How to clean the skin?

Animal skin is one of the most ancient types of material used for trimming and tailoring. And now leather goods do not lose popularity. The question of the appearance of stains on such things is sometimes very acute. Dry cleaning is not always a convenient and affordable way out of the situation. We will understand what methods can remove dirt from leather products.

When you think about removing stains and washing things from the skin, it is worth considering that this is a capricious material that does not tolerate strong mechanical effects, friction, sudden changes in temperature. Strong agents risk damaging the paint. High water temperature during washing will lead to cracks and deformation.

An important aspect of skin care products is maintaining the right level of natural fat on the material. If the funds dry out the skin, then you need to restore the fatty layer using special formulations

If you regularly take care of leather clothing and shoes, many problems can be avoided. Products made of smooth material can be washed with a damp cloth; clean porous coatings with dry soft cloths. They will clean the dust and bring back the shine. For fleecy types of leather, there are special rubber brushes.

Due to the different ways of processing the skin, many of its types with different decorative and technical characteristics have appeared. Genuine leather is divided into:

• Smooth Due to its maximum natural appearance and poor processing, leather is one of the most expensive. Raw materials are subject to the highest demands.
• Aniline and semi-aniline skin is minimally processed to improve its quality. Previously, it was covered with aniline paints, but over time they abandoned this method due to its non-ecological nature.
• Nappa is a smooth material treated with paints and resins. It has gryaze- and moisture-proof properties, therefore, it is used in the manufacture of footwear.
• Laika. Make it out of small ruminants. The material is extremely soft, sew gloves from it.
• Embossed leather. The embossing method helps budget types of leather imitate chic and expensive ones (snakes, python, etc.)

• Lacquer. Its main feature is the coating of synthetic varnish to impart the necessary decorative properties. Due to processing, the material loses its environmental friendliness and ability to breathe, but its spectacular appearance makes it very popular for the production of clothing, shoes and accessories.
• With polyurethane surface. Impressive processing and giving the material different shades and relief patterns makes it attractive for the fashion industry. Water-repellent properties are highly valued in the manufacture of footwear.
• Suede. It is obtained by treatment with animal fat. The soft velvety surface makes it one of the favorite types of skin consumers, despite the high risk of damage from various factors.
• Nubuck is similar to suede for decorative qualities, but due to grinding with a fine abrasive it has an almost imperceptible pile. His qualities are much worse than suede, he loses an attractive appearance much faster.

• Velours. For the manufacture does not use the skins of valuable animals. During processing, the surfaces of the material are polished from two sides.It feels like velor looks like suede, but it is far inferior in quality.
• Shagreen has a bumpy surface. Roughness can be from nature or achieved plant and quartz tanning.
• Parchment is a very ancient skin. Rawhide material is used in the manufacture of musical instruments, hand-made decorative accessories, expensive books.
• Shor is made of thick types of hides by fat tanning. It is dense and plastic.
• Split In the case of thick animal skins, they are sometimes divided into several layers with different uses. It saves material. The upper layers go to the manufacture of shoes, from the bottom make velor.
• Pressed. This kind of natural is difficult to call. All waste leather production is pressed with polymer additives and get cheap and not very high quality leather materials.

Types of artificial leather:

• Microfiber Made from polyester coated fibers. The material has the ability to breathe and repels moisture. This is facilitated by the porosity of the coating. Microfiber products can be washed.
• PVC leather. In this case, various additives and plasticizers are applied to the fibrous layer with polyester, which give the coating any kind and properties. Decorative characteristics, long service life and ease of maintenance make PVC material in demand. But because of the low environmental friendliness, it attracts mainly furniture manufacturers.
• PU leather (or polyurethane). This is a recent development consisting of a mix of natural leather and other materials. The textile base is sandwiched with low-quality leather and covered with polyurethane. Environmentally, this compound is safe, breathable and resistant to various mechanical effects and temperature changes.
• Eco-leather now everyone knows. From it make outerwear, furniture, bags and much more. This is a two-layer material, where the base is textiles or synthetic fibers, and the surface layer is made of polyurethane. It is a hypoallergenic material that is resistant to all kinds of effects and perfectly imitates natural leather.

Leather clothes and leatherette products are best not washed at all. These materials do not like excess moisture and with frequent washings can crack, stretch and fade. If you decide to wash your clothes, it is better to do it by hand.

Different clothes are sewn of leather of different structure and density. For example, a leather raincoat or jacket is sewn, as a rule, from thick leather and designed for a sock in the rain or even snow. They are better if possible to give dry cleaning. But leather pants or skirt have a softer texture, thinner skin. With certain instructions on the label they can be washed.

If the product has icons that allow to erase the thing in the machine, then it is better to do so. To do this, choose a temperature no more than 35 degrees. At higher rates, the products are clearly deformed and lose their appearance. Spin should also be disabled at all or set the regulator to the minimum number of revolutions (300-400). Washing gels are less likely to leave stains. Machine drying mode must be turned off. Heating will be the cause of cracks and scuffs.

This recommendation applies to leather shoes. Wash it is not recommended. In addition to capricious leather or fragile leatherette, favorite shoes may contain accessories and adhesives, which are easily deformed from water and even more so when scrolling in the drum.The same applies to hats - caps with thick visors, berets and hats.

In order to remove any contamination from things or shoes at home, it is not necessary to wash the product completely. Enough to handle the problem area. When washing by hand, you should not strongly twist or crush and rub clothes, damaging the fibers of the skin or substitute.

