Care of Leather Goods, Part 9

by Steven Ferry

General Care of Leather Part 1

Leather is alive and needs to breathe, meaning it should not be stored in bags or containers that do not allow access to air. Cloth bags for shoes or handbags work fine. When leather is exposed to the human body, particularly with shoes, the heat and moisture transfer from the person to the leather. This moisture should be allowed to evaporate before placing in any enclosed space to avoid mold or mildew from developing.

As soon as a shoe is removed, a shoe tree (cedar is best) should be inserted so that the leather can be straightened while it is still warm and moist and thus supple. Inserting a shoe tree after the shoe has cooled will force the leather to straighten and increase the development of cracks.

On the other side of the moisture scale, avoid drying leather that has become saturated by using a significant heat source, as it will crack and even shrink the leather. Best is to blot the item gently and then (for bags and shoes) stuff with newspaper and leave to airdry in a room with lower humidity for a couple of days until dry. Then condition as needed, as covered earlier.

The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.