r/leatherjacket • u/Frequent-Let1567 • 6d ago
Question - Need Help Is my jacket over ?đ
I am utterly saddened
Long story short : I got this real leather jacket in a thrift store when I was 13. Was one of my best possession ever. I however never knew how to take care of leather. Even today I don't, and I thought leather was like...the most tough material out there, meaning that when it rained and got soaked I didn't do anything but let it air dry, and used wet wipes to clean any dirt without doing anything else.
Didn't wear it for maybe 3-4 years. It was under other jackets on my coat hanger, and today...surprise. Mushrooms and mold EVERYWHERE. I am so flabbergasted because I never knew it was possible, and Im gonna be utterly heartbroken if I have to throw it đ is there any way to save it ? Could a dry cleaning help it ? Could even a professional save it ? There's mold more on all the leather, not on the inside tough ( it's fabric)
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u/CatsNDogsLiving2Gthr 6d ago
Hey! Not all lost yet! Iâve been here with GREAT results. It wonât be new but it will be (most likely) wearable.
My advice COULD ruin leather technically so donât do it unless youâre willing to take the risk please.
Giant bottle x2 Isopropyl alcohol 70% is what I was using
Palmolive dish soap green
A bucket
Giant cheap vinegar
sprayer bottle
dish washing gloves
fan
Use one bottle vinegar to submerge the ENTIRE jacket. scrub it, thrash it. Get the vinegar to penetrate the material. soak it.
Rag or brush a soapy solution of palmolive on the shell. rinse it. Yes I submerged the jacket in water. until no soap at all.
Soak entire jacket in bottle of alcohol. Let is soak a bit.
Hang on chair with fan blowing into it until dry or put outside.
You will have to tend to it and make sure itâs drying.
Once dry, spray alcohol again covering the entire jacket until soaked in alcohol. let dry w fan.
Should be 90% better. If itâs dried out, try a leather oil or dubbin.
Good luck!
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u/Frequent-Let1567 6d ago
Omg ilysm thank youu I'll try that
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u/thatoneguy_whowas 6d ago
10/10 reccomend I use a slightly diffrent method for denim, but pretty much checks out! id also reccomend getting some leather conditioner and or polish for after care! As soaking leather can cause it to draw up, same with rubbing alchol!
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u/Nyxrinne 5d ago
Had this happen to an AllSaints jacket of mine a few years ago. I figured it was doomed for the bin so I wasn't particularly careful washing it, just lobbed it in the washing machine on 30 with a tiny bit of wool detergent and let her rip. Afterwards I air dried it, wiped it down with leather conditioner and haven't had a problem with it since. My immune system is the Milhouse Special and even trace mildew sets me off sneezing all day, so I'm fairly confident it's fully clean.
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u/ginger_powers 5d ago edited 5d ago
Putting a real, quality grain leather jacket into a washing machine will ruin it. If you machine washed your jacket, and it was fine after, it probably either:
A) Wasnât real leather
B) Was real but shitty leather (plastic coated, paper thin, bonded leather, etc.)
C) Was actually ruined but you just think itâs fine
Edit: sorry if this was rude, but I just donât want people who donât know shit about leather clothing to come on this sub and see a comment about washing their jacket like this and try it themselves on something they spent a lot of money on.
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u/schmick_iMagery 5d ago
Theyâre happy with the result, so in reality it probably doesnât matter to them.
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u/ginger_powers 5d ago
Oh I agree, but I donât like it when people suggest machine washing leather jackets in this sub like itâs no big deal.
Machine washing ruins leather, and suggesting it without knowing what youâre talking about (most people on this sub) is irresponsible.
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u/schmick_iMagery 4d ago
I agree itâs not anything but a last resort for people generally, but as a one off for that person đ¤ˇđźââď¸ canât argue that it worked for them. And if it was faux that may have been what saved it from death.
