First and foremost, we hope you and your family are safe during these trying times that we are all going through together. Many of our customers have reached out to us to ask if there is anyway to disinfect their leather goods that accompany them daily on trips to work, the grocery store or other errands as we try to return to some sense of normalcy in our new lives. Your handbags, briefcases, belts, wallets, jackets, etc. are all exposed to the elements which makes proper sanitizing and cleaning crucial to staying healthy and limiting the virus' spread. Disinfecting leather goods carry a certain level of difficulty due to the nature of the product and traditional disinfecting methods might not be able to be used on your item. Below is some information that we have put together based off of our research on what the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other organizations and individuals who specialize in virus and pandemics have shared. Please note that the below guidelines will not guarantee that you do not get sick but does play a huge role in keeping you and your family safe.
To begin, do not use any alcohol or bleach on any of your leather goods as it can and may result in the discoloring or damaging of your item. Should you disinfect your leather good harshly, you will need to make sure you condition it just as harshly afterwards. Our branded leather cleaner & conditioner is great for this. The good news about porous materials such as leather is that the virus microbes can get trapped in the pores, therefore not allowing the virus to live as long as it does on other materials such as metal, cardboard and plastic.
The coronavirus seems to not be able to bond to any surface extremely well which makes disinfecting and wiping away the virus relatively easy should the proper methods be used. This is in part why the virus is so contagious as it is easily spread due to it not being able to adhere to surfaces with ease. Killing or neutralizing the virus is as simple as using some soap. The virus is covered by a thin protective fat-layer that acts as a shell. Soap will be the best way to breakdown that outer shell which will lead to the virus not being able to survive as that fat layer dries out and becomes damaged.
All new LAND Leather goods are packaged and sealed at our factories and are never opened unless you request your item be monogrammed in which we safely repackage the item as per a new set of guidelines we use for online orders. At our retailers, items remain packaged until your purchase unless the item was used for display purposes or had to be removed from the packaging for a few other reasons. In the event it has needed to be removed from it's original packaging, guidelines have been sent to our dealers on how to safely disinfect and repackage the item before it is sold to a customer.
If you feel better disinfecting your leather goods yourself, you can follow the advice listed below to make sure you are taking the appropriate precautions.
- The original packaging can be wiped down with any disinfectant wipe or solution making sure to be careful in not touching the leather to avoid any damage.
- To disinfect the leather, we suggest using a cloth with hot water and a mild hand or dish soap. Make sure the cloth is not dripping wet and that it is well wrung.
- The water must be hot; hot enough that you can barely hold the cloth as you wipe your item down. This will work to wipe away the virus molecules while also neutralizing any that are left behind in the fine pores of the leather.
During times like these, it is our belief that we prefer to overreact rather than underreact. Customers who have any questions are free to contact us directly as we are more than happy to help in any way possible.
Thank you all for your continued support. As a small business we are greatly appreciative of our customers and their loyalty to our brand even during times such as these.
Be safe.
- The LL Family