Leather Care & Types

Leather Care: 

1. Wipe with a dry soft cloth. If you need to, you can use a damp cloth with water and then thoroughly wipe/pat dry after. Don't use any cleaners with solvents and especially no silicones. 

2. Do not submerge/soak. Even the best sealed leathers are truly only ever "water resistant" and not actually waterproof. Most sealants are made with beeswax which makes this water repellant! 

3. Do not store in closed/sealed container/tub/bin. Leather needs to breathe. 

4. Never use food grade oils on your leather, food grade oils go rancid and can cause an entire leather product to grow mold over time. 

5. You can use a lint roller to remove pet hairs/fluffs if anything sticks too it. 

6. "Patina" - The appearance of your leather will change over time with age. This means colours can change, become deeper, and different patterns/veins can develop. This is a normal part of the the aging process of leather and no two leather bags age the same.

7. If your product has been made with veg-tan leather, I automatically oil and water seal all of my projects for water resistance. 

8. If your product is made out of Chrome tan leather, it will likely already have a sealed exterior/top grain that has been completed during the tanning process. 

I primarily use Vegetable Tanned Leather, which is a full grain leather. In the description of each item I create, it will be clearly listed if the item is Veg-tan (vegetable tanned) or if it is a Chrome tan. 

"Vegetable tanned" is just the way the animal hide is tanned. Vegetable tanning is one of the oldest and most natural ways of tanning the flesh and the aim is to keep all of the individual characteristics/quirks on the flesh intact while also using elements found in nature to tan with. No two hides are identical, which is why most leathercrafters (like me!) typically tend to choose their pieces in person. There are a lot of oils and tannins used from trees like oak/oak bark, chestnuts, olive leaves, various different roots and sometimes even coffee bean shells. It also produces one of the most durable leathers out there. Basically, as long as you take care of it, it will quite literally last a lifetime. This animal hide specifically is cowhide.