How To Clean Suede And Leather Jackets

As the winter season approaches, dressing in warm protective attire becomes a necessity for combating cold weather.  From its inception leather-made garments, accessories, and footwear have become popular in making a fashion statement.  However, the skin of any animal can produce leather.  Leathers were used by primitive man for constructing clothing, shoes and even shelter dating back to 2200 BC.  Over the years leather, a byproduct to the dairy and livestock industry is certainly considered a luxury item. Leather seats are an upgrade in vehicles, expensive handbags are mostly made of leather and growing in popularity, and homeowners have even begun installing leather flooring. 

When cleaning leather the overall assumption is to use a mild detergent and less is more. This blog will include helpful tips about safely cleaning your leather jackets using Powerizer Complete.

Sneakers pros can check out our how to clean leather shoes blog. 

When leather becomes wet, moisture can compromise the finish and leave patches of uneven discoloration.  However, the most common issue is soap residues are not rinsed thoroughly from the surface and left to dry then harden which prevents the material from breathing and cracks to form.  Thankfully, not all soaps are the same. It's not uncommon for a "mild soap" to have between 20-30 ingredients. 

Powerizer is made of plant and mineral-based ingredients with no fillers or dyes and consists of a little over 2 handful of ingredients.  Powerizer Complete is certified USDA Biobased product. 

We are confident it's a safer choice leather and non toxic suede cleaner, that easily rinses clean with water. We have mentioned before, invest in the best cleaning tools instead of multiple cleaners.  For this job a split fiber microfiber cloth is the best cleaning tool to assist with scrubbing, lifting and absorbing stains with out damaging the surface of the leather.

Here are simple steps to cleaning leather.

1. Make a diluted mild solution of Powerizer Complete using 16 oz. Flip Top Squeeze Bottle filled with water and 1/8th of a scoop of Powerizer. (Powerizer’s scoop measures 29.6 cubic centimeters which is equal to 2 tablespoons) 1/8 of a scoop is equal to ¼ of a tablespoon.  Hot water is the number one catalyst for dye cast-off.  Always test the solution in an inconspicuous area. However the best advice is to mix 4 oz. of hot water to ensure the detergent completely dissolves in the bottle.  Then fill up the remaining 12 oz. with COLD water.  No different than washing dark colored garments in COLD water, apply the same precaution for cleaning your leathers.
   

2. Apply the solution to a split fiber microfiber cloth. When damp, these cloths are extremely effective at scrubbing on a microscopic level because the fibers are 10xs smaller than a human hair. When dry they will absorb 7xs more liquid than their weight dry.  Set aside 3 to 5 cloths for the process.

Cloth #1 scrub the surface with Powerizer to dissolve and lift stains.

Cloth #2 rinse the surface clean by applying cool water with a damp cloth.

Cloth #3 absorbs detergent and excess moisture from the surface.

Removing Ink

To remove ink stains, apply the solution to the cloth, press the solution into the stain, blot, twist and repeat, however utilize a new area of the cloth making sure not to redeposit the stain absorbed into the cloth.  Avoid scrubbing from left to right. 

Avoid Uneven Discoloration

To remove stains from leather especially Napa, or Suede first brush the surface with a beige gum eraser to lift as much of the dirt from the nap.  Apply the solution to the cloth sparingly and sweep the leather in the direction of the grain, then against the grain to evenly distribute the solution.  Clean the entire panel rather than spot cleaning which is more likely to leave an uneven discoloration and a clean versus dirty line area.

Removing Oil

When heavy duty stains such as grease or sweat are present, double the concentration of the solution.  Be sure to watch for dye cast-off.  If excessive dye begins to cast-off onto the cloth, stop the process and revert back to cleaning with plain water instead.  Microfiber cloths are excellent in trapping in oils therefore do not underestimate their effectiveness don't waist your time using a cotton towel.

Neutralizing Odors

Powerizer is effective at neutralizing odors and can be used to clean the inner armpit areas.  Additionally Powerizer can be used as a make-up brush cleaner very easily. Make-up is a common stain found around the neck collars that is easily to spot treat with Powerizer.  In these instances a little more concentrated solution may be necessary to remove the stains. Sodium Percarbonate an adduct of Soda Ash and Hydrogen Peroxide is the active ingredient which neutralizes odor fast while not bleaching out fibers.

Rinse Clean

After removing stains and wiping down soiled areas, the leather must be rinsed clean using plain water.  The best technique is to dampen a clean split-fiber microfiber cloth to apply water to the surface.  Most times the leather will not absorb unless it is a suede or Napa leather.  In this instance its important to use the least amount of water as possible. There are many benefits of microfiber towels for everyday cleaning. 

Absorb Excess Moisture

The final process is to remove as much of the excess water from the surface.  A split-fiber microfiber cloth is the best option for absorbing as much of the excess moisture as possible.  This process should help to remove the residues lifted from the soiled jacket along with any remaining detergent. 

Powerizer blogs are written with a clear objective to share information about what a true multi-purpose detergent looks like.  Currently there is no other detergent on the market that can effectively clean everything dirty.  Consumers are skeptical about purchasing such an innovative product.  However, our Powerizer reviews has been collecting amazing reviews and finally reached over 800 combined reviews between Amazon and our website. 

Feel free to search for a keyword and scroll through the reviews page on the website to read descriptive and miraculous cleaning results using one product that truly does cleaning everything dirty.