Care of Leather goods-Patent leathers.

Let's face it just like me Patent leather is high matenance!!! I hate it! It goes sticky sometimes the surface goes cloudy. Here are a few simple tips for restoring that nice bright shiny look that your GOGO girl boots from the 1960's should have!!!

The key ingredients are PURE acetone, cotton wool swabs (preferably the non fluffy kind with a film of gause over them) , Vaseline and vinegar (white not brown or apple cider we are conditoning leather not pickling it darlings!!!).

First, make sure your PATENT LEATHER really is PATENT LEATHER and not some kind of synthetic which WILL MELT  if you put acetone on it!!!

Using the cotton swabs do long fast swipes across the surface- try to do as few swipes as possible but completely clean the surface of the leather. Now polish the surface of the leather with a soft lint free cloth.

In many cases this is enough to bring back the shine on Patent leather. However if the leather has gone cloudy or sticky it may need some extra help with vinegar and vaseline depending who you ask some say vinegar then vaseline others say the opposite. I find it is not the order that matters so much but rather the quantity used TOO MUCH of either and you will end up with a bag that feels and smells like yesterdays fish and chip paper!!!

Put a  level teaspoon of vaseline in the microwave for 10 secs so it goes really soft almost liquid but not too hot leaving the jar in the sun for 10 mins has the desired result too. Now soak a cotton swab in it and spread this all over the leather surface and remove any excess with a second and even a third swab use a polishing motion to do this. Finally use a very small amount of vinegar to finish it off (the swab should be just damp. )  and polish with a soft lint free cloth!!!