How to wash leather trousers so they don't get damaged?

Leather trousers always remain in trend, because they not only look impressive and stylish, but also have the most useful property for clothing - practicality. Being a completely natural material, leather is durable and resistant to stains. It would seem that you can wear leather products forever. But even such a universal thing needs special care, which, first of all, concerns washing. How to wash leather pants so that they last a long time?

Can leather trousers be washed?

Unfortunately, in 95% of cases, any professional will advise you not to spoil your favorite wardrobe item, but to take it to the dry cleaner. This is because leather products cannot be washed either in a machine or by hand. Even such a practical material is fraught with many risks, to eliminate which it is necessary to take into account the type of leather, its color, quality and degree of contamination.

If the option of dry cleaning is not feasible, then the housewife has no choice - she will have to cope on her own. Then her obligatory task will be to study tips on the proper care of a leather product, as well as become familiar with the manufacturer’s recommendations indicated on the label. At home, you can tidy up leather pants in 3 ways:

wash by hand;
use the machine wash method;
clean only the area of contamination.

But before you begin any of the methods, you need to prepare your clothes.

The hug of the skirt is sweet and innocent

Leather is the oldest material, one of the first to appear. People began to sew clothes from this “fabric” back in the Late Paleolithic era. And the very origin of the skin made it sacred. After all, paganism among the entire population of the globe was associated with the cult of animals, therefore the mystical power of leather products was revered in many cultures.

Different peoples invented completely different methods of tanning leather, although all of them can be reduced to three or four fundamental ones.

Today, a certain type of leather is chosen for a certain style. And there are many types: saddle cloth, husky, chevro, morocco, napplak, etc. To create a real masterpiece, designers use textures and colors of unimaginable shades that are atypical for this material. Thanks to inspiration and daring creativity, they constantly manage to surprise the world with new styles.

You will definitely achieve a rebellious image and be fully armed by wearing a “men’s” coat, tartan, kilt, leather skirt and rough boots.
You can find the thinnest line between grunge and punk by wearing stretched sweaters and jackets with studs with a leather skirt.
A leather skirt, according to fashion designers, will never look like a biker outfit if it is complemented with a delicate silk blouse.

Stylists believe that absolutely any woman can afford a leather skirt.

The main thing is to choose your own model that will highlight the advantages of your figure. Leather skirts can be high-waisted or low-waisted, A-line or straight, cut-out, or wraparound.

Preparing for washing

It is better to select a washing method based on information from the label; if washing in a machine is prohibited, you can try to clean the item manually;
ordinary washing powder and bleach are prohibited - such products are dangerous for leather goods;
Do not wash leather items of different colors together, as they may fade;
It is recommended to use special detergents that fix color and soften water;
decorative elements - rhinestones, sequins, appliqués and zippers - must be protected so that they do not spoil the skin or fall off;
To increase washing efficiency, the product is soaked until the material is saturated with water.

Now it's time to move on to the main process - washing.

For those who don't have a dryer

In general, in the West, more people use dryers than in Russia, so if you don’t have this unit, you will have to do without it and dry your leather clothes in a warm and dry place, for example, where there is a heater or radiator nearby. However, drying things directly on radiators and heating devices is strictly prohibited!

Otherwise, the leather material will lose all appearance and shrink, and all that remains is to throw it away. Ideally, you can place a table or a special drying rack next to the radiator, lay down a towel and lay out leather pants on it. When the top side is dry, you can turn the clothes over (the towel will just absorb excess moisture from the bottom). Thanks to the horizontal position, the trousers will retain their shape, and warm air will even help return the trousers to their previous appearance.

Do you have leather items in your wardrobe? How do you care for them?

How to wash leather pants completely

If a full wash is inevitable, then to avoid unpleasant consequences you need to approach the process with the utmost caution:

Hand wash is carried out in warm water, at a temperature of no more than 30 degrees. Before you start washing, soak the product for 5-10 minutes. The main thing is to prevent excessive swelling of the material. After this, the dirt is carefully wiped off with a sponge or soft brush dipped in soapy water. The skin will not tolerate rough mechanical impact, so it is important not to overdo it! After this, the fabric is rinsed with warm water and dried. Do not squeeze with your hands!
In the machine, leather trousers are washed in the “Wool” or “Delicate Wash” mode. Recommended temperature is 30 degrees. When setting the rinse and spin mode, the number of revolutions should correspond to 300, or even better - “without spin”.

