How To Repair Worn Leather Jacket

Download Article

Download Commodity

A leather jacket is a prized possession that, when cared for correctly, can exist worn proudly for life. However, leather jackets beginning to dry out and fade after years of wear. When your quondam trusty jacket starts to look worn, or you find a vintage leather jacket in a thrift store that's seen ameliorate days, you'll want to restore the jacket to its original celebrity. The process is actually pretty straightforward and can exist done with little more than leather preservative and your ain pair of hands. In one case y'all've brought your jacket back to life, make certain y'all know how to make accidental scuffs and scratches disappear so you tin keep it looking fresh!

1
Lay the jacket out on a flat work surface like a table. Identify the jacket face up-upwardly and spread out the artillery and so you can admission the whole front side of the jacket. Smooth information technology out so that at that place are no creases hiding parts of the leather. Undo any buckles or buttons so y'all can get in all the cracks.^[1]
- This method volition piece of work for leather jackets of any color. Use it to restore the color to a jacket that is dry, cracked, and faded due to age and wear. It volition as well help to protect and preserve the jacket, so you can wearable it for years to come.
2
Castor the entire jacket off with a horsehair castor to remove loose clay. Showtime on the front side and brush the entire front end of the jacket off using brusque, even strokes away from you. Flip the jacket over, smooth information technology out again on your work surface, and brush off the entire dorsum side in the same manner.^[two]
- Horsehair brushes are typically used for shoe shining or caring for other leather products. They help to clean and polish leather without damaging it. You can usually become one wherever they sell shoe shining products or leather goods.
Ad
3
Wipe the entire jacket down with a damp lint-costless textile. Moisten a lint-gratis cloth with clean, cool h2o and wring out the excess water. Wipe down the unabridged front and dorsum of the jacket with the material to remove whatsoever remaining dirt and get the jacket ready to restore.^[3]
- A microfiber material works well for this. However, if you don't have 1, you lot can also use an quondam cotton T-shirt cutting up into smaller pieces as a good substitute.
4
Use a neutral-colored, wax-based leather preservative to restore the jacket. Leather preservative is a natural preservative, often fabricated of beeswax and lanolin, that is besides sometimes chosen leather conditioner or kick wax. It moisturizes, waterproofs, and protects leather against scuffs and scratches.^[4]
- Equally the leather absorbs the preservative, the shine volition be restored and the jacket won't await dry out and faded anymore.
- You tin get leather preservative in a shoe store, a leather goods shop, or online.
Warning: Don't apply shoe polish, a pen, or whatever other kind of colored substance to endeavour to restore your leather jacket or you might finish upwards ruining the leather. All you need is a neutral leather preservative that will restore the natural color of the jacket and help moisturize and protect it.
v
Test the leather preservative on an inconspicuous area of the jacket. Some leather preservatives can darken the leather, so test information technology on a hidden surface area kickoff to see what effect it has on the color. Try another brand of leather preservative if the color changes to something you don't like.
- If the color of the leather does change slightly, you don't necessarily accept to view this every bit a negative thing. Continued wear of the jacket and applications of leather preservative over fourth dimension can help bring out its unique character and give it a look that simply gets better with time.
six
Rub the leather preservative into the leather jacket with your fingers. Scoop out a penny-sized dollop of the leather preservative on i of your fingertips. Start rubbing it into the jacket, moving your fingertips in circular motions, until it is absorbed into the leather. Repeat this until you have covered the unabridged jacket.^[5]
- The heat from your fingertips helps the leather preservative to melt and get absorbed ameliorate into the wax. The substance will not harm you in any way. Just wash your easily afterward you are done to remove the greasiness.
vii
Repeat this process every vi months to keep your jacket in top condition. Regularly cleaning and conditioning your jacket with leather preservative will keep the leather from drying out, cracking, and losing its color due to vesture and weather exposure. Accept intendance of your leather jacket correct, and you lot will take information technology for life.^[vi]
- Whenever you lot aren't wearing your jacket, shop it properly by hanging it up on a wooden or padded hanger in a absurd, dry out closet and never keep information technology anywhere where information technology will receive directly sunlight.

Advertizing

one
Rub modest scratches with your hand until they disappear. Firmly massage the scratch with your fingertips using circular motions. The estrus and force per unit area from your paw will aid light scratches disappear and blend back in with the balance of the jacket.^[vii]
- This ordinarily works for very fine scratches, such as from the nails of a dog or cat.
two
Utilise a pilus dryer to heat upwards bigger scratches as you rub them in. Turn a household hair dryer on to high estrus and hold it 6–12 in (fifteen–30 cm) away from the scratch. Estrus up the scratch as you massage information technology back into the jacket using circular motions.^[8]
- The estrus from the hair dryer activates the waxes and oils in the leather, which allows them to be transferred more easily into the scratch and alloy information technology back into the leather jacket.
- If the heat is besides hot for your hand, then plow it down. If it is likewise hot for you, and then it is besides hot for the leather and tin stop upward drying it out.
3
Employ leather preservative if y'all can't make the scratches disappear with heat. Put a small dollop of leather preservative on the tip of your finger. Rub it into the scratch using round motions until it is absorbed by the leather and the scratch is no longer visible.^[9]
- If the area where yous repaired a scratch with this method is a noticeably unlike color than the surrounding area, and then buff it in using a lint-costless cloth and circular motions until information technology is no longer noticeable.
Alert: You may be tempted to use something like a leather or vinyl bear upon upwardly pen to color in scratches, but this will hateful you lot are actually calculation colour to the jacket and dissentious its original finish. All you need is some patience and leather preservative to hibernate scratches and restore a leather jacket's finish without dissentious it.

Add New Question

Question

How much does information technology cost to restore a leather jacket?

This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated information technology for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Support wikiHow past unlocking this staff-researched reply.

It depends on how large the jacket is and how much piece of work it needs. A professional cleaning may run around $fifty-$100, simply repairs (such equally fixing tears or replacing panels) could toll a lot more. If you exercise the repairs yourself, yous'll only need to cover the cost of supplies.
Question

How often should I clean my leather jacket?

This answer was written by one of our trained squad of researchers who validated information technology for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this staff-researched answer.

If you lot take proper intendance of your jacket, information technology should only need to be cleaned a couple of times a twelvemonth (although y'all may need to practise it more often if it gets soiled or damaged). To keep your jacket in good condition, keep information technology dry and cool, hang it up afterward wearing it, and utilise a leather conditioner every 3 months or so (or less, if you lot don't wearable your jacket oftentimes).
Question

Can I wash my leather jacket in the washing machine?

This answer was written by ane of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to go a bulletin when this question is answered.

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Things You'll Demand

Horsehair brush
Lint-free cloth
Leather preservative

Hair dryer
Leather preservative
Lint-free cloth (optional)

About This Commodity

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 52,184 times.

Did this article help you?