Patent leather goods are very fashionable and are great leather accessories. Patent leather as a material stands out and because of this, any blemish it suffers will be very obvious. One of the biggest aspects of getting patent leather goods is its storage and the lack of proper storage can result in some serious disfigurations that you won’t be proud of.
So in this article, I researched on the best way to store patent leather and I’m excited to share with you all I found!
So how do you store patent leather goods such as bags, purses, shoes, etc?
- Airing Out
- Cleaning It
- Drying It Out
- Buffing It
- Stuffing It
- Securing All Metal Accessories
- Put it in a Dust Bag
- Storing
Let’s take a look at the details of each points!
Patent Leather Goods
Patent leather has a very attractive glass-like surface finish. It’s glass-like mirror finish lends its strengths from the layers of lacquer that it’s coated with. This treatment renders patent leather an exceptional waterproof material.
Patent leather is also flexible and comes in a wide array of colors. Patent leather is such a beautiful material making it one of the most sought after materials for formal accessories.
Patent leather is also very easy to care for and while it’s going to eventually lose its mirror-like finish from everyday wear and tear, it will still be more smoother than most leather types.
Patent leather is suitable for all kinds of fashion accessories such as jackets, boots, shoes, handbags, and other miscellaneous leather goods like professional wrestling boots, boxing gloves, dance shoes, trench coats, sneakers, etc.
How To Store Patent Leather Goods
Most people will nail the cleaning of their leather goods but the main thing most people mess up is with how they store them. This can be particularly tricky, especially, with patent leather goods with all the talk about how patent leather goods will need little or no attention paid to it.
Patent leather needs to be stored right for several reasons. You need to store patent leather goods very well so that it:
- Maintains the original shape of the item
- It’s glossy surface doesn’t wear out
- Lasts long
- Transfer it’s color to other items
Here’s how you store your patent leather goods so you’re able to maintain a long-lasting fresh looking patent leather item.
Step 1: Airing Out
The best practice when it comes to all leather goods is to air it out immediately after use. This is especially with shoes, jackets, gloves, bags, and any kind of leather item used outdoors or comes into contact with sweat and body oils.
It’s important to have rest days for your patent leather goods so they can be properly aired out
Step 2: Cleaning
After the patent leather item is properly aired out, it’s important to have your leather cleaned. Generally, cleaning patent leather is very easy and because of how well it’s treated, you’re essentially not really doing much in terms of cleaning it.
All you will be doing is basically using a soft microfiber cloth to remove any dirt and debris the patent leather would have accumulated throughout its use.
Before cleaning patent leather bags, it’s important to first empty it’s content before doing this process.
After you’re done cleaning off the dirt on it, you can use an alcohol free leather wipes or apply a patent leather cleaner to the item. While applying a patent leather cleaner is not going to fix any type of scuffs or scratches, it’s certainly going to help shine the patent leather item.
When cleaning patent leather, the product you apply only treats the surface of the item because of the kind of heavy treatment patent leather is given to its surface.
Step 3: Drying
When the leather is thoroughly cleaned with the patent leather cleaner, now it’s time to let the cleaning substance dry. The heavy coating on patent leather will usually allow it to dry quickly.
Approximately, you’re looking at 5-10 minutes drying time. The way you know the patent leather is dry is the surface turning fogged instead of the initial shine when the patent leather cleaner is applied.
Step 4: Buffing
What comes after drying the patent leather is to buff the surface with a soft clean cloth. Buffing the cleaned patent leather will bring it to a nice soft shine.
Step 5: Stuffing
For bags, handbags, and purses you would want to stuff it with a bubble wrap, acid free tissue, or a purse pillow while for shoes, you can fix a shoe tree. This is to help maintain the original shape of the patent leather item. It’s also a great way to prevent creases that can lead to cracks that will destroy the glass-like coating on the patent leather.
Step 6: Secure All Metal Accessories
All exposed metal hardware such as zippers, buckles, etc on the patent leather item must be wrapped with a tissue paper to prevent the hardware parts from making imprints on your patent leather item over time.
Step 7: Put in a Dust Bag
To prevent dust from getting on the stored patent leather item, store your patent leather goods in a soft clean breathable dust bag, cloth bag, or a cotton pillow case.
You’re to make sure the dust bag is big enough so that the patent leather item doesn’t wrinkle or warp while it’s stored. The dust bag must also be of a neutral color as lighter colored patent leather goods tend to be prone to color transfer.
Regardless of how much treatment is given to patent leather, when it’s stored in or next to a colored item, the dye or pigment can still migrate into the patent leather.
Step 8: Store
Store In Original Package (Box)
After you have finally gotten your most sought after patent leather item(s), one of the very first things you’re likely to do is to rip the box and trash the stuffing inside the bag, shoe, or purse.
Excuse the excitement and take a deep breath! Unbox the item gently and usually the packaging you leather item comes with is going to be your primary storage unit. The box, brown paper or newspaper covering, dust bags, etc are great things you can use to store your patent leather items.
Once the packing is intact, all you do is to place back the leather item the same way it can and put it in a cool dry place, such as on top of your bedroom wardrobe or closet.
Shelve It
A great alternative if you don’t have the original box of the patent leather product is to lay it flat on a shelf in your closet. When storing your patent leather goods on shelves, it’s important to fix shelf dividers so the items do not touch one another.
Do’s and Don’t When Storing Patent Leather
- Never store patent leather goods close to other items or never let the hardware/parts of a patent leather item to touch another item as the patent leather item can transfer its color to anything touching it.
- Don’t hang patent leather items like bags, purses, jackets, or pants. This can distort the overall shape of the item. For example, the handle of a patent leather bag can be distorted and elongated when it’s hanged.
- Avoid placing your patent leather items on the concrete floor because it may promote mold, fungal, or bacterial growth.
- If you have a couple of bags in your storage, you would want to put labels one them so you can always find exactly what you’re looking for.
- Make sure the place you’re storing the patent leather item is a cool dry place with no moisture, water, or whatsoever.
- It’s ok if the place you store your patent leather goods is dark. However, if you must light up the space where you keep your patent leather items, you would want to use LED lighting to minimize damage to your items.
- Don’t store your patent leather goods at a place where there’s exposure to the sun to prevent discoloration.
- Use a small dehumidifier in your storage space as any form of humidity especially during storage can be harmful to your patent leather item.
- Never store patent leather items like handbags within other handbags.
- Don’t wrap your patent leather items in plastics because it can allow mold and mildew to grow.
