More Leather, Lingerie and Love for Your Life

• Now this is my kind of party, and the perfect venue for something from Fifi's Lingerie store. Just when I thought the days of Studio 53 were dead and gone forever, I stumbled upon this most sexy and even lurid story out of the UK about a "party gone wild". Warning honnies - this one isn't for the faint of heart.
• A great history lesson and glossary of everything important to women's lingerie. Did you know for example that women's lingerie may have originated in the Mediterranean? And, in case you were afraid to ask, different styles of lingerie are defined, such as teddies, baby dolls, camis, chemise and more. Read this article and get started on your PhD in women's lingerie!
• How do you choose just the right corset anyway? Take the mystery out of the purchase (save it for the bedroom instead!) and read this article about selecting the corset to complement your style and mood.

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Caring for Your Leather Apparel – Part II – Cleaning

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just toss your expensive leather teddy outfit into the laundry pile along with your jeans and sweaty socks? If it were that easy, you wouldn’t need Fifi, would you? In this Part II of my series on leather apparel care – cleaning – I explain the proper techniques for washing wearable leather items, which cleaning products to use, which ones to avoid, and provide stain by stain advice, from body fluids on up. Read on if you want to protect the value of that chic leather jacket by learning how to keep it clean and blemish free forever.

Before you roll your sleeves up however, stop. Think about what you’re about to do. If you feel the slightest bit hesitant about dunking your fine leather piece under the water, then call a professional. This isn’t for the faint of heart after all. Just make sure you find one that can really do the job. Call around and ask questions. Does the candidate cleaner understand how leather is bonded and treated? Does the establishment clean leather apparel regularly? Does it have references you can call? Obviously in the case of suede, expensive designer handbags or other specialty or high end leather items you will definitely want a professional to help you. Just make sure you find a reputable one.

Cleaning Your Leather

Let's get the bad news out of the way first: Some stains simply cannot be removed – paint, ink, and chemicals are a few of these. The better news: Softer stains like water, dust, urine, dirt, juices and other liquids can be cleaned if you get to them right away. There isn’t much to the actual procedure of cleaning your leather apparel. Just use lukewarm to warm water and a mild soap like baby shampoo. This proves to be the best solution for most stains, even greasy ones. For extra stubborn stains, apply baby shampoo directly onto the stain, blot with a rag, then rinse thoroughly. Alternatively, you can use a leather-specific cleaning product in place of baby shampoo. Just be sure to select one that preserves the natural lubricating oils applied by the tannery, perform a color-fast safety check on an inconspicuous area of the leather beforehand, and follow the directions on the bottle.

For cleaning, use a soft rag like a cotton diaper or a soft sponge. Nubuck cloth is a great choice for many difficult stains on Nubuck leather (go to www.leathermasterbymail.co.uk for a detailed analysis on how to treat specific Nubuck leather stains and more). Once finished cleaning, gently squeeze the leather to expulse the rinse water. Do not ring or twist the leather to squeeze the water out. Be sure to completely dry all metal snaps, zippers or other fittings so they don’t rust. Then lay the leather garment out flat on a clean, dry towel to absorb any residual wetness. Allow it to dry at room temperature which can take up to two to three days. Finally, protect with your leather protector and conditioner (see our post on conditioning and protecting leather for instructions on how to apply these) and hang it in a cool, dry environment. Do not cover the garment, and be sure to hang it on broad, padded hanger leaving space on each side of the garment while it is hanging.

Congratulations, you did it! Yep, that’s it and I mean it. Whatever you do, don’t embellish the cleaning process with anything else (except for specific stains which we describe below). To do so will invite disaster.

Fifi's List of Don'ts When Cleaning Leather

DON'T:

• Scratch at the stain with your fingernails and never use anything abrasive like a scratchy pad, brush, or toothbrush. While these work wonders on some of your poly blends, they will leave permanent scratches on leather.
• Use laundry detergents, chemicals, dish soap, or any other soap or detergents. Stick with the baby shampoo. Alternatively, if you’ve found a leather cleaning product, don’t use it until you’ve completed a “color fast” safety check on an inconspicuous area of the leather. Most are safe, but it never hurts to be cautious.
• Leave any soapy residue as this will cause the leather to stiffen and crack. Rinse thoroughly!
• Hang to dry on a metal wire hanger as you will risk distorting the leather’s shape with it.
• Use a hair dryer or any other heat source to dry the garment.
• Wipe stains. Always blot instead.

How to Treat Specific Stains

• Oils, grease and oily lubricants will be difficult to erase, but try baby shampoo mixed with a few tablespoons of water. Apply the baby shampoo solution by rubbing the stains gently. Rinse well. If this doesn’t work, try lifting the stain by applying ground blackboard chalk (after it is dry again, of course). Sprinkle the chalk powder on the stain and let sit for about a day. Don’t rub the chalk powder on the leather - just let it sit.
• Sweat and odors will come out if you wash the garment in baby shampoo and warm water. Some resources suggest corn starch, but by applying corn starch will risk compromising the quality of the garment, scratching it or staining it further. Another acceptable option is to allow the garment to soak in a solution of one teaspoon bicarbonate soda to one quart of warm water.
• Wax can be lifted by placing blotting paper on the leather and ironing with a cool or low temperature setting. Brown paper is also effective.
• Mold and mildew respond best to a solution consisting of one cup rubbing alcohol and one cup water. Dip a clean, soft cloth in the solution and gently wipe the stain. For stubborn mildew stains use mild soap containing a germicide and water. Wipe the excess soap with a clean cloth and let dry.
• Blood stains should be removed immediately with warm soapy water. Blood allowed to remain in contact will cause the leather to stiffen and will smell and will be difficult to restore.
• Urine is acidic and very damaging to leather, usually leaving behind discoloring spots or streaks. Wash the urine out right away using warm soapy water with baby shampoo. If urine remains in contact with the leather the damage will be irreversible.
• Disinfect away germs by soaking leather apparel in a solution of one teaspoon of bleach to one gallon of water for twenty to thirty minutes. Be sure to rinse thoroughly as bleach will damage leather if left on contact.

Leather apparel will maintain its original condition when you attend to stains immediately, clean it regularly, and clean it properly. Treat stains according to their type. If in doubt, call a professional.

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