I often get asked about how
to care for leather, so I though a blog post on leather care would be a good
idea.
There are three basic
elements to caring for your leather toys:
1 Storage/Protection
2 Maintenance
3 Cleaning
If the first two items are
done well, then the third item should not be needed very often.
Something important to know
is which type of leather your toy is made from, more specifically, how the
leather has been tanned (tanning is the process used to change animal skins
into leather). Generally there are two types of leather used:
1 Chrome Tanning - noted for producing thinner and
softer leather and is pre-dyed and finished. Chrome tanned leather most
often has fixed color and needs less maintenance, it will also not age and
weather, but is also more susceptible to damage and tearing.
2 Vegetable Tanning - noted for thicker and stiffer
leather and can be dyed and finished as desired. Vegetable tanned leather
will change color with age, exposure to sunlight, dirt, oils; etc. will weather
the leather giving it a 'vintage' look. The leather is more resistant to
damage and can be custom colored, but does need more care and maintenance.
I custom dye/color and
finish all of my leather, so I always use vegetable tanned leather. This
does mean more maintenance is required, but I feel that vegetable leather is a
superior material to chrome leather.
1. Storage/Protection
Storing your leather toys
in a place with low humidity and away from water will help your leather last
longer. Moist and wet environments will encourage mold growth, and if
leather stays wet too long it can break down the fibers in the leather.
If your leather does get
wet, then dry it out naturally (don't put in front of a heater or fire, this
will damage the leather) then apply maintenance to the leather.
Don't keep leather in
direct sunlight; the UV light can darken the leather (sunlight will give
leather a sun tan!).
I have also found that if
leather is kept too dry or in sunlight, it can become dry and stiff, this can
be helped with maintenance, but stiff leather can suffer stress cracks and
breaks.
I like to keep my leather
toys in a bag or a drawer with a few packets of silica beads (the type you find
in new shoe boxes or some clothes packages) to keep the humidity lower.
2. Maintenance
There are two types of
maintenance that should be applied to your leather toys. After use, and Infrequent.
After use:
This depends on how you use
your toys, and is more about playing safe than protecting the leather.
If you use your toys on
multiple people, I recommend wiping each toy with antibacterial wipes between
people. This reduces the possibility of something being transferred from
one person to another.
Now not all toys need the
same amount of cleaning, e.g.
• A spanking paddle will need a quick wipe due to the
flat - easy to clean spanking surface and the contact area (e.g. ass) it is
used on.
• A 9-tail whip will need a good cleaning due to its
many surface areas and it's ability to get into more areas of the body when
it's used.
• Handcuffs generally need little cleaning due to the
area of the body they are used on, unless a person has a skin condition or
wound in that area that should be accounted for.
• Masks need a good clean, on all surfaces.
Breathing through the mouth and nose can spread a lot of contaminants on
a leather mask, and the potential transfer of eye or ear infections is best
avoided.
For the safest play, one
toy for one person is best, and after use cleaning is still recommended.
It's worth noting that the
alcohol from the antibacterial wipes will dry out and damage the leather,
meaning that the amount of infrequent maintenance you do needs to increase!
Infrequent:
This can happen as often as
needed and depending on the storage conditions of your leather. I
personally do this once or twice every 6 months.
I recommend Mink Oil; I use
this to finish all of my leatherwork.
Simply rub it onto your toy
with a clean cloth, and then buff it off with a second clean cloth.
Additional applications can be made.
If using antibacterial
wipes a lot, I suggest re-working the leather toys with Mink Oil more
frequently. This will help to keep the leather soft and supple.
3. Cleaning
To properly clean leather,
I use a special soap called Saddle soap.
Using a clean damp cloth,
rub the cloth on the soap to make a foam. Then rub the foam onto the
leather. After cleaning the leather with the foam, use a clean dry cloth
to buff and polish the soap from the leather.
If desired, a coat of mink
oil can be applied after letting the leather dry properly.
There are leather-cleaning
kits available in some stores that are sold to clean items like leather
furniture or leather clothes. I don't use these products, as they are
better for cleaning Chrome leather not the Vegetable leather that I use to make
toys.