Dry cleaning

Before taking items to the dry cleaner, again, study the tag. If professional cleaning is not prohibited, you can safely return the product.

Note:

All types of leatherette are usually subject to dry cleaning.
Pigskin requires only professional cleaning, as it loses its elasticity and appearance even when exposed to water.
Veal, on the contrary, is resistant to chemicals and water.
It is also better to dry-clean eco-leather; such material cannot be washed in a machine.
It is better to clean suede by hand or take it to professionals.

If you need to clean an area of the product

It is not at all necessary to put the material at risk and wash the pants completely if the contamination is limited to a small area. It’s safer to use a leather stain remover spray or a special cloth that will gently remove the stain without harming the product itself.

If there are no professional leather cleaners in the house, folk advice in the form of simple and affordable remedies will help:

acid – citric or acetic;
dishwashing liquid;
special purified gasoline for lighters;
beaten egg white (for light-colored trousers).

Detergent is used to prepare a regular soap solution. The enzymes in the dishwasher help deal not only with dirt, but also with greasy stains. For easy cleaning, the pants are placed on a horizontal surface, and the dirty area is treated with a sponge or soft brush.

Lemon juice or vinegar is diluted in half with water, and then the area of contamination is wiped with the resulting solution. The fabric is wiped dry, removing any remaining acid, then the skin is lubricated with cream to moisturize.

Gasoline will help remove greasy stains. To do this, wipe stains on trousers with a cotton pad slightly dipped in gasoline. After this, it is simply necessary to moisturize the material, since gasoline is very drying to the skin.

Types of material

Thanks to various methods of processing leather, many types of leather have appeared with different decorative and technical characteristics. Genuine leather is divided into:

Smooth. Due to its most natural appearance and low processing, leather is one of the most expensive. The highest demands are placed on raw materials.
Aniline and semi-aniline leather are minimally processed to improve their quality. Previously, it was coated with aniline dyes, but over time this method was abandoned due to its non-environmental friendliness.
Nappa is a smooth material processed with dyes and resins. It has dirt- and moisture-proof properties, therefore it is used in the manufacture of shoes.
Laika. It is made from the skins of small cattle. The material is unusually soft; gloves are made from it.
Embossed leather. The embossing processing method helps budget leathers imitate luxurious and expensive ones (snake, python, etc.)

Delicious recipe! Fried pies with meat

Varnish. Its main feature is the coating with synthetic varnish to impart the necessary decorative properties. Due to processing, the material loses its environmental friendliness and ability to breathe, but its spectacular appearance makes it very popular for the production of clothing, shoes and accessories.
With polyurethane surface. Impressive processing and giving the material various shades and relief patterns makes it attractive to the fashion industry. Moisture-repellent properties are highly valued in the shoe industry.
Suede leather. It is obtained by processing animal fat. Its delicate velvety surface makes it one of the favorite types of leather among consumers, despite the high risk of damage from various factors.
Nubuck is similar to suede in its decorative qualities, but due to sanding with a fine abrasive, it has almost imperceptible pile. Its qualities are much worse than suede, and it loses its attractive appearance much faster.

Velours. The skins of valuable animals are not used for production. During the processing process, the surfaces of the material are ground on both sides. Velor feels like suede, but is significantly inferior in quality.
Shagreen has a pimply surface. Roughness can be natural or achieved through vegetable and quartz tanning.
Parchment is a very ancient type of leather. Rawhide material is used in the production of musical instruments, hand-made decorative accessories, and expensive books.
Shora is made from thick types of hides by fat tanning. It is dense and flexible.
Split. In the case of thick animal hides, they are sometimes separated into several layers for different uses. This saves material. The upper layers are used to make shoes, and the lower layers are used to make velor.
Pressed. It is difficult to call this type natural. All waste from leather production is pressed with polymer additives and cheap and not very high-quality leather materials are obtained.

Leatherette has long ceased to be associated with something cheap, low-quality and unprestigious due to the fact that recently they have learned to give it a very aesthetic appearance, which can easily compete with its natural counterpart.

