Leather Guide: How to care for leather

Prepare to treat your leather

You have invested in a heirloom quality leather good, but how do you care for it so it can last for decades?

We recommend regularly cleaning and applying a conditioner. 

First step? Easy, remove all your jewelry, like bracelets and rings. You don’t want to scuff or scratch your leather while trying to care for it. 

Cleaning your leather

1. Clean your leather by removing the dust, dirt and grime off the surface of the leather.
2. We recommend using a clean, slightly damp, microfiber cloth to gently clean the surface. Do not scrub the surface of the leather; there are leather cleaning products available on the market that can help do the heavy lifting if you need them. 

Protect your leather

1. After you have cleaned the surface, we can help protect it. Just make sure it’s dry first.
2. Resist the urge to treat or clean minor stains and scratches. Most minor stains and scratches will become less noticeable with time and will help build the character of your bag. It is the record of your adventures. 
3. To proactively project your leather goods from water and stains, a light coat of leather balm is a great choice. Our Leather Balm helps resist water and conditions the leather at the same time.
4. Scratches and scuffs will happen. Periodically conditioning your leather goods will help keep your leather looking great and will help to buff out superficial scratches. 
5. Leather that has been treated with a product, like our Leather Balm, will be easier to keep clean.

Condition you leather

1. If you carry your leather goods everyday, you might notice your leather drying out near seams and corners. These spots may need a little extra TLC and a small dab of boiled linseed oil can go a long way. Just make sure to buff out the oil to avoid leaving an oil line. 

About our Leather Balm

All leather goods ultimately show their age, but leather balm can help them last longer!

1. We recommend using a leather conditioner, such as our Leather Balm, once a year, or as needed, to help your leather last longer. 
2. We produce our Leather Balm in small batches using Montana beeswax, cocoa butter, and sweet almond oil. Please note this is an oil-based conditioner, it can darken the color of your items. This blend will help hydrate and give your leather goods a bit of water repellency all in one step. 
3. Apply a small amount on dry leather with a piece of microfiber cloth and buff it in with a circular motion; a little goes a long way! Do not scrub the surface of the leather. The leather may briefly darken, but it should lighten back up after drying.

Our Leather Balm is intended for use on vegetable-tanned leather. It is not suitable for suede. Notice a white residue after it has dried? That is just the beeswax and a little heat from a hair drier will help it disappear. 

Always try the Leather Balm on a small, inconspicuous area before general application.

Ready to condition your leather? Grab some Leather Balm today!