Valuable tips on how to wash a leather skirt at home
The leather skirt has remained at the top of its popularity since its invention. Such a product looks stylish and expensive.
However, many women are happy to buy only as long as the item does not become dirty or stains appear on it.
About whether and how to wash a leather skirt (suede, eco-leather, leatherette) at home, read the article.
Content
Is it possible?
Wash your leather skirt Not recommended... There is a simple explanation for this. Before you start sewing, the leather must be processed. Craftsmen remove excess moisture from the material, impregnate it with special compounds.
They prevent skin deformation and make it soft. These substances are washed out during washing, so the skirt can stretch out strongly, become stiff.
The ban on washing applies to skirts made of natural suede. This material is represented by soft, velvety leather, which has been developed by the method of fat or formaldehyde-fat tanning.
The surface of the suede has a characteristic structure, since the leather is devoid of the face layer... Therefore, contact with water and detergents can be the first and last thing for a thing.
Nevertheless, you need to take care of your leather skirt. It is unacceptable to walk in dirty and stained clothes.
How to clean?
Cleaning your leather skirt is easy. You can get rid of simple stains with ordinary wet wipes.... Complex contaminants are removed with more aggressive compounds, for example, vinegar, alcohol or soapy water.
Wet wipes
To cope with simple dirt on the skirt, you can use ordinary wet wipes. This express method will allow you to quickly restore the appearance of things.
Any wipes are suitable for cleaning:
- antibacterial,
- children,
- with and without alcohol.
To completely remove the stain, you need to start removing it immediately. The longer the foreign substance stays on the material, the deeper it will penetrate into the skin structure.
This statement is especially true for oily stains.... Therefore, when putting on a leather skirt, you should always have a package of wet wipes on hand.
Ammonia
To cope with difficult, stubborn stains, ammonia helps. It has no harmful effect on the skin, does not change its structure or color.
Procedure:
- Apply alcohol to a cotton pad.
- Treat contaminated area. You need to move from the edges of the spot towards its center.
- The procedure is repeated until the skirt is clean.
- Wipe the product with a clean, damp cloth.
Soap solution
A solution of laundry soap shavings helps to effectively remove not only greasy, but also other types of stains, for example, from ink or spilled red wine.
Use it as follows:
- Laundry soap is ground on a grater. For a small spot, 1 tbsp is enough. l. facilities.
- Mix the shavings with a little water to form a gel-like substance.
- With the help of a sponge, it is applied to the stain in a thin layer and left for 10 minutes.
- Remove the film gently with a damp soft cloth.
If the remedy does not work the first time, the procedure can be repeated.
Ethanol
Over time, any leather product becomes greasy, an ugly shine appears on it. You can cope with it without washing, using ordinary alcohol. For this purpose, use vodka or ordinary cologne.
Procedure:
- Apply ethyl alcohol to a cotton pad.
- Wipe those areas that need treatment.
- Squeeze out the lemon juice, soak cotton wool in it and walk over the fabric.
Vinegar
You can use vinegar to remove dark spots from a light-colored leather skirt. A 9% preservative will be required.
A cotton pad is moistened in it, with which they wipe the areas that need cleaning.... Then they are treated with a damp cloth.
After such cleaning, the skirt will smell like acid. You don't need to worry about this. The vinegar will disappear from the fabric on its own after a few hours in the fresh air.
Features of washing the product
From eco-leather
The faux leather skirt can be hand washed.
Procedure:
- Dissolve detergent in warm water. It is best to use a liquid gel formulation.
- The temperature of the cleaning solution should not be higher than 30 degrees.
- Place the skirt in a basin and start washing immediately.
- Skin surfaces are gently wiped with a sponge. Do not brush or pull on the fabric.
- Rinse the product in clean water several times.
You cannot wring out a skirt made of artificial leather!
The processing must be gentle and meet the following parameters:
- water temperature - up to 30 degrees;
- spin is disabled;
- wash at minimum speed;
- the extra rinse function is on.
The faster the wash cycle ends, the better. Do not machine wash too often to avoid cracking the fabric. Preference is given to manual cleaning.
Suede
Suede is an even more capricious material compared to leather... Therefore, you need to take care of such a skirt especially carefully:
- Hand and machine wash is not allowed.
- The thing is processed by weight, or on a flat surface.
- A low concentration soap solution is used as a detergent. It is applied to the skirt with a sponge.
- To combat greasy areas, they resort to the help of ammonia.
- After processing, the product is wiped with a damp cloth.
- Dry the skirt while hanging.
Use a stiff brush to fluff up the suede after cleaning. It is sold in shoe stores but is great for garment care.
Drying
So that after contact with water, the leather skirt does not lose its attractive appearance, it must be properly dried.
The main recommendations that need to be followed:
- Do not wring out or twist the product so that water can drain off it faster.
- Dry the item on a flat surface or in a suspended state. The skirt is clinging to special ribbons that are sewn inside, in the belt area. Clothespins are not used.
- Leather products must not be dried in the sun.
- It is forbidden to put a thing on a heating radiator and near heat sources.
- During drying, there should be no creases or dents on the skirt.
Ironing
You cannot iron a leather skirt with an iron. Therefore, you need to take care in advance to ensure that creases do not appear on it. To do this, after wet cleaning, it is thoroughly shaken and dried on a flat surface.
If wrinkled areas are still formed, you can use plain water... The skirt is hung on a hanger and sprayed with a spray bottle. After drying, it should straighten. Thus, they smooth natural leather and suede.
Leatherette products can be treated with a steam generator. Hold the device 15 cm away from matter.
Read more about ironing a skirt. here.
When might a dry cleaning service be required?
Dry cleaning services are used when complex stains appear on the skirt, which cannot be removed on their own. Since it is forbidden to use aggressive household chemicals for washing, you should entrust the product to professionals.
The cost of the work depends on their complexity. Estimated prices:
- suede long skirt - about 900 rubles;
- a suede short skirt - about 700 rubles;
- leather long skirt - about 800 rubles;
- leather short skirt - about 650 rubles.
Important recommendations
Information that comes in handy to all owners of leather skirts:
- Before proceeding with cleaning, you need to study the information that is on the product label. Do not violate the manufacturer's recommendations.
- Scratches that have appeared on the skirt due to improper washing or active use can be treated with a special paint (Saphir, Silver, Liquid leather, etc.).
- Do not immediately apply the detergent to a large surface of the product. To begin with, the new composition is tested on an inconspicuous area of the skin and its reaction is monitored.
- When working with caustic substances, you should protect your hands with gloves.
- Do not use washing powder or stain removers to clean the skin.
- Products made of eco-leather of different colors cannot be washed together.
- Rub dirt only with a cotton pad or soft sponge. The brush is not used for processing natural materials.
Conclusion
The leather skirt needs regular cleaning. You cannot wash it. To remove stains, use gentle means:
- wet wipes,
- ammonia,
- ethanol.
In difficult cases, they turn to professionals for help. Thanks to careful care, the skirt will serve its owner for a long time.