors (manure, urine, body salts) present unique challenges to saddle pads and horse blanket cleaning. Of utmost importance, the Saddle Pad/Blanket Wash product has strong detergency with enhanced emulsifier/degreaser properties to refresh natural fibers and/or hi-tech fabrics - even waterproofed blankets. It also prevents re-introduction of soil particulates back onto the fabric while washing!

To solve another problem, Saddle Pad & Blanket RINSE has an Anti-Static conditioning formula combined with the vital properties of a sanitizing Agent. Helps prevent cross-contamination from odor-causing bacteria from horse-to-horse -- and guards against re-introducing skin problems back to the same horse!

My shoes, jackets & handbags are full of mold. Help!

Mold/mildew love moisture and is a relentless enemy of leather. Hide is full of good food, such as protein, humectants and sugars. Add a moist environment and high temperatures, and leather becomes ripe for an invasion of mold and mildew spores that deplete nutrients from leather.

Harsh chemicals -- like Chlorox or bathroom cleaners, even diluted vinegar -- may be able to get rid of the mold for a short while -- BUT WILL ALSO STRIP NATURAL OILS AND DAMAGE THE LEATHER! Then, the leather feels dry, looks dry and still smells!

Leather Therapy Restorer is the perfect answer to eliminating mold & mildew spores, along with its offensive smells from your leather items. It is the ONLY product approved by the US EPA to safely inhibit mold & mildew while conditioning leather. This product also won Product of the Year in 1997. If you are planning on washing your leather with Leather Therapy's laundry solutions, just add about 2 ounces of Restorer into your wash water and swish before adding the item to be washed.

You have a choice when cleaning your shoes & handbag:

You can create a solution of Leather Therapy Laundry Solution and Leather Therapy Restorer and use a soft brush to clean away the mold (and smells). Then quickly "dunk" and rinse the item in a sink full of water. Do this as quickly as possible -- your handbag and shoes have components that may be negatively affected by water. Have a towel ready to pat dry. Don't rub hard -- treat leather like your skin.

For light colored, smooth leather only (not suede), follow with a wipe-down of Laundry Rinse & Dressing. For darker or brighter color leathers, a light application of Leather Therapy Restorer will enhance the look. (Remember -- because leather tanning treatments vary world-wide, always test products in a hidden area first.) Consider enhancing the leather look with Leather Therapy FINISH.

Leather should be stored in a dry, ventilated area.

Which products should I use on suede?

Suede Clothing: There are two products for cleaning suede chaps in the home washing machine (Leather Laundry Solution and Laundry Rinse & Dressing). These Patented products also work on full seat riding pants, riding gloves and wool fleece pads.
Saddlery & Tack: To clean the surface of a suede saddle, we suggest using a very small amount of Leather Therapy WASH on a slightly dampened sponge and, using a light "lifting" motion, clean the surface of the suede. Repeat as necessary. Rinse the sponge as it gets dirty.
After completion, brush up the nap with a bristled brush and permit to dry thoroughly.

Care Tip: If you want to further protect the suede, spray a very light coating of Water Repellant on the totally dry surface. This product can be used on saddles, shoes or boots. First make sure the item is free of heavy soils or oils. Brush up nap with a soft bristled brush when it's thoroughly dry.
Note: Since suede is very porous, use all products sparingly.

How should I care for my new saddle & bridle?

You are right to want to care for your tack properly from the beginning. This way you’ll insure the value of your investment and most important, many years of safe leather – and great riding.

First, condition the leather very well as the first step in your leather care regimen. This may take two heavy applications of Leather Therapy RESTORER/CONDITIONER.

Because this product is pH balanced and has a remarkable deep-conditioning formulation for leather, it deeply migrates into the inner fiber layers of the leather (the "corium) -- making it more flexible and stronger. This product won the prestigious Product of the Year Award in 1997.

After that, you’ll only need to maintain your leather with Leather Therapy WASH and use RESTORER periodically. This formula is designed to clean without stripping oils from the leather, and adds back lubricating emollients with each cleaning.

Happy riding!

How do I clean motorcycle leather racing suits?

We have received a virtual flood of inquiries from motorcyclists recently regarding Leather Therapy products. Although our products were created for the “working” leathers finding utility in the equestrian marketplace, the same leathers are commonplace within the motorcycle sport market. So, when we give direction to questions such as yours, please note that our experience lies more with equestrian chaps and jackets as opposed to full-leather constructed racing suits.