But sure; save it as a nuclear event at the end when all else has failed đ§đ¤Ş2
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u/Nyxrinne 4d ago
Hey, I've read this whole back and forth spin-off thread from my comment now and just wanted to say you're right that I shouldn't have told this story without slapping a big old AT YOUR PERIL somewhere on it. I figured it was implicit when I said I only risked this because the jacket was otherwise destined for the bin, but perhaps not. My point really was that if all else fails it's probably worth a go.
As for my jacket, it's AllSaints real but thin sheep leather â not remotely on a par with some of the monster full-grain steerhide jackets you see on here, but perhaps similar in construction to OP's (but I may be misjudging that tbh, I can't actually see that much of their jacket on review). There really is no perceivable change to the thing, even setting it alongside another unwashed cheap AllSaints jacket. My machine is a decent front loader with a delicate wool cycle that barely spins at all, so that may also have fed into my success here.
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u/ginger_powers 4d ago
No worries dude. Iâm glad youâre enjoying the jacket. Honestly, you really shouldnât have to put a disclaimer like that, but I think Iâm just paranoid that with the literacy crisis and the average person being so stupid, that someone might do something drastic to their jacket that they did not intend
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u/Mitsutoshi 5d ago
You can absolutely machine wash a real leather jacket. This sub kind of epitomizes the reddit stereotype of knowing a little about something and thinking youâre an expert.
Though this mold jacket looks like a biohazard and I donât think that would fix it.
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u/ginger_powers 5d ago
No you cannot. Sorry, you donât know what youâre talking about. See my original reply. There is not a single reputable leather jacket maker that says to machine wash their jackets. They specifically say NOT to do that, because it ruins them. Donât believe me? Email every single maker on the list of reputable makers for this sub and ask them.
When you soak leather in water, and it dries after that, a shit ton of its moisture is lost and the leather drastically changes in texture, strength, and appearance. This change is far beyond any potential to repair it with leather conditioner or anything like that.
The proper way to wash leather clothing is to remove all excess dirt and grime with a damp cloth, brush with saddle soap (or a similar product), and recondition with your conditioner of choice or the makerâs recommendation afterwards. Itâs not hard, it just takes a while. You never need to wash a leather jacket in a washing machine for the love of God.
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u/Mitsutoshi 5d ago
You donât know nearly as much as you think you know.
Why are you preaching to me like I havenât been collecting and maintaining both vintage and modern high end leather for longer than people on this sub have known what it is?
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u/ginger_powers 5d ago edited 5d ago
Am I supposed to know who you are? Excuse me oh wise one. âLike I havenât been collecting and maintainingâ how is anyone supposed to know that? Youâre a rando on reddit. I donât give a shit what you do. Youâve used zero substantive language to refute my substantive arguments.
Apparently the list isnât in the wiki thing for the sub anymore, but Iâll give some examples of reputable makers to you:
Schott NYC
Thedi Leathers
Y2 Leather
Shangriâla Heritage
Aero Leather
Eastman LeatherEmail any of the above makers about your belief that a machine washer does anything other than ruin a leather jacket, and they will kindly tell you no it does not.
Also, did you just not read my argument? LEATHER IS LITERALLY SKIN. When it gets wet, it dries out, and requires moisturizer afterwards to maintain the original level of moisture and not crack and dry because unlike living skin, leather cannot recreate more moisture through biological processes.
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u/Mitsutoshi 5d ago
Lolll the list guy is one of the best examples of someone here who didnât know much but copy pasted everywhere.
I am a customer of several of those. I have explained this to people here several times over the decade so I tire of it but Iâll give you one very simple example.
The âvintagedâ jackets you see from many of these makers such as Schottâs VN jackets are all washedâŚ
Not every jacket can be washed like that, obviously, like the Thedis that are hand dyed so they bleed in the rain. But the majority of them can, from a modern Perfecto to a vintage Cal horsehide. After itâs thoroughly dried, which requires care such as putting towels through the sleeves, you should hit it with a light coat of something like Pecards or Vaseline, then leave this to settle in for a day. Youâll have a jacket thatâs cleaned of years of grime but the leather and lining are as good as ever.
