Care & Cleaning Of Our Leather Items
Leather is an organic material. At one time it was a living, breathing skin. Treat it like your own skin: keep it clean and conditioned and it will last. Leather, like human skin, is subject to wear and tear and deterioration.
These care and cleaning instructions are for our handcrafted leather items. Some makers might have different methods. Elegant has been bootblacking and providing leathercare, both kinky and ‘nilla, for 25 years. In addition, she teaches classes on those subjects.
LEATHER PADDLES
Our leather paddles are intended for light to medum use. Heavy impact play with this paddle may cause cracking and breakage of the design area.
These paddles have been deep dyed for the greatest color endurance. Some residual carbon from the dye may appear on the surface for the first few weeks. Wipe with a soft cloth to remove the dye carbon.
AFTERCARE
Using a barely damp, soft cloth gently wipe off surface dirt and body oils. Let dry naturally, indoors if possible. Do not dry on or beside direct heat. (ie: fireplace, vent, etc)
To prevent excess scratching and dust accumulation store paddle in a leg of pantyhose or cotton sock. Never store leather in plastic or airtight containers. Do not store in humid or damp rooms.
POLISHING AND CONDITIONING
Your paddle will need polishing depending on the amount of use it gets.
Leather paddles with images are painted with polyacrylic paint and finished with a clear coat polyacrylic. Refrain from using any solvents or conditioners on the painted image.
The back and sides have been buffed with black wax. A lovely gloss shine can be obtained from a final polishing with a piece of nylon pantyhose.
A quality leather conditioner (such as Feibings Aussie Leather Conditioner or Huberd’s Boot Grease) followed by a wax polish (such as Angelus or Lincoln) can be used sparingly on the plain side. Conditioning and polishing keeps the leather from becoming brittle and helps with water resistance.
TOPGRAIN LEATHER COWHIDE FLOGGERS
Floggers made with topgrain leather are fairly easy to identify. Topgrain leather is the uppermost layer of an animal’s skin. One side is fairly smooth and the other side has a suede like quality.
AFTERCARE
Wipe topgrain floggers with a soft, barely damp cloth after each use.
CLEANING
Keep all toys clean and in good condition. Handle and tails can be cleaned a few times a year with plain glycerin based soap or a quality saddle soap used sparingly. Brush the leather with a soft, dry brush to remove all surface dust, etc. Then, appropriate soap (we recommend pure, clear glycerin based soap) is worked into a lather in a bowl with a soft, damp sponge or soft brush (not wet). The lather and only the lather should be applied to the smooth, top grain side, not the suede-like side and rubbed in a circular motion with a barely damp sponge or soft brush. The sponge/brush should be rinsed and squeezed out to remove all dirt and water before it is re-applied to the leather. Let dry completely. A quality leather conditioner (such as Obenaufs or Feibings Aussie Leather Conditioner) should be used sparingly as needed. Rubbing conditioner on your hands like lotion and then gently wiping them over the top, smooth side of the leather will help prevent over-conditioning and reduce stretching. When conditioning the tails only apply conditioner sparingly on the smooth, top grain side, not the suede like side.
STORAGE AND ONGOING CARE
Leather is porous and needs to breathe. Floggers are best stored hanging or laying flat. Use a cotton covering if possible (pillowcase or specially made flogger storage bag). You should store your leather in an airy, dry area that is not too hot or cold and certainly not damp. Do not store in direct contact with the flow of heating vents or near heating units and avoid direct sunlight as this will dry and fade leather. Avoid storing any leather items in plastic bags, plastic containers, tight drawers, car trunks, bathrooms or packed jumbled into a toybag or toybox. It is normal for flogger tails to stretch a bit and become uneven with use. Trim the stretched tails with sharp scissors or a rotary cutter.
SUEDE LEATHER FLOGGER
Suede really isn't very cleanable. It is too porous and generally you end up having to rub and scrape off the soiled surface of suede to clean or remove stains (Almost like sanding it off a piece of wood). We tend to advise against suede because of this. The thing many people don't realize is that suede will last only about 1/4 as long as a topgrain leather toy of the same type. So, in the long run buying a topgrain flogger is more economical, even if the initial cost is twice that of a suede one.
CLEANING
Let your suede flogger air dry after use, as moisture cannot be removed with a cloth. A special suede brush or suede stone will bring back the nap of the suede and might remove some dirt. Do not use saddle soap, conditioners or scotch guard on suede.
STORAGE AND ONGOING CARE
Floggers are best stored hanging or laying flat. Use a cotton covering if possible (pillowcase or specially made flogger storage bag). You should store your leather in an airy, dry area that is not too hot or cold and certainly not damp. Do not store in direct contact with the flow of heating vents or near heating units and avoid direct sunlight as this will dry and fade leather. Avoid storing any leather items in plastic bags, plastic containers, tight drawers, car trunks, bathrooms or packed jumbled into a toybag or toybox. It is normal for flogger tails to stretch a bit and become uneven with use. Trim the stretched tails with sharp scissors or a rotary cutter.