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Leather Care Products

Medha Godbole
Leather care products have become almost a necessity these days. Most of us have some leather commodity in our home, which needs to be taken care of.
There are some things in life which are really exquisite. No matter what you do, they cannot be replaced. Leather is one such thing.
It epitomizes nothing but richness and elegance. From leather apparel to leather furniture, leather means class. All this, though, comes with a 'conditions apply' tag.
The condition is that its exquisiteness can be retained only if it is properly taken care of. The catch is that any general cleaning product cannot be used to take care of leather. This is where special leather care products come into the picture.

Leather Care Products Based on Functions

Cleaning

To start off, there are basic leather cleaners. These are products, which are meant to just clean your leather accessories or furniture. When you are choosing a leather cleaner, a good idea would be to buy one that helps preserve the natural oils found in leather.
Even if these products are supposed to protect the leather from moisture, sometimes they drain out the natural oils. Mark of a good and a credible leather cleaner is that it does not leave a greasy residue behind.

Polishing

Over a period of time, leather loses its sheen and glaze. Hence, there are some products which are solely used to bring back the shine. Polishing products, ideally, shouldn't require brushing on the surface. Remember, the pores in your leather should not get clogged and it should not be sapped off moisture.

Conditioning

Lubrication of leather and retaining its suppleness is what leather conditioners do. Meant for occasional use, these maintain the oil content in leather. The best ones can penetrate strong leather fibers and are yet so gentle, they don't spoil the material. Watch out for ones with a lot of mineral oils or petroleum.

Moisture Barriers

These protect your leather from rain or any moisture creating agent. Without such barriers, the leather may stiffen, spout, or catch mold. Although these are essential, they fill the pores with a greasy substance. This leads to problems in cleaning, conditioning, and polishing. To be on the safer side, don't use these products regularly.
If you go through a few reviews, some of the most common companies you will come across are Lexol, Zymol, Pinnacle, Leatherique, Wolfgang, Waxpol, TriNova and Meguiar's Gold Class. Most of these deal with leather conditioners and cleaners. Armor All is also a well-known brand for leather care products. Additionally, you can also buy a leather care kit.