For machine wash, in addition to a special gel, pre-diluted soap solution or baby shampoo without dyes will do. To maximize the water glass, after washing you can leave the product for half an hour in the drum.

To remove the stain of any contamination, spread the item on the table and whip the foam of laundry soap. With a cloth or sponge, apply it to the damaged area. Leave the composition on the material for 2-5 minutes and wipe dry with a clean rag. In case it did not help or if the stain remained from a specific substance, radical measures are required.

The same method can be used by applying lemon juice. In most cases, the pollution can handle alcohol or refined gasoline. Apply them with a cotton pad to the skin and then remove the residue with a tissue.

Markers and markers are a real disaster for people who have small children. Both your clothes and your favorite leather sofa can suffer from them. You can wash them with any alcohol solution, wiping the stain with a cotton pad dipped in it. You can also resort to using hair spray. Spray it on dirt and wipe it with a clean cloth.

Ballpoint pen paste is harder to pull out. Ink eats into the skin. Mix alcohol and acetic acid and treat contamination with a cotton swab. The second effective method can be the use of scotch or sticky flying. Glue it on the problem place and sharply tear off. Remnants of surface dirt can be removed with a regular eraser.

White upholstery and clothing should be cleaned very carefully, trying not to rub the stain. You can beat the chicken egg white and dilute it with milk. The resulting mixture to treat the contaminated area.

Permanent markers can be a big problem and do not succumb to the effects of alcohol. In this case, there is an extraordinary method - to resort to treatment with tanning lotion or a repellent. Apply the product to the stain and wait 5 minutes. Then remove with a cloth and wipe it dry.

Traces of grease or oil can be effectively removed using chalk powder. Scatter it on the stain and leave it for at least 20 hours. Fat is absorbed into the chalk, and after that it will remain only to clean the tool from the surface. This method is good in the case of soiled nubuck or suede shoes. Also, instead of chalk, you can use flour.

If the oil stain is fresh, it is worth trying to remove it with a sponge moistened with a liquid solution of dishwashing liquid. Wipe the area with the product and wipe dry. For old stains, add a drop of ammonia to the soap solution. Another helper can make white spirit and gasoline. In the case of working with them, it is better to pave the product from the inside with a clean white cloth so that excess solutions are absorbed into it.

Medicines, such as potassium permanganate, iodine, brilliant green, tend to penetrate into the tissue very strongly. The skin in this case is no exception. From these substances remain bright and noticeable traces that immediately catch the eye. Lemon juice and alcohol can help.It is recommended to clean clothes and furniture from iodine stains with nail polish remover. The cotton wool moistened in it wipe a stain before disappearing.

On light leather products you can get rid of stains in this way:

• Wipe the stain with lemon juice;
• Dilute the starch with water to a slurry and apply it on the dirt;
• Hold for a while and wipe off the mixture;
• Apply lemon juice again and then a slurry of starch. This should be done until the stain disappears. This way you can handle both sofas and shoes. Your favorite leather shoes or sneakers will be clean and updated again.

Clothing that comes into contact with human skin may become associated with time. Black shiny footprints may appear on the lining of the boot. A favorite bag or backpack will shine worn handles. To eliminate such contaminants from colored things, alcohol is well suited.

Brush with a sponge dipped in it, greasy area, and then wipe with a cotton pad with lemon juice. After that, lubricate the product with glycerin. This method is also suitable for cleaning things made of artificial leather.

The simplest types of paints - watercolor and gouache, can be washed off with ordinary soap and water.

In the process of repair, you are unlikely to wear leather items. But furniture should be protected from the ingress of paint and plaster. Use protective film, covers and covers. In the car it is better to use special covers, too, at least when transporting contaminated items. The leather in the cabin, although it has special protective coatings, can be affected by various factors: animal claws, a seat belt rubbing against the seat.

A chewing gum, accidentally stuck in vehicles or public places, can severely damage the appearance of your clothes and ruin the car's interior. Ways to remove it:

• Ice. Take pieces of ice and wipe the gum on your jacket or seat. Excess water must be removed. Gum should be as cold as possible. If your clothes, such as a dress or pants and leggings, allow you to put them in a bag in the freezer, then leave them there for a few hours. After that, the gum can be gently scrubbed with non-sharp objects: a plastic card or a spoon.
• Heating by the hair dryer. Warm up the chewing gum that ruined your favorite boots or the sofa seat with a hairdryer until it becomes soft and carefully scrape it off the surface.
• Saddle soap. It will help in the first two ways to cope with the remnants of pollution, and as a separate option. Using a soft brush, apply it on the problem area and rub it. Give the soap time for exposure, then scrape off the gum. Wipe the area with a clean, damp cloth.

Pay attention to the following nuances:

• All stains should be removed fresh when possible. Dirt does not have time to soak all layers of the skin.
• If you wash clothes or shoes in a washing machine, it is better to use a color fixer.
• Never attempt to scrape a stain with a sharp blade or knife.
• After cleaning, be sure to handle things with a special cream for the care of leather products or vegetable oil and glycerin. The compositions soften the skin and give it a glossy sheen.
• After being hit by rain or snow, be sure to wipe the clothes with a dry cloth so that they do not have any stains.
• To dry leather products should always be away from heating devices.
• For cleaning and caring for things and shoes made of leather there is an arsenal of special compounds. Do not neglect them.
• Artificial materials are more simple in use. Keep this in mind when buying leather goods.

How to clean a leather jacket, see the following video.