I heard some strange theories about leather care and maintenance. Recently, I was informed that there are people who believe that conditioners are bad for leather as they “clog the pores”. I have no idea how they came up with their theory. Clog pores? What does that mean? Will the leather develop a “blackhead” or grain due to clogged pores?
Here are the facts. Note that the cow is dead. Pores are not functional. The animal is no longer sweating. The animal no longer produces body oils. Nothing comes out of the inside of the skin through the pores. What is going to be clogged?
Also, a pore is just a structural element found in the topography of a skin. Looked at under a microscope (even a simple magnifying glass) will show that the pore structure represents a small percentage of the total surface area. Leather is absorbent on its entire surface, not just on the pores.
If you put in a massive amount of a heavy, greasy substance as some leather conditioner manufacturers propose, the real problem is that the skin cannot absorb it. It then dries on the surface and leaves the leather sticky, sticky (clogged pores?).
Consider the following:
1. Leather has approximately 25% moisture that comes out of the tannery.
2. That moisture evaporates into the atmosphere at a rate based on 3 variables: A) humidity, B) temperature, and C) skin porosity. (Unfinished leather will dry faster than finished leather because it loses moisture at a faster rate since the natural leather surface is not coated. A finished leather has a coating that will retain moisture longer. From the side suede as well.) The more finished it is, the lower the rate of moisture loss. The corollary is that highly finished leather will absorb less of any wetting agent. If it is slow to get out, then it is also slow to get in.
3. As the leather loses moisture, the fiber bundles lose their internal lubrication and the leather hardens. In addition, it loses a part of its mass and consequently shrinks.
4. The purpose of a conditioner is to restore lost moisture, improving flexibility and prolonging the life of the leather. Period.
5. Do not replenish moisture (do not apply conditioner) and it surely shortens the life of the leather as the leather dries.
PH balance
What’s much more important is understanding that leather is acidic (4.5 to 5.0 oh a pH scale). A lot of damage is done by applying a chemistry that is not pH balanced to leather as it will induce a chemical reaction that will break down (rot) the fiber structure. Consider body oil buildup – some people are very caustic (pH less than 3.5), causing the leather to fade. Advanced Leather Solutions cleaners and conditioners are pH balanced with that of leather, which helps correct any pH imbalance by fighting the effect of rot.
Museums use non-volatile moisturizers.
At the conservation and preservation (museum) level, it is true that a standard grade conditioner CAN do more harm than good. Once the leather reaches a certain level of moisture loss (estimated to be below 5-10%), adding a greasy conditioner at that point can cause the leather to become mush. (Think of cardboard when it gets wet). Therefore, the goal is to ensure that the moisture content of the leather never reaches such a low level by regularly conditioning your fine leathers.
Most conditioners are made from organic products like oxfoot oil, which are also the “natural oils” that are infused into leather at the tannery. Organics are volatile, which means they evaporate, which is the fundamental reason leather needs moisture added from time to time.
A non-volatile moisturizer is synthetic and does not evaporate. However, they are very expensive, which is why tanneries generally do not use them. Advanced Leather Solutions has developed a deep penetrating moisturizer that is a non-volatile conditioner. It is a highly specialized chemistry that acts like countless tiny ball bearings infused within the fiber structure. In that sense, it is not a liquid (it does not evaporate). Once applied, it is not necessary to hydrate it continuously, as there is no loss to the atmosphere.