Thursday, January 26, 2017

When should I clean and condition my togo clemence and box calf bags?

Hello All,
                I received this question recently and thought I'd share this answer here.


        
Hi Doc. At what point/age should we start conditioning our Togo/Clemence bags? Box calf? Thanks for your advice.
Click to expand...
Togo and clemence are both upholstery leathers, these are modern tanned finished leathers which are produced specifically to be low maintenance , with that in mind they can use a cleaning and light conditioning as a mater of course if the bag gets dirty a (non oily and non waxy) light lotion cleaner & conditioner combination type product would be ideal for these sorts of leathers. Suffice to say , cleaning and conditioning a modern finished leather too often can be harmful and can actually break down and remove the finish if done too often and or with excessive pressure and undo rubbing.

Box Calf can do well with conditioning and polishing more regularly. If you want to protect it from wet weather damage specifically and the bag is in daily use then conditioning and polishing can done up to every 4-6 months would not be outrageous in my opinion If the bag is new and hasn't developed a patina or isn't covered already in layers of polish which does tend to help shed water. For box calf I personally prefer creamy type conditioners followed by good neutral polishes . Does this make sense? I hope I have not been difficult?

When it comes down to it there isn't a set number of weeks or months to abide by to keep in mind for good bag upkeep, When in doubt I think this is a good way to make sure bags get a standard amount of care
Simply give them a going over after you are done with them for the season before resting them
So after the summer spa your Spring/Summer bags and then rest them so they'll be lovely when you rotate them back into your wardrobe again next spring
And same for your Fall/Winter bags simply spa them before you rest them for the warmer months.
Finally you year round neutral bags could get a spa every 4-6 months depending on how much use they are getting and how harsh the conditions are.
I personally like cleaning and conditioning leather wipes for convenience and not getting in to trouble with using too much product on a bag.

I hope this helps?
All the best,doc