Cleaning a Schott leather peacoat

[Thuggee]

Ok my very 1st post long time lurker have addiction for leather jackets according to my wife, can anyone offer any advice on cleaning a 740N Schott Leather Peacoat, mine is around 20 years old plus or minus a few years , leather is great no issues , as its 2nd hand ( I'm not the original owner) I would like to clean the lining/pockets other than finding a specialist leather dry cleaner can anyone offer any advice, should add the jacket has no funky smells nothing wrong with it at all to make me need to run out and clean it other than it's probably never had a liner clean in its life time and it would be good to refresh things, I'm located in Brisbane Australia so my options are limited locally to get it cleaned properly sending it somewhere else within Australia isn't a problem as far as $$$$ go If it's done properly.


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[Seb Lucas]

Stick it in a front loader ( less agitation) with some laundry detergent. Do up the buttons. Cold wash. Dry in shady area. May take 2-3 days to get dry.

 

[Thuggee]

Stick it in a front loader ( less agitation) with some laundry detergent. Do up the buttons. Cold wash. Dry in shady area. May take 2-3 days to get dry.

thanks Seb have you tried this method personally with no negative effects to this type of jacket? washing this jacket in a washing machine would on the surface sounds like the way to clean the liner , my only concern would be the leather I believe its a naked cow hide? do i need to re-condition or do anything to the leather after it drys, I assume when you say dry for 2-3 days you mean laid flat on some towels (not a coat hanger) in the shade.

 

[Monitor]

thanks Seb have you tried this method personally with no negative effects to this type of jacket? washing this jacket in a washing machine would on the surface sounds like the way to clean the liner , my only concern would be the leather I believe its a naked cow hide? do i need to re-condition or do anything to the leather after it drys, I assume when you say dry for 2-3 days you mean laid flat on some towels (not a coat hanger) in the shade.

I've machine-washed a few jackets. No negative effects on a cold wash. Hot wash can ruin thin leather and shrink just about any. Anyway, towels first, then it's best to leave it hanging on a coat hanger to dry outside in the shade so that mold won't form or nothing alike. You can recondition it during as it's drying and once afterwards. The jacket might end up smelling a bit musty but that'll go away after a few days.

Be careful though as naked cowhide has a tendency to be somewhat more affected by stuff being done to it so there's a slight possibility the coat will shrink a little bit after the wash. It doesn't have to but it might.

 

[Seb Lucas]

thanks Seb have you tried this method personally with no negative effects to this type of jacket? washing this jacket in a washing machine would on the surface sounds like the way to clean the liner , my only concern would be the leather I believe its a naked cow hide? do i need to re-condition or do anything to the leather after it drys, I assume when you say dry for 2-3 days you mean laid flat on some towels (not a coat hanger) in the shade.

Yes to the drying. Put on a hanger when lighter so air gets through it. Over 30 years I have washed many, many jackets in naked cow, goat, naked goat, steer, calf, chrome tanned cow, buffalo.

You can stick some Pecards or Lexol on it afterwards if you want.

The safest or easiest way for you to do this would be to give the lining and pockets a sponge bath with soapy water and not soak the whole jacket.

But really jackets don't need cleaning. I've only ever washed jackets to break them in.

 

[Thuggee]

I've machine-washed a few jackets. No negative effects on a cold wash. Hot wash can ruin thin leather and shrink just about any. Anyway, towels first, then it's best to leave it hanging on a coat hanger to dry outside in the shade so that mold won't form or nothing alike. You can recondition it during as it's drying and once afterwards. The jacket might end up smelling a bit musty but that'll go away after a few days.

Be careful though as naked cowhide has a tendency to be somewhat more affected by stuff being done to it so there's a slight possibility the coat will shrink a little bit after the wash. It doesn't have to but it might.

all good information thanks very much, I have a front loader that has a delicate cycle so think that would do the trick ( and cold water) what would you recommend using as far as reconditioning the leather with after the wash?


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[Thuggee]

Yes to the drying. Put on a hanger when lighter so air gets through it. Over 30 years I have washed many, many jackets in naked cow, goat, naked goat, steer, calf, chrome tanned cow, buffalo.

You can stick some Pecards or Lexol on it afterwards if you want.

The safest or easiest way for you to do this would be to give the lining and pockets a sponge bath with soapy water and not soak the whole jacket.

But really jackets don't need cleaning. I've only ever washed jackets to break them in.

Great info thanks very much


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[Monitor]

I've even used liquid dish detergent on many of my jackets, initially when I got the Pecards on the inside or the furry side of the leather where it would get stuck and remain greasy forever. Detergent would get all of it out though and to no apparent harm to the jacket. As long as you don't boil leather jackets, nothing bad is going to happen to 'em.

Once washed, any decent conditioner will do the job. I kinda prefer less greasy, water based stuff like Lexol but Pecards is good too. But whatever's available at your local store should do the job. Beeswax does a very good job so look for something with it. A while back, people were really concerned about the leather conditioners containing silicone as an ingredient and the scare even got as far as several people denouncing petroleum based conditioners altogether but then again, you have folks of Langlitz proudly recommending their own, in-house brand of silicon based leather conditioner so how freaking dangerous can it truly be? I'm sure they would've noticed by now if the product was killing their jackets after using it for what, 70 years they've been in business?

 

[Seb Lucas]

I don't often recondition as I'm not sure it helps. To me it seems it just makes the leather look better for a few weeks until it fades away. But as I said above if I do condition I use Lexol or Pecards. Lexol is easy to get in Oz on ebay - car enthusiasts use it on leather upholstery. Pecards you need to import. RM WIlliams leather dressing has a reasonable reputation. Maybe go with that. I generally avoid Dubbin.