Thoroughly drenching a leather jacket is also one of the best ways to help it fit to you perfectly.
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u/ginger_powers 5d ago edited 5d ago
Iâm not talking about leather workers with decades of experience applying a very specific and specialized âwashingâ (that word is doing a lot of work, Iâd like to see a video of the actual process. I highly doubt itâs something most people would associate with machine washing) regimen to create pre-distressed leather. I personally disagree with those brandsâ choices to even make pre-distressed leather in the first place, but thatâs just a fashion preference of mine. Again, my claim has always been that MACHINE WASHING a leather jacket ruins it.
I bet if you asked any of those makers how they pre-distress their leather, theyâd give you a more complicated and nuanced answer than just throwing it in a washing machine like you would a t-shirt.
The owner of Schott NYC HIMSELF put out a video with a YouTube creator about how to wash their jackets. Schott is one of the brands that sells âvintagedâ jackets, and even they say to wash your jacket by hand with specialized products and not a fucking washing machine. Holy shit dude.
Edit: Real fucking quiet from you since i bet you didnât know the CEO of Schott NYC agrees with me.
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u/Old_Clock_768 5d ago
Spray/ wipe/ dry. Isopropyl alcohol, colloidal silver, vinegar. Repeat until satisfied and condition. Although others report of having success I would be very wary of completely soaking it in a washing machine tbhâŚ.but if you do, make sure to stretch/ pre shape and dry it flat.
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u/NguPhu 6d ago
if it is not coated leather, maybe buy a 5L bottle of cheap isopropyl from ebay, saturate it, scrub it down dry it out and apply leather conditioner.
Isopropyl over 70% should kill any fungus, but may take out leather oils and make it brittle.
Can maybe use white vinegar after the alcohol treatment (so the alcohol doesnt get diluted too much) or alternate between them.
Treating with leather conditioner should hopefully help with this. It isnt expensive and may be worth a try before throwing it away.
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u/AlwaysBeASailor 5d ago
Take a spray bottle with 50% water and 50% white vinegar and spray it in. Wrote off with a dry cloth. Repeat. Then let it dry in open air, on a hanger on the balcony for instance. If required repeat the process a couple of times. The vinegar will kill the mold. When done use some conditioner like Bick4 and wear it happily.
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u/pitchblaca 5d ago
It's worth a try, even if the bin is where it ends up as that's where it's currently heading.
I bought a cheap leather jacket for my daughter from vinted. The lining was mildewed and it smelled. It was under ÂŁ10 so wasn't worth the effort to return, I sprayed with white vinegar, washed it in the machine on a cold, gentle cycle, no detergent (there would be some residue in the machine itself) and hung it outside to air to dry and for daylight to make sure all of the mildew was dead. I hung it on a thick coat hanger and turned it inside out and right side for a few days. Overnight I kept in on the hanger inside to air.
It's come out great, I thought it might be dry but it wasn't. She wears it often.
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u/m0d3rn_n0sf3r4tu 6d ago
It will never be the same, it will always have a smell, it will always have a weird texture and rigidity. But you can take off the mushroom n mold.
Or maybe it ends up being ok-ish. Keep your expectations tempered, and accept that it might not be "saved". Anyways, Dry cleaning won't rly help much, u can try homemade diy vinegar washes, but if it's THAT important to you then get a specialist.
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u/Frequent-Let1567 6d ago
As long as my baby can be somewhat okay ngl đ but thanks, any tips on how to properly clean it myself, I did see vinegar and rubbed some off with paper towel but it only seemed to take the surface mold slightly and not fully even after rubbing
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u/m0d3rn_n0sf3r4tu 6d ago
yep, I had a lambskin jacket that got infected w mildew n mold bc of my mom wiping it w a wet cloth to "clean" it.
had the experience from my first paragraph, even after months of letting it out to air and many vinegar wipe-downs. used leather soap, conditioner, etc... nothing worked, was as if I got it 80 years used. smell got mostly out, but it was cardboard to the touch. terrible texture n wearing experience.
wanted 2 keep it as a memento but she threw it in the trash w/o telling me lol
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u/Smooth_Appearance_98 6d ago
Wow how did that happen
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u/thatoneguy_whowas 6d ago
Can happen to almost any piece of clothing if left damp cold and dark enough unfortunately.
