How To Wash Leather Pants

by

Washing leather pants is something that should be done with extreme care since the material is very delicate and sensitive.

If washed incorrectly, your leather pants can shrink, stiffen up, and become rough.

In this guide, I’m going to list down the materials needed to wash leather pants and also the necessary steps to do it correctly.

Here are the 4 steps:

  • 1. Remove Stains On The Leather Pants
  • 2. Wash The Leather Pants
  • 3. Dry The Pants Properly
  • 4. Condition The Leather Pants

Read on to explore these steps in greater detail. Happy reading!

What You Need

Here’s what you need to clean, wash, and condition your leather pants.

  1. Cornstarch
  2. Olive oil + vinegar
  3. Baking soda
  4. Clean, dry pieces of cloth
  5. Microfiber cloth
  6. Mild detergent
  7. Leather cleaning solution
  8. Leather conditioner

Step 1 – Remove Stains On The Leather Pants

Before you get down to washing your leather pants, removing any stains and making them free of dirt is essential. There are many kinds of stains that can appear on your leather pants. We’ll list down each stain and explain how to remove them.

  1. Oil-based stains (moisturizers, make-up, cooking oil, etc.): apply cornstarch over the area, leave it for a couple of hours then remove the cornstarch
  2. Gasoline stains: apply baking soda over the stains
  3. Blood stains: use a wet cloth to remove the stains
  4. Grease stains: apply cornstarch to remove stains
  5. Ink stains: dab the stains with a cloth dipped in a vinegar and olive oil solution

Step 2 – Wash The Leather Pants

Your leather pants should be washed with cold water for a short time.

For best results, choose a washing cycle that uses cold water, has fewer spin cycles, and gently washes the pants.

Use a detergent or cleaning solution that is mild and suitable for your leather pants. Stronger chemicals can damage the leather.

Before you chuck your leather pants into the washing machine, take a look at the manufacturer’s label and washing instructions.

That will give you a good idea of how to wash the pants. It will also warn you against certain practices that can be harmful to the leather pants.

Step 3 – Dry The Pants Properly

Drying your leather pants is an important step that should be done with care and patience.

The idea here is to dry the pants as gently as possible to avoid damaging them.

Using a dryer that heats the pants can dry up the leather and make the pants stiff and rough.

To remove the moisture, press a dry towel on the pants so that it absorbs the water. Do not wring the pants.

After the water is removed, hang the pants in a cool, shaded area and allow them to air-dry. 

Step 4 – Condition The Leather Pants 

So you’ve cleaned, washed, and dried your leather pants.

But there’s one step remaining: conditioning. Conditioning the pants is essential and keeps the leather in good condition. 

To condition your pants, apply some leather conditioner using a microfiber cloth over the entire area.

Leave the pants alone for a couple of hours then dab a dry cloth on them to soak up any unabsorbed conditioner.

Final thoughts

Leather is a delicate material and needs to be cleaned, washed, and dried with great care and caution.

To wash a pair of leather pants, you first need to remove any stains on them using suitable cleaning solutions.

Then you must wash the pants with cold water in a gentle machine cycle and hang-dry them.

Afterward, you can condition the leather pants using some leather conditioner.