Leather Parka

How do you clean a leather jacket?

My fiance has a very nice leather jacket that somehow ended up in the garage, and the garage got bug bombed with raid ... now it reaks of raid! How do you clean an authentic leather jacket and get the stink out of it? I have no idea how it ended up in the garage, but I would hate for such a nice jacket to be ruined so easily! Help?!

Public Comments

1. Saddle soap or 100% glycerin soap (pretty much the same thing)... use a moist towel on the soap to get a lather, then rub it on the jacket as you would if you were waxing your car, wipe off with a clean moist towel. (this isn't for suede or raw type leather) or, you can take it to the dry cleaners and they'll send it out for professional cleaning.
2. If the jacket is lined, the smell is probably more in the lining than on the leather itself. If that's the case, you'll probably have to have it professionally cleaned. Some dry cleaners will do this, others won't ... call around to find one that specializes in leather or can send it out to someone who does. For the leather itself, there's a wonderful product called Bick 4 that you can buy at tack shops. It's actually for cleaning and maintaining saddles and bridles, but I've used it on my leather jacket (which is 22 years old and still looks new, at least on the outside!) It's both a cleaner and leather conditioner. I've used it on purses and shoes, too, with great results. Even if you have to send the jacket out for cleaning, this stuff is great to have on hand for spot-cleaning and just to keep the leather from drying out and cracking. Hope this helps!
3. you need something that is going to be gently on it.. my hubby has a leather vest..and to clean it we simply put a bit of baby shampoo/conditioner and leave it there for a while.. and then clean if off with a damped cloth. When your putting it on do not rub it in, just pat it in. Some people also recommend using baby powder, that is good too , but you've got to make sure to remember to wipe it off with a damp cloth. Also when using a damp cloth to remove the shampoo/conditioner and/or baby powder..dont rub just pat it clean. It leaves it clean and smelling nice. The reason why baby products are used is because they have nothing strong that can wreck the leather, baby products have to be sensitive on the babies skin, and does not have any strong ingredients.