Incidentally, I conducted an experiment on two identical Norwegian leather chairs that we got in 1974. They were never treated before and so I used a quality conditioner on one of them about 18 months ago. At first, and for some weeks, the difference seemed miraculous. The leather had a new luster and seemed softer and more pliable. Fast forward a year later. The chairs now look the same. The leather which was treated (twice) looks identical to the untreated chair and is no softer. I wonder if conditioner is a bit like make up - a deceptive, pretty surface that isn't permanent... There are, of course, many people who swear by Pecards, etc and have their own stories.

 

[Thuggee]

Ok coats washed I used a front loader delicate cycle cold water, took a couple days to dry, conditioned the leather a bit probably didn't need it but can't see how it would hurt no apparent shrinkage in my eyes, good to go for another 20years ( being worn tonight at the rugby ) would I try this on a expensive jacket probably not, didn't pay much for the peacoat so was no real risk, what I gained is a nice very clean tough as nails ( and damn fine looking ) jacket that will keep me warm when needed hope this helps someone else needing to clean their Schott peacoat, proceed at your own risk though, cheers


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[Peacoat]

Glad it worked out for you. One of our members here, used to live in Australia, now lives in Norway, is Smithy. He swears by RW Williams, which is easy to get down under.

 

[Guppy]

Ok coats washed I used a front loader delicate cycle cold water, took a couple days to dry, conditioned the leather a bit probably didn't need it but can't see how it would hurt no apparent shrinkage in my eyes, good to go for another 20years ( being worn tonight at the rugby ) would I try this on a expensive jacket probably not, didn't pay much for the peacoat so was no real risk, what I gained is a nice very clean tough as nails ( and damn fine looking ) jacket that will keep me warm when needed hope this helps someone else needing to clean their Schott peacoat, proceed at your own risk though, cheers


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Did you get before/after pics?

 

[UnknownSuspect]

Bit late to the party and I read that you've already washed the jacket. When I bought a second hand leather jacket some months ago, I went to a store in Melbourne city called Mars Leathers for advise. They have been in the business for some decades although I've also read that the business changed hands.

Their advise to me was to turn the jacket inside out, move the liner away from the jacket and then handwash it, piecemeal. It would take ages to complete the process on the entire jacket but would avoid fully soaking the leather itself. Following which, dry the jacket in the shade away from direct sunlight and never near a heater or open fire. I decided not to wash the jacket at all and just aired it out for a few days during the early mornings when the sun was more mild.

The store did recommend a product called Renapur leather conditioning. I bought a tub it and have already used it on the jacket. Apparently it contains beeswax and jojoba oil. Seemed to work a treat on the sleeves especially which appeared a little dry initially. After sunning and conditioning the jacket smelt fantastic and I was more than happy to wear it without washing it at all.

Another idea you could consider in the future is finding a competent tailor who is able to remove the lining for you, gently launder that separately before restitching the liner back as it was originally. It might seem like a heavy-handed and expensive thing to do, but this would definitely avoid getting the leather wet unnecessarily. I don't fear wearing a leather jacket through a surprise downpour, so long as it's properly dried after that. But don't subject it to moisture unless you absolutely have to.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Who'd ya talk too, Lee? I got my first leathers from Mars in 1983 and many since. These days they are run by guys who know almost nothing. Repanur is ok. Washing leather jackets rarely causes problems despite all the paranoia. In fact Gary, one of the original owners of Mars told me you could wash leather but it was the lining that would be the problem through shrinkage or tearing. Either way, I have washed many leathers several by Mars over decades without a single shrinkage or lining issue.

 

[Thuggee]

Did you get before/after pics?

Unfortunately no - to my eye it looks no different visually before vs after


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[UnknownSuspect]

Hmm, not sure who the bloke was. I can only remember he was pretty broad and stout, and had short hair! Yes, what you say is true about washing the lining. If I were to wash it, a short gentle cycle is all I'd do. Cold water wash, line dry in the shade.

 

[DirtyWaterGuy]

I just used a spot bot https://www.bissell.com/spotbot-pet-portable-carpet-cleaner-12006
to clean the cat urine like odor from the sewn in insulated liner of a newly acquired black Natal cafe racer jacket in near perfect condition (Craigslist Hudson Valley, NY-stole it for $30, size 42 too, my exact size). It sucked out alot of black mung from the liner side, I did not clean full grain side with spot bot cleaner. I did however clean dirt and some mold the leather side previous day with soap and water with soft scrubby and washcloth. I'll advise regarding success/fail, however the concept of using a hand wand carpet cleaner made sense and seemed to work well. I actually used the carpet cleaner fluid since it is a low foam surfactant with a pleasant odor. Hopefully my skin doesn't falloff or melt when I wear it. This is my 1st post here. Discovered FL while looking up info on jacket, nice people here.

 

[zebedee]

Renapur is great stuff for reconditioning leather- if you can avoid thoroughly washing it, though, I'd not take the risk. You could hand-sponge the lining and wear the jacket (buttoned up) in a cold(ish) shower. Pat the outside dry and then turn it inside-out and put it outside to air-dry.

 

[Seb Lucas]

He already washed it and sorted this out with no problems, Z.

 

[Plumbline]

I've washed many jackets ( especially when they stink of smoke or damp ) .... on chrome tanned leather ... no ill effects ..... semi aniline or coated leathers generally ... no ill effects ..... on veg tanned and aniline leather you need to be REALLY careful on the drying. If you don't know which you have then you shouldn't probably take the chance.

I love chrome tanned leather for this very reason ... it's pretty indestructible t water

The 740 N is a chrome tanned leather jacket ... as Sen and others have said many times .... wash with confidence ( but gently )