How to restore cracking leather with a conditioner

Over time of use or during the process of using leather goods, there is likelihood that the leather can be cracked due to many factors. There are still ways to recover the leather with a good conditioner when it appears cracks on the surface. Herewith, let’s learn how to restore cracking leather with a good conditioner with Cicero experts.

Cracking leather is an unexpected thing, but leather is very prone to this kind of damage. Having obtained a nice leather wallet, you will want to keep it as new and good as possible. Please follow our tips on how to restore cracking leather with a conditioner.

How to restore cracking leather with a conditioner

Use a clean cloth and a cleaner to wipe off the leather

When you notice cracks on the leather, please go get a leather cleaner at a store to get ready to fix this issue. Leather cleanser is often the simplest way to repair your wallet’s cracks. Also get a clean-enough cloth for apply the cleaner on to wipe off the grime on the leather. You can rub the cloth along the leather’s grain so as not to touch the cracks which are serious.

In case you cannot find a leather cleaner at the store, you can mix a little amount of soap (1 portion) with 8 portions of distilled water to create the cleaning solution. With this mixture, damp the cloth with it and wipe the leather along its grain, same as what you do when using commercial leather cleaner.

Readmore: 3 Care Tips For Full Grain Leather Wallet

Let the leather dry before applying conditioner

Normally, it is highly suggested you leave the leather dry first. You can feel the leather by hand to check its condition. When the leather dries out, you will notice the cracks clearly. Also when the leather is dry, it can avoid the soap or cleaner to get in the way of the conditioner that you will apply on the leather later.

If you find waiting for 10-15 minutes is long, you can speed up the process a little bit by using a cloth to wipe the remaining water off.

Apply conditioner on the the leather lightly with a soft cloth or your finger

Press against (something) lightly with a piece of absorbent material in order to clean or dry it.

It’s time to restore cracking leather and rehydrate it with conditioner. To perform this step, you shall use a very soft, absorbent piece of cloth or soft applicator or your finger to put small drops of conditioner on. Then, rub the conditioner directly move your finger or the cloth repeatedly back and forth on the cracks of the leather with gentle rub to clean out the pores and get ready for deeper conditioning. If you wonder where to get leather conditioner, it can be obtained at any stores that sell leather items or online or some clothing store.
The leather will take in the cleaner immediately and start making the leather softer and supple.

Apply additional conditioner to smooth out cracked parts

After applying the first layer of conditioner, you will need an extra amount to deepen the conditioning to restore cracking leather. Put an amount of conditioner on the applicator cloth, then scour all over the cracks and areas around the cracks. Continue doing that along the grains. At this point, the leather color will turn more constant and the cracks will appear dimmer or hidden.

Besides the cracked areas, you can also condition other parts of the leather if you have not done that for a long while. By this way, it helps avoid forming new cracks for the leather.

Leave the leather rest and dry out

After applying all conditioning steps, it’s time to let your leather rest by itself. To know how long you should leave it to dry, you can check the instructions from manufacturer. Normally, the leather will take a certain amount of time to soak in all of the conditioner. Therefore, wait until you feel it dry by touch before continuing treating it.  Normally, you leave it dry overnight.

Continue conditioning the leather if there are still cracks

Sometimes after drying out the leather at step 5, the leather turns back to looking good again. However, there are cases that you might need to take care of the cracks again and again because the conditioner is not great enough or the cracks are quite serious. So make sure you double-check your leather items such as leather wallet or leather bags again  the next morning after giving it time to dry overnight.

Some notes when using conditioner to restore cracking leather.

• Condition leather about every three months to keep the leather from cracking. With regular sufficient moisture, the leather can avoid cracks better because normally cracks appear when leather dries.
• Try not to put the leather goods such as your leather wallet or leather bags under the direct sunlight and near the heat resources. Heat can cause leather to dry out which results in cracks.
• If the leather is ripped or torn, you can use leather glue to seal. Press the ripped parts with glue to close it in place.
• In case it is seriously damaged and it is very valuable or meaningful to you, you might need to take it to professionals. They will be able to repair it better and more extensively.
• Leather is very flimsy so make sure when treating the leather, test the treatment on a certain location first then apply it on the leather item you would like to fix or condition.

So with certain care and patience, you can restore cracking leather simply. Best of luck with all step you’ve been guided to take care and repair your leather items.