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Cleaning a leather jacket without damaging it
A leather jacket gets dirty without you noticing. Worn over time, it picks up city pollution, the dust of daily journeys and fingerprints, and the strap of a bag ends up marking the shoulder. The collar turns black through contact with skin, hair and cosmetics, while a motorcyclist’s jacket also collects squashed insects and chain grease.
Regular cleaning is nevertheless enough to bring back its looks, provided you choose a product designed for leather and follow the right order of steps.
Cleaning is, after all, the treatment you repeat most often, long before you need to repair a tear on a leather jacket or restore its colour: for the full picture of leather care, our guide to renovating leather jackets guides you step by step, from the first clean to recolouring tired leather.
Our products for cleaning a leather jacket
Which cleaner should you choose for the leather of your jacket?
Not all jackets are treated the same way. The lambskin of a biker jacket, fine and light, cannot take what the thick cowhide of a motorcycle jacket can bear. First identify the dirt, then adjust the product to the leather you are holding between your fingers.
| Type of dirt or need | Sofolk product | In brief |
|---|---|---|
| Dust and light everyday dirt | Glycerine soap gel | Gentle wash, glycerine formula, safe for the colour |
| Ingrained marks, grease, chain grease | Stain remover cleaner | Multi-material degreaser, lifts marks without leaving a ring |
| Greasy, sticky collar and cuffs | Sebum absorbent powder | Draws out sebum by capillary action, solvent-free |
| Odour lodged in the lining | Odour destroyer | Breaks down organic odours at the root, leaving no trace |
On lambskin or a delicate town jacket, rely on the glycerine soap gel: rich in glycerine, it cleans without being harsh, foams little and should be used sparingly.
Keep it for smooth leather, never for a velvety material such as suede or nubuck. Faced with a stubborn mark, set grease or the chain grease on a jacket, the stain remover cleaner takes over and lifts the dirt without touching the colour.
For a gentle, frequent clean, finally, the Cleaning Oil cleans smooth leather in a single movement.
When a greasy collar and cuffs turn shiny and sticky, sebum has lodged in the fibre: sprinkle on the sebum absorbent powder, which draws it out by capillary action, before any other product. A lining with a musty smell calls for the odour destroyer, which targets organic compounds instead of masking them.
That leaves the degreasing stripper: it has no place in everyday cleaning, because its powerful action removes grease and old finishes to prepare for recolouring.
Keep it for that preparation and for greasy dirt that resists everything else, always on a limited area.
How do you clean your leather jacket in 3 steps?
Whichever product you choose, the result depends on the order of the steps far more than on the strength of your arm. Here is the method for a dirty jacket, from dusting to drying.
Step 1: dust the surface
Empty the pockets, then run a soft-bristled brush or a dry cloth over the whole jacket, seams, collar and lining included, where dirt lodges. Removing this dry dust avoids scratching the leather when the wet product comes into play.
Step 2: test, then apply the product
Start with a test: place a dab of cleaner on a hidden area, under a lapel or inside a flap, and watch for any colour bleeding.
Then spray the product onto a microfibre cloth, never directly onto the leather, and work section by section, in small, supple circles. On a stubborn mark, leave it to sit for a moment before going over it again without scrubbing.
Step 3: wipe and leave to air dry
Blot the product and its residue with a clean cloth. Then place the jacket on a sturdy hanger and leave it to dry at room temperature, away from radiators, a hairdryer or full sun, whose heat stiffens the leather and opens up cracks.
Common stains and the motorcyclist’s case
Some marks come back with the way you wear your jacket. In town, a splash at the dinner table leaves a spot of grease: dab it straight away with the stain remover cleaner on a microfibre cloth, without rubbing in tight circles. A collar blackened by skin and hair calls first for the sebum absorbent powder, then the cleaner.
A motorcyclist’s jacket needs two or three extra steps. Insects stuck to the shoulders and chest panel come off after softening them with a damp cloth, never scraped off dry.
Against chain grease and marks that do not yield to the stain remover cleaner, the degreasing stripper works spot by spot, on the affected area only, before a pass of gentle cleaner. Sweat ingrained in the collar goes with the absorbent powder, before the cleaner is applied.
A few actions are enough to ruin leather in one go. The washing machine is to be banned: between soaking, heat and spinning, the garment warps and hardens. Also avoid solvents, petrol, household alcohol and white vinegar, which attack the protective varnish.
One last point: cleaning affects the appearance of the leather, not its strength. A jacket whose leather has been pierced or whose seam has burst in a fall goes to a professional first, even when it meets the EN 17092 standard for protective equipment.
After cleaning: nourishing the leather
A cleaner does more than remove dirt: by opening the pores, it also carries away some of the leather’s natural oils. The leather comes out clean, but slightly duller and rougher under the fingers.
Cleaning therefore settles only half of the matter; next comes the time to nourish a leather jacket after cleaning, a separate step that restores the comfort of the material and delays the appearance of cracks along the creases.
And if cleaning reveals a dull colour, greyed at the shoulders, it will be time to revive the colour of a leather jacket once the leather is clean and dry, even before thinking of nourishing it deeply.
Why choose Sofolk to clean your leather jacket?
A French manufacturer based near Bordeaux since 1989, Sofolk formulates its leather care products itself. This experience shows in the recipes: our cleaners dislodge dirt without dulling the colour or burning the varnish, and respect the leather’s acidic pH.
Treated with the right product, a jacket keeps its original colour; poorly degreased, it will show the trace for a long time.
From a lambskin biker jacket to a heavy road jacket, one and the same range covers both the light everyday clean and the treatment of the most stubborn marks.
Unsure about the leather to treat? A photo sent to the workshop is enough to receive the right advice, by telephone or on the company forum.
Frequently asked questions about cleaning a leather jacket
How often should I clean my leather jacket?
A cloth run over it after dirty journeys already slows the build-up of dirt. Allow a full clean two to three times a year for a heavily worn jacket, more often for a jacket exposed to the road. Tackle grease and chain grease without delay: forgotten dirt quickly penetrates the grain of the leather.
How do I remove a grease stain from a leather jacket?
Dab the stain with the Stain Remover Cleaner applied on a microfibre cloth, wait up to a minute, then wipe away without rubbing in tight circles. On a greasy collar or cuffs, reach first for the Sebum Absorbent Powder, which draws out the grease by capillary action. A test on a hidden area remains the rule above all.
Which product should I use on lambskin?
The lambskin of a biker jacket is fine and delicate: treat it to the Glycerine Soap Gel on a barely damp cloth, and leave aside powerful degreasers, too harsh for this leather. Work area by area, without soaking the material, then leave to dry at room temperature, away from any radiator.
Can I machine wash a leather jacket?
No. Avoid the washing machine: its water, heat and spinning warp the leather, stiffen it and can make the colour run. A leather jacket is treated by hand, with a cloth and a dedicated product, before air drying, never on a radiator or in a tumble dryer.
How do I clean the blackened collar of a leather jacket?
The collar blackens under the effect of sebum, sweat and hair. Start with the Sebum Absorbent Powder to capture the grease, leave it to work, remove it, then go over the area with the Stain Remover Cleaner on a microfibre cloth. Finish with a clean cloth and air drying, away from heat.
