Biting nails: I just put my leather jacket in the washer - YouLookFab Forum

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Biting nails: I just put my leather jacket in the washer

April

Veteran

So, you may remember that a leather jacket of mine from NAS had a heavy, musty odor to it that I have not been able to get rid of with any quantity of sunshine, fresh air, perfume, Febreze, or Pure Ayr.

Per YLF suggestions, I let it sit sealed in plastic with pounds of activated charcoal for a week: nothing. I shelled out $45 for leather cleaning: nothing. See here for the original thread:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....m-be-fixed

Anyway, inspired by IK's thread about washing leather leggings, and the fact that it led me to this article about how to wash a leather jacket: http://editbydesign.com/2012/0.....er-jacket/ I just put my musty jacket in the washer with some delicate-fiber detergent.

What's the worst that could happen?

General

47 replies

Latest reply was from Janet

Mo

(website)

Veteran

You are a brave woman. But you can't say you didn't exhaust all other options. Fingers crossed for you.

JAileen

Veteran

I've heard of people buying used handbags that smell of smoke and the amount of work they go through to remove the smell is Herculean. A lot of it is storing in a covered bin with activated charcoal (like for an aquarium). I had a leather jacket that smelled and I tried lots of stuff, and ended up having it dry cleaned which did the trick, and also cost $50.

The worst that could happen? The seams could pucker, glues could be washed away. It could fall apart. Color could be gone. I've done drastic things when I thought my only other option was to toss.

Good luck!

ETA: Sorry, I obviously didn't read your post very carefully! Re charcoal, I think they stored their bags for a long long time.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I've washed leather before hoping it would shrink, and... nothing. Hopefully you have the same experience minus the must!

AviaMariah

Veteran

Oh wow. Nail biter for sure.

rute

Veteran

never tried that! I always take mine to the dry clean.
Fingers crossed!

krishnidoux

Veteran

Can't wait for that wash-load to be over and you tell us what comes out of the machine! Suspense, suspense...

ironkurtin

Veteran

I suggest, if you can possibly stand it, to put it on soaking wet.that way you know how to reshape it to your body.

April

Veteran

Now it's in the dryer, with a clean old bath towel to keep it from banging around too much.

I think part of the reason some things respond to the charcoal or dry cleaning methods is that those smells, such as cigarette smoke, were on the leather rather than of the leather.

I fear that it's the actual leather of my jacket that is producing the mustiness. Almost like something happened to it in the tanning process.

Neel

Veteran

Oh dear god!!! I am nervous! Hope it works!!

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Fingers crossed here...good luck.
Silly question though: why didn't you return it if you bought it from Nordstrom?

kkards

Veteran

wow, you are a brave women! can't wait to hear how it turns out

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh wow, I'm hoping it works for you! I've never tried to wash leather. My white leather jacket is starting to get a wee bit grimy on the sleeves, so I'll be interested to see how this turns out. I'll probably just take it to the cleaner, but still...

abc

Veteran

Washer AND dryer? Wow. Braver than I. Please post results (and a scratch and sniff pic) once the buzzer goes off!

April

Veteran

Well, I just pulled it out and put it on, per IK's suggestion.

Let me tell you -- there are not many sensations less pleasant than putting on a wet leather jacket.

It seems fine, though. I wore it for a little bit then put it on a padded hanger in front of a sunny window.

Low hopes for the mustiness but if this doesn't work there is no cure.

Von

Veteran

Did you dry it completely, or just so it wasn't sopping wet? I can't wait to see how it turns out!

April

Veteran

@Sveta -- because it was an NAS purchase (deep summer), it was several months between when I bought it and first got to wear it. I thought it just had an intense "leather" smell -- which I don't like, but which could be expected to fade over time. By the time I had tried multiple things to get rid of the scent and realized it was more than just "leather smell" I didn't feel right about trying to return it.

I know they would have let me and I probably should have. But it's so beautiful I had the hubris to think I could fix it.

Diana

Veteran

Wow, you are brave. I am really curious to know if this works.
I have a handbag that has a slightly skunky smell that bugs me a lot. I'm not sure I could put a handbag in the washer though... Probably too much potential for structural damage there.

April

Veteran

@Von -- I only left it in the dryer until it wasn't sopping wet (and I had rolled it in a clean towel before putting it in.) It's already quite close-fitting so I was worried about it getting any smaller.

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Keep us posted, April. You are very brave and you've got me biting my nails here.

Interesting how these odor things work with garments as I recall a really cute bomber jacket that I had to return to Nordstrom, simply because I couldn't handle the odd smell emanating from it.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

I think there was a thread a while ago when someone washed the leather bag... or I saw it on some blog. The outcome was good.

Off to search if i can dig it out

ETA: Here it is - I hope this makes your wait a bit easier.

Gigi

Veteran

Wow...yes, this is more exciting than a murder mystery novel!

If this doesn't work--even if the jacket falls apart--my understanding is that you can still take it back to Nordie's. Just tell them what happened.

When you said you tried sunshine, did you try putting it, say, in the rear window of a car so that the heat really builds up? Sometimes that can "cook" the smell out of fabrics, if it's a moldy smell. (Though I've never tried that on leather.) Grapefruit seed extract is also good for killing mold.

viva

Veteran

Thrilling story. Anxiously awaiting the last chapter.

catgirl

Veteran

Aaaaaaand....?

JAileen

Veteran

Don't dry it in the sun!!! Let it dry slowly in the shade! Then you might need to put conditioner on it such as lexol.

JAileen

Veteran

Ornella, I've washed a lot of Coach bags. I have a large collection that I bought at thrift stores. Usually they are dirty and the leather is dry, and they are kind of gross. In the old days, the paperwork that came with the bags said you could wash them. I hand wash with Ivory dish soap, rinse well, and stuff with towels as it dries, then when its still a little damp I start putting conditioner on it. I start with 2 or 3 coats of Lexol, over several days, then when it's really dry I put on Blackrocks Leather N Rich. The main thing is to put conditioner on before the leather gets so dry that it cracks.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

"Taking fashion risks" now has a whole new meaning!

Greyscale

Veteran

Interesting! I retired my old biker jacket because it had a musty smell (from wearing it for years) that didn't improve with drycleaning. I'm tempted to try this; the jacket is so faded and worn that it's not going to get much worse.

I am also very sensitive to some new-leather smells. I bought a jacket from Bloomingdale's that I had to return because of an intense smell. It's so hard to know if it'll fade over time and I can't risk it, after spending too much of my life with scent-induced headaches.

April

Veteran

So the sun, as Jaileen wisely said, was not the right choice. I could feel the leather hardening as it dried in the sun, so now the jacket is back in the dryer with softener sheets, just like the person on the blog post I read did with hers.
And guess what my whole kitchen smells like...

cciele

Veteran

I am following this nail-biter of a saga with fingers and toes crossed!

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