Men love to have goods created with leather. Wallets, shoes, bags, jackets, gauntlets — all need specific extra attraction when crafted from an animal’s resolute hide. But Leather care is important.

The reasons for leather’s attraction aren’t hard to follow. It’s a substance our ancestors used for clothes, pouches, and a variation of other useful wares. And leather is so enduring that many of those legacy items are still around now. Adding to this natural toughness is an aura of it, produced from the material’s ancient link to hunting and killing. Plus, leather seems damn good.

Leather Care Principles.

Leather requires breathing.

Just like skin, leather needs some airing to prevent decay and rot. Air can easily pass through leather, leaving damp to evaporate freely. That can’t occur when your leather is all sealed up, though. So don’t ever stock or transport it in a plastic supermarket bag (whoops — sinful of that one!).

Either utilize the storage/travel bag the piece came with or some breathable material — pillowcases are great for footwear, wallets, and other accessories.

Keep leather off from direct sunlight/warmth.

If a leather piece gets waterlogged, it can be intriguing to throw it in front of a heater or to utilize a hairdryer to rush the process.

Never do that, ever. Just like hide and other stuff, when leather gets soaked and then heated right away, it can contract and dry out too fast. Rather, let it dry freely, even if it takes a few days.

Also, regularly keep leather out of direct sunshine when storing. The leather disappears naturally over time, but sunlight races up that process. Drying and cracking can also happen. Darker places with some moisture are preferred, although repeat, ensure airflow so that decay can’t form. So keeps this mind in leather care.

Test first.

When employing any shine or conditioner, always test a small patch first. Any matter is likely to alter the color of the leather, even if only insignificantly. Before using a treatment to a whole shoe, test it on a small part, let it dry for 24 hours, and see what follows.

It may seem tiresome, but it can keep your shoe from seeing different than what you require. If a particular brand/color goes well the initial time, then feel easy to use frequently without experimenting again.

Go with natural/neutral shades.

Many shiners and creams will come in either black, wood brown, or dull. The added tints are to liven up any washed-out color in leather goods.

While black is a rather safe choice for black stuff, there are just too many variations of brown to match things up flawlessly. To avoid needlessly altering the hue of your leather, adhere to neutrals (usually either white or gray in the tin/bottle).

Always clean with a damp cloth.

As stated above, the most dependable way to keep any leather goods from prematurely aging. Even if you do nothing extra, it is to give it a routine wipe-down with a wet cloth. Your jackets, footwear, bags — they all quickly collect dirt, dust, and all manner of other harsh particles that lead to early wear and tear.

Store your leather by rubbing them down weekly, or even after a single hard use in a winter blizzard, with a wet fabric or even paper napkin.

Generally talking, leather doesn’t need waterproofing.

Most leather goods marketed these days managed to some extent or another with some waterproofing factor. In most situations and conditions, your leather will keep up just fine to rain, snow, etc. if you’re someone who is traveling with leather shoes.

Or you’re always out in thick snow or heavy rainfall with them, then you should waterproof. And even then, it’s more for the contents of the leather piece (your feet, your laptop, your body) than the substance itself. If you’re uncertain about waterproofing, ask the producer. Leather care is about looking at all the qualities which make it long-lasting