If you’re going to wear your leather jacket outdoors on a rainy day, you’ll need to know how to properly it. A leather jacket is a timeless fashion staple that adds a touch of sophistication to just about any outfit. When wet, however, it may lose its original shape and texture. In some cases, jackets made of real leather can develop mildew. You can prevent problems such as these, however, by drying your leather jacket.
Consider a Waxed Leather Jacket
Before revealing how to dry them, it’s important to note that some leather jackets are better protected against moisture than others. Leather is porous, so it’s able to absorb moisture from the surrounding air and environment. But there are waxed leather jackets that feature a protective layer of wax over them.
Waxed leather jackets are still made of real leather — typically sheepskin or cowhide leather — but they feature a transparent layer of wax over their surface. This otherwise thin layer shields the underlying leather from moisture. Therefore, you can’t go wrong with a waxed leather jacket, especially if it’s raining outside. They are soft, comfortable, stylish and offer a high level of protection against moisture.
Step #1) Remove Excess Water
The first step to drying a leather jacket after getting it wet is to remove any lingering, excess water. Take a clean towel or washcloth and blot your leather jacket until you’ve removed most of the water on the surface. You don’t need to scrub your leather jacket. Just blotting it with a clean towel or washcloth should remove most of the water on the surface.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t expose your leather jacket to heat, either. Whether it’s the heat from a clothes dryer, hairdryer or a garment steamer, it may damage your leather jacket. The safest way to dry a leather jacket after getting it wet is to blot it with a clean towel or washcloth.
Step #2) Hang It Up
Now it’s time to hang up your leather jacket. Place your leather jacket on a coat hanger, and hang it up somewhere indoors so that it will dry naturally. You can hang it up in a laundry room, bathroom or just about anywhere else inside of your home.
By hanging up your leather jacket, you’ll encourage it to dry naturally. Tossing a wet leather jacket on the floor, in comparison, will result in a longer drying time. If your wet leather jacket is all bunched up on the floor, it won’t be able to breathe. Moisture will remain trapped in its pores, so it may take your leather jacket a long time to completely dry. A simple solution is to hang it up. Hanging up your leather jacket will completely expose its surface area to the air. The end result is a shorter drying time.
Step #3) Turn on a Fan
You can speed up the drying process by using a fan. After hanging up your leather jacket somewhere inside of your home, place a small oscillating fan next to it. You should position the fan so that it points toward your leather jacket. As the fan blows air over your leather jacket, it will speed up the drying process.
Your leather jacket should dry with or without a fan — assuming you hang it up indoors in a dry area. Using a fan, however, will speed up the process. The fan will blow air over your leather jacket. As this occurs, moisture will be released from your leather jacket’s pores. If you need to quickly dry your leather jacket after getting it wet, use a fan. If you aren’t in a hurry, on the other hand, you can skip the fan.
Step #4) Apply Conditioner
Once your leather jacket has completely dried, you should conditioner it. Conditioning is the process of hydrating and moisturizing leather with a product known as a leather conditioner. Leather can sustain damage if it remains wet for a prolonged period. Conversely, it can sustain damage if it remains dry for a prolonged period. To make your leather jacket last a lifetime, you need to manage its moisture by ensuring that it’s not too dry or too wet.
Your leather jacket may have little or no moisture left in it after you dry it. Conditioning it will restore your leather jacket’s moisture content. Make sure your leather jacket has fully dried. As long as it doesn’t feel damp, you can proceed to condition it. Apply a small amount of conditioner throughout the surface of your leather jacket.
Tips to Keep Your Leather Dry
Drying a wet leather jacket is a quick and easy process. You can remove excess moisture with a towel or washcloth, followed by hanging it up somewhere indoors, positioning a fan in front of it, and then applying a conditioner. You can keep your leather jacket dry, though, by following some basic tips.
If it’s raining outside, bring an umbrella so that you can shield your leather jacket from the rain. An umbrella will block the rain while keeping your leather jacket dry in the process.
Don’t wash your leather jacket. Whether you machine-wash or hand-wash it, your leather jacket will become saturated with water. You can still clean it, but you should spot clean your leather jacket. Spot cleaning offers a safer, gentler way to clean a leather jacket.
A hood can also offer some protection against the rain. Leather jackets are available with and without hoods. A hood is simply a head covering that you can pull over the top of your head. It will protect both your head as well as the leather jacket itself from the rain.
You should also store your leather jacket in a climate-controlled space. Most of the rooms in your home are probably climate-controlled. With that said, spaces such as the attic and basement may not be climate-controlled. If you store your leather jacket in the attic or basement, it will be exposed to humidity, which can lead to moisture damage.