Which Types of Leather Conditioning Products Work Best?
There are many different types of leather conditioners on today’s products. While most conditioners consist of either oils or waxes, it is important to know what you are working with in order to achieve the desired results. Mink oil is one of the most popular leather conditioning products available today, and is made up of the fatty layer under the skin of mink that helps to moisturize their hide. This same oil can be used to condition leather, and is a key ingredient in a number of leather conditioning products. Although mink oil is not recommended for conditioning leather furniture, it is great for waterproofing leather footwear. When shopping for a high quality conditioner, it is important to read the label as a lot of mink oil contains some other ingredients as well.
Neatsfoot oil is another great leather conditioning product that is made from the hooves of cattle. However, it is important to keep in mind that this type of oil is a very heavy conditioning product and should never be used on leather that is stitched or sewn together like in baseball gloves, as it can rot out the stitching. Of all of the different types of oils that have been used in leather conditioning products, neatsfoot oil has perhaps the greatest amount of interesting history. Not only has it been used for an extensive period of time, but it has also been combined with an impressive number of other materials in order to maintain footwear.
Saddle soap is another popular leather conditioning product that has been beneficial for maintaining saddle leather but is known to actually cause harm to leather furniture and upholstery. Because saddle soap is highly alkaline in nature, it is suitable for the tough, vegetable tanned leather that is used to make saddles. It is also beneficial for removing manure and other heavy soils from leather products.
Leather that is frequently used in car upholstery and leather furniture is processed differently than other types of leather, often using a chromium tanning process that gives it softer, more supple characteristics. The chemical reaction caused by harsher saddle soap can actually break own this type of leather quite dramatically in a shorter period of time by deteriorating he fibrous structure of the leather. Now that dyeing and bleaching of leather has become a more common practice, leather conditioners that are less harsh in nature are more desirable.