“The petroleum derivatives used in many products such as naptha, stoddard solvent, and mineral spirits are drying out the leather, which means that over time, the more that these products are used, the more the leather can have a tendency to break down.”
Pecard Dressings and Oils do not have Petrol, mineral spirits, or other distillates of this variety. These types of Petroleum Distillates would be harmful for leather, drying the leather out and robbing it of it's natural oils.
The best way to remember what you can and can't use on your leather is to keep this in mind: The two most commonly used chemicals that will cause severe damage to your leather are alcohol and acetone. Stay away from products that contain these substances at all costs, regardless of what you read online.
Be sure to avoid these products when cleaning your leather: Baking soda, white vinegar, cream of tartar, and lemon juice. Some sources online cite these common household products as a DIY solution for cleaning leather. This is actually false as they can be extremely harsh on the material and make stains worse.
Use Vaseline as a quick alternative to leather polish on scuffed shoes, boots, handbags, baseball gloves, and leather furniture. Simply apply a bit of the gel and buff with a soft cloth to achieve a slick shine.
Olive oil, and every oily substance for that matter, will not “nourish” your leather, but actually accelerate its deterioration. Leather is extremely permeable, and will soak up any oils you put on it. When oil first saturates leather, it seeps to the back—to the part you can't see.
Out of all the leather oils we sampled, mink oil showed the best result, removing surface scratches and subtly darkening the tone of the leather for a uniform finish. In addition, mink oil is a natural leather softener, provides temporary waterproof resistance and improves flexibility by lubricating cracked fibres.
How to Condition Leather. Leather, like your own skin, needs to be protected and moisturized over time. You can create a simple and inexpensive leather conditioner using natural baby soap, vinegar and water. Mix 2 cups of warm water, a tablespoon of natural baby soap and a splash of vinegar in a bowl (Image 1).
Leather creams — provide moisture with the least change in color and are great for aniline leathers. Leather oils — Natural oils like lanolin and neatsfoot can help soften leather. Leather waxes — Waxes don't moisturize as well, but they do provide more waterproofing.
To condition your couch, all you have to do is spray the WD-40 in a thin layer. Then massage it in with the cloth. However, be careful not to use too much product because it can clog the leather's pores and make it sticky.
Keep your leather furniture looking and feeling great. Don't be nervous; you can use WD-40 to condition your leather furniture by spraying and buffing. The solution works wonders for cleaning and protecting your leather investment.
If your vehicle has a leather interior, it probably has a thin protective coating to prevent discoloration. Isopropyl alcohol can deteriorate that coating and even remove the dye from the leather itself.
Fatty stains from dense leather can be removed with gasoline or turpentine, which are sold in hardware stores. Dip a sponge or soft cloth in gasoline, wipe the spot with a stain. To get rid of an unpleasant smell, leave the product in the open air for a few minutes, then wipe with lemon juice.
Baby oil is a pretty light lubricant (it's mineral oil with some fragrance added) but will still over-soften the leather, much like mink oil would do.
Never soak your boots in water, this will make the stitching disintegrate over time. Never use Olive Oil to polish. Don't use Vaseline as it will make them greasy.
Neatsfoot oil, lanolin, almond oil, and mink oil are best for softening your leather. All of these are natural oils that moisturize leather, keeping it from drying and cracking. The fats in these natural oils will deeply moisturize the hide in leather products. Use neatsfoot oil for quick fixes.
Beeswax Rejuvenates, Nourishes, and Protects Leather
If you've been wondering how to protect leather boots, beeswax leather dressing is your answer! Beeswax is not just for waterproofing boots; it also improves their durability by rejuvenating and hardening the leather.
Leather conditioners are the finest way to soften the leather. Use a damp cloth to apply the conditioner to the leather surface. It's also possible to use water and natural oils such as coconut or olive oil, as well as Vaseline.
We don't recommend using pure coconut oil to condition leather because it's easy to over condition leather goods. It's difficult to apply the right amount of pure coconut oil to the type of leather you have. Too much oil may over soften and weaken the leather, causing your boots to wear out faster.
Sweat and body grease from skin or the oils from the hair penetrate the surface of the leather. This is caused over a period of time and due to regular contact. These fats oxidize (degrade) and deprive the leather of the effect of the tannins. The leather fibre loses its structure and disintegrates.
Mice and rats sometimes nibble on leather. Wood wasp and larder beetles pierce it. There are also insect larvae which eat leather, resulting in small little holes.
Using household oils on your leather will damage it. Instead, use a leather cleaning and conditioner product, like Leather Honey Leather Cleaner and Leather Honey Leather Conditioner.