Leather jackets are always at the peak of fashion; over the years they do not lose their relevance at all, and the quality of the products allows you to wear leather items for more than one season. In the spring, when it is time for outerwear, the leather jacket needs to be cleaned before storing until needed.
Very often, with the onset of cold weather, housewives, taking out leather items, are faced with the following problem: during storage they are wrinkled and look completely unattractive.
To an inexperienced housewife, it may seem like a tragedy that over the summer a leather item has become wrinkled due to careless storage in the closet, and now it is not clear how to return it to a decent appearance. In fact, there is nothing terrible or irreversible about this; a leather jacket can be easily smoothed out. There are several ways to do this:
- cold ironing;
- ironing with steam;
- ironing;
- ironing with a moisturizer (walnut oil, light skin cream, Vaseline).
Each of these methods is quite effective, you just need to choose the one that is most convenient to use.
Cold way
Due to the fact that this method is the most gentle, it is ideal for thin skin. This type of ironing is the simplest: we take out the jacket, hang it on hangers, which we place somewhere in an open space. A very thin leather item will become smooth in just 20-24 hours. Of course, cold ironing is the simplest, but at the same time it also takes the longest, and therefore is only suitable if the item is not needed immediately.If emergency measures are needed, you will have to use other methods.
Using steam
This method uses hot steam. If you have a special device - a steam cleaner, then it will be ideal, the main thing is to choose the intensity of steam emission and it is advisable to test its effect on the inside of a leather jacket. Most often, the instructions for using a steam cleaner contain information on how to iron leather items with it.
If you don’t have a steam cleaner, use grandma’s old method. Pour very hot water into the bathroom (preferably even boiling water) and while intense steam flows, hang your jacket over it. Literally 20-40 minutes and your item will get rid of all unwanted wrinkles. After this procedure, it is advisable to wipe the jacket dry and lubricate it with a special cream for leather products so that exposure to hot steam does not cause the leather to shrink and become deformed.
Iron
Another simple way to make a leather item look smooth and attractive. In addition, ironing is convenient and familiar to any housewife. But in the case of a leather jacket, not everything is so simple.
It is strictly forbidden to iron the leather directly with the soleplate of the iron on the fabric; the leather will deteriorate from exposure to heat, even if the device is “on minimum.” Therefore, it is imperative to use a spacer between the leather and the iron. Wet gauze will not work; you need special paper - “craft” wrapping paper. The ironing process is as follows: set the iron to low (for particularly thin leather) or medium heat (for thick leather), wrap the jacket in paper and gently iron it.It is advisable to first iron the jacket on the back side, where it is not so noticeable, to make sure that the iron does not damage the product. When the jacket is smooth, hang it on a hanger for an hour or two to let the skin cool.
Using a humidifier
This method can hardly be called fast, but in terms of efficiency and effect it is the leader among all existing methods. You need to apply a special moisturizer to the surface of the leather (it can be purchased at many leather accessories stores). But if you don’t have such a cream on hand, nut butter or, at worst, Vaseline will do. Apply the cream to the dry surface of the skin, especially carefully treat rough folds. When you have wiped the entire jacket, take it out into the fresh air and leave it for several hours. When the jacket is smooth, it should be thoroughly wiped with a soft piece of cloth to remove excess cream.
The main thing that housewives need to remember is that you should never iron a leather jacket with a hot iron. No matter how much you are in a hurry, and no matter how urgently you need a leather item, it is better to use an ironing method that is appropriate for the type of leather.
It is also worth remembering that rough, thick leather lends itself best to steaming; the cold method will also work, but it will take longer. Leather of medium thickness and roughness is best smoothed using an iron and “craft” paper. Set the iron to medium heat and test the heat on the inside of the jacket.
Very thin leather is the best and easiest to iron, but it is not very safe to use steam or an iron on it; it is better to give preference to cream or nut oil.And don't forget to wipe the skin dry after it has straightened.
To avoid problems with a leather jacket, remember the main rule: such things cannot be stored in a compressed position for a long time - they become very wrinkled. It is best to either hang them on hangers, or carefully fold them strictly along the seams.
