Why leather jacket cracks? and pain of it only know by a true leather jacket lover. Keep reading to know more
Leather is one of the most precious textiles in the world. Made from the tanned animal hide (usually cow’s hide). It offers several unique characteristics that aren’t found in other fabrics. Leather is soft, supple, strong, smooth, and ultra-comfortable. All these reasons make it the preferred nominee of material for jackets. But leather doesn’t come without its own admonition, one of which is the susceptivity to cracking. So, why does leather smash and what steps can you take to avert it?
What causes leather cracking?
This might break your heart a little bit but the damage that leads to cracking is often permanent. Leather jackets crack as a result of dryness. Leather needs to be moist to balance its smooth and flaccid texture. If it dries out, cracking may occur. Also leather is porous, it soaks up oils and dirt from your own body and hair. And becomes abrasive as it breaks down, causing wear and eventual cracks on the surface.
How to Prevent Your Leather jacket From Cracking?
Yet, nobody seems its leather jacket cracks up. So, here are a few essential tips for keeping your leather good as new and an answer to the most pressing question:
How to prevent leather jackets from cracking?
Regular Cleaning:
Of the most essential tips in maintaining your leather is to clean it well. Yet, cleansing it does not mean you attack it with your everyday cleanser and scrubs every month. With leather, less is more. All you have to do is wash your leather thrice a year. The use of specialized products for maintenance can go a long way in keeping a leather crack-free.
Here is how the cleaning works:
- Get your saddle soap or saddle soap– whichever you choose to clean your leather with.
- Use a damp cloth to apply these to your leather, ensuring gentle rubs to the leather to absorb it.
- The procedure to apply these is to rub and lift off with your cloth so that all the dust inside the pores will remove.
- While cleansing, do special care to put more energy into areas that are most used. These include the elbow joints on leather jackets. In case of a smash, use a soft mop to put leather balm over the smashed areas.
Optimal Usage:
The main reason for cracking is overusing. No matter how you look after it if you abuse your leather rather than using it. The cause of cracking is that enough dust and grime gather at it. Here is what you can do:
- When it comes to a jacket, try not to wear a packsack over it that scuffs over the surface and causes smash.
- Of course, one might think what the aim of buying the luxury of leather is if you cannot even use it. Well, the idea is to make sure that you keep the luxury flawless for a long time.
Humidity:
While there’s no easy DIY repair for the smashed leather jacket, there are methods to prevent it. For freshers, balance a suitable humidity level in the area in which you keep your leather jacket.
So, what’s the right humidity for storing leather? The best way is to put it somewhere between 40 and 50% relative humidity. This means the air is stuffing about half the moisture vapor that it can stuff. Elevation of humidity beyond 60%, issues like mold growth can occur. When it is below 60%, leather can dry out and at last crack. If you want to elevate the humidity inside your home, infuse a humidifier. And if you want to decrease humidity, infuse a dehumidifier. It works by removing moisture vapor from the environment.
Condition It:
Besides balancing a humidity level and selecting high-quality leather. You may also avoid the leather from smashes by conditioning it on a regular basis. Why is this necessary? Well, even with good supervision, the leather may still become dry. It won’t smash as long as you put it stored in a suitable environment. But the lack of moisture can make it susceptible to cracking. This is why it’s a best choice to moisturize your leather on daily basis. Utilizing leather conditioning products like Saddle Soap. You can do your leather moist which in turn prevent it against smashing.
Keep Away From Heat:
Besides sunlight, you should keep your leather jacket away from all heat sources. Heat and leather don’t mix. When disclosed to heat, it will become drier. Dryness, of course, is at last what causes
leather to crack. Healthy leather is moist. It’s not saturated, but it contains a moderate amount of moisture within its pores. The presence of this moisture keeps leather supple and soft. While at the same time protecting it from cracking. If you exposed your leather jacket to heat, it will lose some of its moisture, which may lead to it cracking. You can cut the risk of cracking, but, by keeping your leather jacket away from heat.
Common heat sources that can dry out and damage leather jackets are as follows:
- Fireplace
- Clothing dryer
- Air vents
- Hairdryer
- Heating blanket
How to Fix Leather Jacket Cracks?
Let’s go through some methods that may be helpful in renewal leather accessories
Leather Filler:
There are a lot of leather fillers accessible in the market. They can prove to be potent in getting rid of noticeable smashes. But first, you have to ensure that the leather surface is clean.
- Use a leather cleaner to remove any dust. Dip a piece of cloth of cotton pad in the cleaner solution. And start scraping it on leather in gentle circular motions. Remove it using a clean towel.
- Use super-fine sandpaper to smooth the texture out at the smashed areas. Carry on until you get the smooth finish to the touch. Use a paper towel to remove any dust. Do not use harsh, rough paper as it will do more cracks than good.
- Seal the cracks with the filler using a palette knife. You can use a soft brush to ensure that the filler has completely covered the smashes. Wipe off the extra filler from the surface using the knife.
- Let the leather dry overnight in a natural way. Prevent using a hairdryer or keeping the leather in direct sunlight. Because doing this can shrink the leather. Once dry, check if another layer of filler is necessary or not.
Leather Dye:
Using a leather filler will not give the absolute result. And will give a visible color difference in specific areas. But you can use the leather dye and carry on. Because for deeper smashes, it works quite well when blend with leather filler.
- Once you’re done with using the filler. Ensure that it is dry before sanding the surface for smooth touch. Be gentle and use circular motions to prevent any further harm.
- Choose a leather dye that suits the color of your leather jacket. Always start by putting a thin coat of the dye and keep on adding more layers if required. Sheath the cracks with the dye using any tool.
- Let it dry for an hour or two in a natural manner.
- Check if you can get your hands on a good leather sealer. If not, use water-repellent spray. It adds a covering layer to your jacket against any water or heat damage.
- Prevention is better than cure. It’s better to avert carrying your leather jacket in rainy weather putting it in too much heat. Regular cleaning will aid you to avert dryness and cracking.
- You can also oil jacket to keep it flaccid which will help avoid cracking.
How to Keep Leather Jackets From Cracking Naturally?
To repair cracked leather. The only thing I can think of is to glue the cracks with a flexible cloth glue after oiling them. It will look like CRAP! If appearance does not matter, then you may use a little more.
What is a natural cleaner for leather?
Make lemon squash and blend it with more water in a bowl. Then dip a clean sponge in a bowl and rub the leather surface it will clean all the dirt. Then you may put coconut oil to hydrate the jacket.
Is it safe to wash a leather jacket?
You can’t wash a leather jacket with ease like other clothes because leather absorbs water. And the drying process is not simple can leave permanent damage to your leather.
Final Words:
Enjoying the luxury of leather is not buying it straight. Leather deserves all the respect you can give it, and it pays back right by staying with you for a lifetime. If you do look after it well, it will grow better with time, like your favorite wine.
So, keep up with our pattern, and you and your jacket will always remain happy.
