A summary of wetcleaning procedures
etcleaning suede,
leather and trimmed cloth includes prespotting to remove spots
and stains that washing alone would not remove; prewashing to
set the dyes and to loosen soils and stains; washing, to get
the item clean and soft; conditioning to rinse the item and
impart softness; firming to add body; extracting and drying.
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Prespotting
Prespot soiled areas, stains and spots
with leather magic and wash. Spot paint, oil and grease stains
with Leather Magic and Spot Magic and wash. Spot ink stains
with Leather Magic and Ink Magic and wash.
The prewash cycle
Prewash with Leather Fix to set the dyes
and loosen surface soil. Use water at a temperature of under
100°F. Add four ounces of Leather Fix per garment. Load the
machine at half of its rated poundage capacity and prewash for
three minutes.
The wash cycle
Wash with Prosuede Wet Detergent plus
conditioner to stabilize colors and oils and to remove soil and
stains. Use water at a temperature of under 100°F. Add two
ounces of prosuede wet per garment. Load the machine at half of
its rated poundage capacity. Wash suedes for five to ten
minutes. Wash slick leathers for three to five minutes.
The conditioning cycle
Condition with Leather Soft
softener/conditioner to impart improved softness and feel. Use
water at a temperature under 100°F. Add four ounces per
leather or suede garment. Load the machine at half of its rated
poundage capacity. Rinse for three minutes.
The firming cycle
Firm up with Leather Size firming sizing
to restore firmness and give body to suedes and leathers. Use
water at a temperature of under 100°F. Add two ounces per
suede or leather garment. Load the machine at half of its rated
poundage capacity. Rinse for three minutes. It may also be used
to dip garments or may be sprayed.
The extraction and drying cycles
Extract at a normal setting for three to
five minutes. Dry by first tumbling the wet suede and leather
garments in a cool dryer for two to three minutes at a
temperature of under 100°F to shake out wrinkles. Then hang
to air dry at ambient air temperature. Drying can be
accelerated by tumbling in a cool dryer at a temperature of
under 100°F. Use tumbling blocks in the dryer to brush up
the nap on suedes while they are drying.
For fast drying, suedes and leathers may
be dried in a special dryer with electronic micro processor
control of moisture and temperature.
Summary of wetcleaning products
For prespotting use Leather Magic wet side
prespotter. Apply full strength directly to all spots, stains
and soiled areas. Brush or tamp as required, then wetclean.
For paint, oil and grease stains, use Spot
Magic non-oily pog spot remover. First wet garment with leather
magic prespotter, then apply Spot Magic. Work with spatula or
brush and wetclean.
For ink stains, use Ink Magic ink spot
remover. First wet the suede or leather garment with leather
magic prespotter, then apply Ink Magic. Work with spatula or
brush and wetclean.
To set the dyes, use Leather Fix
prewash/dye fixer in the prewash cycle to stabilize colors and
loosen surface soil. Add four ounces to the prewash water per
suede or leather garment.
To wetclean, use prosuede wet detergent
plus conditioner in the wash cycle to wetclean suedes and
leathers without color loss or stiffening. Add two ounces to
the wash water per suede or leather garment.
For prefinish conditioning, use Leather
Soft softener/conditioner in the rinse cycle to impart improved
softness, feel and color to suedes and leathers. Add four
ounces to the rinse water per suede or leather garment.
For prefinish sizing, use Leather Size
firming sizing in the final rinse cycle to restore body,
firmness and texture to suedes and leathers without matting
down the nap. Add one ounce to the rinse water per suede or
leather garment.
For repellency, spray finished item with
Royal Shield repellent to impart water and stain repellency to
suedes and leathers without stiffening or matting down the nap
of suedes. Stain and water repelling after the suede or leather
is thoroughly dry, finish as usual for leather garments.
Author’s Note: Do not attempt
to use products that are not specifically formulated for use on
suede and leather. The Royaltone suede and leather products
referred to in this article are specially formulated to process
suedes, leathers, furs and trimmed cloth without causing color
loss, color bleed, color transfer, stiffening of the skins or
matting down the nap. Other brands of products for use on suede
and leather may not give the same results when used as
described in this article.
Frank Lucenta is president of Royaltone
Co., Inc., a firm that manufacturers the products he developed
to make it possible for any cleaner to safely and profitably
dryclean, wetclean and finish any suede, leather, fur and
trimmed cloth garment. He also wrote related instruction books
that document the process, entitled “Handling Leather and
Suede” and “Cleaning and Finishing Leather and
Suede.” He also teaches small groups of plant owners and
managers how to identify, accept, spot, dryclean and wetclean,
press and recolor suedes, leathers, and furs using his
Royaltone procedures and products. The next Royaltone Leather
training session is scheduled for Dec. 4-5, Feb. 5-6 and April
1-2 at the Royaltone Suedemate Leather Cleaning Center in
Tulsa, OK. For more information on training sessions or on
spotting charts in either English or Korean, call (800)
331-5506, (918) 622-6677, fax (918) 665-6017, or e-mail frank@royaltone.com. Information is also available on the Royaltone
web site, www.royaltone.com.
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