Types of artificial leather:

Microfiber is made from fibers coated with polyester. The material is breathable and repels moisture. This is facilitated by the porosity of the coating. Microfiber products are washable.
PVC leather. In this case, various additives and plasticizers are applied to the fibrous layer with polyester, which give the coating any appearance and properties. Decorative characteristics, long service life and ease of maintenance make PVC material popular in use. But due to its low environmental friendliness, it attracts mainly furniture manufacturers.
PU leather (or polyurethane). This is a recent development, consisting of a mix of genuine leather and other materials. The textile base is sandwiched with a low-quality leather layer and covered with polyurethane. This composition is environmentally safe, breathable and resistant to various mechanical stress and temperature changes.
Eco-leather is now on everyone’s lips. Outerwear, furniture, bags and much more are made from it. This is a two-layer material, where the base is textile or synthetic fibers, and the surface layer is made of polyurethane. This is a hypoallergenic material, resistant to all kinds of influences, that perfectly imitates natural leather.

How to style white leather trousers?

Light skin requires more careful treatment, since the owner of such clothing has two tasks: to avoid deformation of the material and to preserve the color. To clean white trousers, resourceful ladies use baby soap at home, as well as regular shampoo:

A regular soap solution is prepared from shampoo or soap, to which a few drops of ammonia are added.
Dip a sponge into the solution, wring it out, and then wipe off the dirt.
Wipe off any remaining soapy water with a damp cloth.

If the stain cannot be removed, then treat it with whipped egg white, and after drying, carefully polish it with a soft, light-colored woolen cloth.

How to dry leather pants?

Genuine leather does not tolerate spinning or rough drying in a machine, as this inevitably leads to creases in the material. Therefore, in order to dry leather pants, you will also have to follow strict rules that will help keep the product in its original form:

Leather clothes are dried on hangers or on any flat surface;
it is necessary to avoid exposure of the material to sunlight, so the product is dried at home at room temperature (normally it does not exceed 20-22 degrees);
so that water does not flow down the skin and the material dries evenly, you can put a towel or cotton cloth on top;
You cannot hang trousers on heating devices, as uneven heating and drying of the material will lead to its deformation;
After drying, the product is treated with a special product to moisturize the skin.

Once your leather trousers are dry, they can benefit from ironing. Caution will not hurt when working with the iron, because it should not come into direct contact with the skin. To avoid this, use paper or thin cotton fabric.

Useful tips for caring for various leather items

Leather sofa: the main problem with leather sofas is “greasy” stains over a large area. You should not try to wash them with aggressive detergents, as this can damage the color and cause the leather to “dull.” The best option for caring for leather furniture is to use Super Leather spray; it will help you quickly and effectively deal with stains without damaging the material.
Leather clothing: jackets, trousers, skirts made of leather are recommended to be treated with water-repellent impregnation immediately after purchase. This procedure should be repeated a couple of times a season - and things will look like new. How to clean a leather jacket? Treating it with Super Skin is the most effective, fastest and safest way.
Accessories: Leather gloves, bags and wallets are the most heavily used items, so the risk of damage is quite high. For prevention, you can periodically treat them with wax or a special product - this will help maintain cleanliness and also quickly mask minor scratches.
Faux Leather: Unlike real leather, faux leather has no pores, so it does not need to be moisturized. Caring for leatherette comes down to maintaining/refreshing the color and gloss of the surface - for this you just need to treat it and tint it from time to time.
Pressed leather is a dense, tough material that resembles leather in appearance and characteristics. To create it, crushed tanning waste is used, which is glued and pressed. The surface of pressed leather is not as smooth as natural leather and is much less elastic. Such products are easy to care for; they only need to be treated 1-2 times a season to refresh the color and maintain the softness of the material.
Eco-leather is artificial leather created using the most modern technologies. The material is a PVC coating (“leather” layer) applied to a fabric base. The peculiarity of such artificial leather is that it “breathes” almost like natural leather, ensuring normal air microcirculation without the greenhouse effect. However, it is still an artificial material, and you need to care for it accordingly - update the color and shine with the help of professional products (for example, Super Skin spray). No moisturizing or softening is required.