For Older, Shrunken Leather.
Lack of care, infrequent nourishment and heat can all cause leather to dry out and harden. As it hardens the material shrinks, permanently deforming the fibres.
In older and classic cars, leather upholstery was usually treated with vegetable tannins to render them less water soluble and increase the suppleness. Leather tanned using this method begins to harden and dry out at a temperature of around 70 degrees Celcius. Modern leather is chrome-tanned which increase temperature resilience to around 90 degrees Celcius. The more infrequently leather is maintained, the lower the temperature at which it begins to harden. Although restretching leather isn't possible, using Leather Softener will help to reintroduce some flexibility to the leather and increase its lifespan.
Features & Benefits:
- Use on dried, hardened leather to add flexibility
- Suitable for classic or modern leather
- Can be used on seats, dashboards, steering wheels & door cards
- Increases leather's resilience to heat & ageing
Directions for use:
- First, clean the hardened leather with Colourlock Leather Cleaner (don't make the leather too wet)
- Allow leather to dry naturally, away from heat or sunshine
- Leather Softener works best when applied to the reverse side of the leather, however, it is not advisable to remove the seat coverings for this process only as dried out leather rips easily!
- Apply Leather Softener to a sponge or cloth
- Work into the leather surface in circular motions
- Repeat 2-3 times
- Do not make leather too oily, remove any excess using a soft cloth
- Allow the leather to rest for 24 hours
- Gently massage leather to loosen the fibres
- Although hardened leather will not return to its former suppleness, Leather Softener will noticeably improve the feel
- To nourish & protect the leather, Colourlock Leather Protector should be used, or Colourlock Elephant Leather Preserver for older, glossy leather.
- Future maintenance should be carried out regularly but use products sparingly
Note: Any repairs and / or dying of leather should be carried out prior to applying Leather Softener as the oils contained within will impede the adhesion of repair materials.
Coverage: 250ml = one or two car seats. 1 Litre is usually sufficient for a whole interior.
Size: 250ml or 1 litre (please select from drop down menu above)