The world of salt-patched, bug-splatted, sweat-soaked leathers is new to us, however, manure-laden, rain-soaked, saliva-saturated leathers is not. (I’m starting to really like this lecture.)

First, test the leather for color-fastness by using a dampened white towel edge to gently rub the leather. Some outfits are fashioned using strong colors to accent the cyclist’s basic black outfit. I would hope that all of the leather components are of the same high-quality to allow wetting (without "color bleeding") while cleaning.

With the deep debris you speak of on your suits I can suggest two alternative cleaning solutions: The first requires dunking the outfit in the washing machine with our patented Leather Laundry Solution and it’s sister product, Laundry Rinse & Dressing. ONLY use cold water, delicate cycles and make sure to turn the suit inside-out to protect from agitation of washing paddles or zipper abrasions. If you have a very large washing net type of bag which will allow gentle cleaning of the garment that’s even better. FYI, the newer front-loading washing machines make this job a dream.

Make sure you wash only 1 item at a time. DON’T DRY ANY PLACE NEAR HEAT – NOR IN THE SUN. At least 4 ounces of Laundry Solution and about the same of the Rinse & Dressing should do it. This will be the best way to get the very deep grime out of your outfit.

You can dry the garment on a hanger – or, if it’s too heavy, lay it flat – then sponge on a coat of Laundry Rinse & Dressing to provide lubricity to interior fiber as the garment dries. Once in a while, stretch or “pat” the leather to manipulate leather fiber and promote flexibility. After the leather is dry, normally it will feel a little stiff to the touch (just like your own skin after washing). No problem. Just gently stretch and manipulate the leather to bring back it's original feel.

If the leather seems extra dry for some reason, feel free to also use Leather Therapy RESTORER/CONDITIONER. This product is the workhorse of our product line, and is used at the Smithsonian, Disney, leather manufacturing and repair as maintenance on old or new leathers. It DEEPLY gets into the interior fiber "corium" of leather, spreads laterally and goes a long way to improve the strength and longevity (as well as beauty) of leather.

If the laundry scenario seems a little too daring for your garments then I suggest spraying the suit with pH balanced Leather Therapy WASH and yes, absolutely, get into the shower (sorry, NOT HOT WATER) and suds the bugs and grime off. A nice sponge would come in handy here. Then – before you get out (and after you unclog the drain) give your outfit a generous amount of Leather Therapy Restorer/Conditioner. Hang the suit to dry.

As an aside, if you have clothing with images painted on the leather, you’ll find the image enhanced by Leather Therapy Restorer. It helps to re-vitalize the pigment of the paints. After all is dry and refreshed, check the garment for areas of abrasion or extra wear. On those areas you may wish to try Leather Therapy FINISH – for a nice luster and a little more protection.

All of these products can be applied with a clean sponge. The length of time to condition each garment depends on the dryness and soil levels in the leather. Leather Therapy makes caring for leather very easy. Just let the products do the work for you, and don’t rub too hard on the leather please. Treat it like what it is – skin.

How do the leather laundry solutions work?

Patented - Leather Laundry Solution (Leather Infusion Wash) is a biodegradable leather and fleece washing product and Rinse & Dressing (Leather Infusion Rinse) is an anti-static leather conditioning agent. Both are added to the individual soap & conditioning dispensers in the home laundry.

The leather washing solution was designed to gently clean and refresh leather while caring for its special needs. It is not a harsh detergent, but a blended pH balanced solution which allows leather to absorb the conditioning agents contained in the leather rinse sister-product as it is being cleaned.

The conditioning rinse part of the product duo comes uniquely into play when laundering exceptionally dry leathers -- and may be hand or sponge applied directly to the (smooth) leather item as it dries -- to maintain suppleness and flexibility. This "dressing" option should not be used on suede because of it's sponge-like properties.
ALWAYS USE DELICATE, COLD WASHING CYCLE -- MEDIUM TO HIGH-SPIN SETTINGS. MAKE SURE TO ALLOW THE LEATHER TO DRY AWAY FROM DIRECT HEAT OR SUN.

Care tip: Just like the surface tension of your own skin tightens and feels a little stiff after washing, so does the "skin" of leather. So, while the garment is drying, "pat" and gently stretch it once in a while to help maintain leather flexibility and provide a softer feel. When still damp put the garment on and continue to gently re-shape. Finish allowing the garment to dry on a towel-padded hanger.

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