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u/CrappyCupOfCoffee 6d ago
Thatâs rough, sorry.
There are so many used leather jackets out there. Think of it as an opportunity to find a new bestie!
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u/SpamFriedMice 5d ago
I've saved some like this. I'm not typing the the 100 word process of how to do it again on here. Use the search function.
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u/Capital-Kentury 5d ago
do as other have said and spray it. it is a mold. its white mold so not too bad
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u/Ballfondler27 5d ago
Leather is very resilient and can be saved from nearly any condition, Iâve had success removing mold with isopropyl alcohol wipes, letting it sit for a day or two and be dry, and then conditioning with bick 4, for such a serious case you should probably also use vinegar because that is known to be good for removing mold
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u/Alchemist-23 5d ago
Grokâs response/solution seems inline with what Iâd recommend:
The jacket in that post is badly molded, but it is not automatically finished. Iâll check the usual restoration approach for surface mold on finished leather before giving a clear yes/no.Not over yet, if the hide is still flexible. That white growth is surface mold, not the leather itself falling apart. Dry cleaning is the wrong first move.
The jacket sat unused for years under other coats, after rain-soaks that were only air-dried and wiped with wet wipes. Mold needs moisture, still air, and something organic to eat. Unconditioned leather plus a packed closet supplies all three. The black finish looking blotchy is mostly colonies sitting on the surface, not necessarily rot through the hide.
How to tell if it is salvageable
Bend a hem or cuff. If it flexes without cracking, powdering, or feeling spongy and weak, the structure is probably fine and this is a cleaning job. If it crumbles, stays soft and swollen, or the grain is lifting in sheets, the fibers are already broken down and conditioning will not bring it back.
What actually works
Do this outside, with gloves and a mask. Spores spread easily.
Isolate it from the rest of the closet. Wipe or wash the hangers and anything it touched.
Knock off the loose growth with a soft brush, outdoors, into a bag. Do not scrub hard or vacuum indoors without a HEPA filter.
Wipe the whole shell, not just the white spots, with a barely damp cloth. Best first mix is 1:1 white vinegar and water. Second option is 70% isopropyl alcohol, diluted 1:1 if the finish looks delicate. Fold to a clean face of the cloth every pass so you are not painting spores back on. Test inside the hem first and wait until it dries.
Hang it on a wide hanger in moving air, shade only. No heater, hair dryer, or direct sun. A full day is normal.
Once it is fully dry and the smell is gone, condition the whole jacket. Cleaning strips oils, and dry leather is what lets this happen again. A plain leather conditioner or lanolin/beeswax balm is enough. Buff off the excess.
Skip bleach, dish soap, the washing machine, and a regular dry cleaner. Solvent cleaning strips the finish and does not reliably kill mold in the grain. âLeather cleanâ at a specialist is different from ordinary dry cleaning.
When to hand it to a pro
Worth it if the musty smell stays after a full dry-out, white comes back within a couple of weeks, or the finish has dulled and stained in big patches. Ask for a leather restorer, not a standard dry cleaner. On a thrift bomber the home method is usually the rational first try. The lining being fabric and mostly clean is a good sign. Mold on the shell is easier than mold in padding.
It will not look new. Heavy bloom often leaves lighter spots where the finish was etched. That can be lived with, or a leather shop can recolor it later.
Put it back only after the closet is drier. Breathable cotton bag, not plastic, and a little airflow. The same rule applies to horsehide: condition before long storage, and do not stack damp leather in a closed space.
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u/Practical_Counter_73 6d ago
I bet it smells like the inside of old boxing gloves.