How to Clean a Vintage Leather Jacket, and What Not to Put on It

To clean a vintage leather jacket, brush off the dust, wipe it with a soft cloth barely dampened with distilled water, treat any stain only after testing on a hidden spot, and let it air-dry away from heat before applying a little leather conditioner. Never machine-wash it, soak it or dry it with a hairdryer, and be wary of saddle soap on old leather. Most damage to vintage leather comes from doing too much, not too little.

Step by step

1. Read the label and identify the leather. Smooth leather, suede and very porous skins such as deerskin need different handling (see below).

2. Brush off the dust. Hang the jacket and wipe it over with a soft, dry cloth or a soft-bristled brush.

3. Test first. Before any cleaner or conditioner touches the outside, try it on a small hidden area, such as the inside hem or under an arm, and wait to see if it darkens or marks.

4. Wipe, don't wash. Use a soft white cloth only slightly damp with distilled water, and work over the surface gently. Never saturate any part of the jacket.

5. Remove any residue. If you used a mild leather cleaner, wipe it off with a clean damp cloth so it doesn't streak or build up.

6. Air-dry completely. Hang it away from radiators and direct sun. No hairdryer.

7. Condition lightly. Once dry, work in a small amount of leather conditioner to restore the oils that keep leather supple, and buff off the excess.

Every piece in our vintage leather jackets and coats is listed with its condition graded, which tells you how much of this it will need.

Do and don't, at a glance

Do	Don't
Wipe with a barely damp cloth and distilled water	Machine-wash, soak or fully wet the leather
Test every product on a hidden area first	Use bleach, ammonia or household cleaners
Treat grease with corn starch or baking soda overnight	Rub a stain hard or scrub it
Air-dry away from heat and sun	Hairdryer, radiator, direct sunlight
Condition lightly once dry	Smother old leather in saddle soap or heavy dressings
Store with air around it at moderate humidity	A damp cellar or a hot attic

Stains

For grease or oil, Pecard, a leather-care maker, recommends covering the mark with corn starch or baking soda and leaving it overnight to absorb the oil, then brushing it off. Small water marks and light spots often need nothing more than a wipe with distilled water. For ink, mould marks and scuffs, Pecard suggests careful blotting with rubbing alcohol or a diluted vinegar solution, followed by conditioning once dry, always after a test patch. Anything large, set in, or on pale leather is a job for a specialist leather cleaner.

Why to be careful with saddle soap

Saddle soap is in almost every leather-care guide, but the US National Park Service, writing for museum collections, discourages its routine use on old leather. It explains that saddle soap was developed in the nineteenth century as a conditioner rather than a cleaner, that tanners now consider it obsolete as a conditioner, and that because it cannot be easily rinsed out it tends to carry surface dirt and oil deeper into the leather. A vintage jacket isn't a museum object, but the logic holds: on aged leather, a damp wipe and a light, modern conditioner are the gentler choice.

Deerskin and suede: keep water off

The caramel-coloured deerskin jackets of the 1970s are especially porous. A vintage leather specialist interviewed by the Pre-Loved newsletter warns not to put water on them at all: it soaks straight in, discolours the skin and can crack it, which is why these jackets so often show marks at the arms and underarms. Suede, likewise, should be brushed dry rather than wiped.

Musty smells and mould

An old jacket that smells of the shop it came from usually just needs air. The same specialist notes that a few hours hanging outside in the shade makes a large difference, and that a lingering smell usually lives in the lining rather than the leather: the lining can be cleaned or steamed separately, but the leather itself should not be steamed. Mould is a humidity problem. The National Park Service notes that mould and swelling of skin fibres set in above 65% relative humidity, so dry the jacket gently, treat any marks as above, and change where it is kept.

How to store a leather jacket

Hang it on a broad, shaped hanger so the shoulders keep their line, with space around it. Keep it out of direct light and away from heat. Aim for a stable room: the National Park Service recommends 40 to 60% relative humidity for leather, warning that very dry air below about 22% makes skin shrink and deform, and damp air above 65% invites mould. A wardrobe in a lived-in room is usually right; a cellar or an attic usually isn't.

When to call a professional

If the leather is cracked through, the colour has worn to the hide, the jacket has been soaked, or a stain has set, take it to a leather specialist. Small tears in a lining or a loose seam are straightforward for a good tailor or leather repairer, and worth doing before they spread.