Home | Services | Tips

Tips

There are two types of suede and leather 1) Sueded Leather and  2) Smooth Leather. It's important for you to identify which type you have in order to take the necessary steps to prevent damage and extend the life of your garment.

sueded leather
sueded leather

Sueded Leathers -
These are skins that have had the hair removed and the flesh side of the skin rubbed by an abrasive wheel to raise the nap on it's surface. There are three typical types of Sueded Leather: Sheepskin, Cowhide and Pigskin.

smooth leather
smooth leather

Smooth Leathers -
These are also skins that have had the hair removed, but they've been dyed or dressed on the hair side of the skin. There are three types of Smooth Leather: Dressed, Cuir Savage and Naked.

All Suedes and Leathers are highly sensitive to light and some colors will fade more than others (ie. pearl gray, salmon pink). Even in storage or normal wear fading has a tendency to turn the garment a yellowish or taupe color.

The manufacturer does not waterproof a suede garment and when worn in rain or snow will normally show spots. However, providing it was a clean rain, if you let your garment air dry (do not place in front of heat) and using a high-density sponge over the affected area, no spots should be visible.

Suede and leather skins have a tendency to shrink due to gradual loss of natural oils. In most cases a proper cleaning process replaces many of these lost oils and assists in extending the life of the garment.
 
Questions:

Are there any common things that can damage leather?
Perfumes, hair spray and your natural body oils are a few of the things that, over time, can discolor or damage leather. You should avoid spraying perfumes or hair spray while wearing your garment. A scarf at the neckline will also help keep hair and body oil away from the collar.
 
I had my leather jacket professionally cleaned and the color changed. Is this normal?
As a matter of fact it is. Leather is a natural product and you can never determine exactly how it will react to the cleaning process. Suede coats generally have a tendency to change in colour at the least a shade or two when cleaned. A few will change drastically, depending on the type of dye used in manufacturing the coat. Since different pelts are used when the coat is made, pelts tend to vary in color and texture and this becomes much more noticable when the coat is cleaned. Also note that for this reason it is important to clean matching garments at the same time. Some coats have a glue adhesive in the seams that can come out in cleaning and spread over the coat.

__________________________________________________________________________

MacLaughlin's Dry Cleaners
334 Veterans Lane, Miramichi, NB E1V 1X1
Phone: (506)622-7371; (506)622-2554

Miramichi Communities and Businesses