Washing to remove soils and stains
The purpose of the wash cycle in the wetcleaning process for suedes, leathers
and trimmed cloth articles is to remove and suspend water soluble soils and
stains in cold or warm water
while further conditioning the skins to retain softness and suppleness and to
stabilize colors to prevent color loss and bleeding of water sensitive dyes.
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This is accomplished by adding a special leather and cloth wetcleaning detergent
plus a conditioner to the wash water cycle using two ounces per suede or
leather garment or one-half ounce per onepound dry weight.
It is important to note that wetcleaning suede, leather and trimmed cloth items
can be accomplished by anyone in any washing machine, including a home washer.
The wash cycle procedure
The wash cycle begins after the completion of the prewash cycle, in which a dye
fixer like Royaltone’s Leather Fix Prewash Dye Fixer is used to set the dyes, stabilize the colors
and loosen soils and stains.
At this point, the suede, leather or trimmed cloth items, which were loaded at
one-half the rated poundage capacity of the washer for the prewash cycle, are
still in the wheel after it has drained.
Begin the wash cycle by adding the special leather and cloth wetcleaning
detergent plus conditioner, like Prosuede Wet Detergent Plus Conditioner, to
the wheel using two ounces (60cc) per suede or leather garment.
Add wash water at a temperature of under 100°F. Never use hot water as it will damage the skins.
The normal water level is used for a full load (50 percent of machine’s rated poundage capacity) of suedes and leathers.
For less than a full load, the water level should be reduced proportionately by
the same ratio.
Mechanical action is provided by the tumbling action of the wash wheel or by an
agitator in the washing machine. Wash cycle run times should be as follows: for
slick leathers no more than five minutes wash time; for suedes or naked
leathers, wash time should be at least five to ten minutes.
The length of the wash cycle has no effect on color loss because the dye setter
set the dye during the prewash cycle and the special leather and cloth
wetcleaning detergent plus conditioner stabilizes the colors during the wash
cycle.
The shorter wash time for slick leather is necessary to protect its painted
surface from excessive mechanical action that could damage it while the surface
soils and stains are being removed.
The longer wash time used for suede and naked leather is needed to remove water
soluble soils and stains that have soaked into the skins.
Because there is no painted surface finish to protect, it is possible to use a
longer wash cycle without damaging these garments.
The only exceptions would be for very soft and delicate lamb skin, doe skin and
sheep skin items that could be pulled apart by excessive mechanical action in
the washing machine. For these delicate skins a shorter, delicate wash cycle
would be required in the same way it would be for delicate cloth items.
