I recently acquired a Vanson Model B jacket in great cosmetic condition apart from a funky smell in both the lining and the leather. I used Febreze on the lining which quickly solved the issue but the leather smelled (stank) of stale cigarette smoke. Having tried to mask the odour with Renapur (which simply sealed in the flavour) I then set about trying to eliminate the problem.
I smothered and scrubbed it with Liquid Leather GT12 Intensive Cleaner and then let it dry for 24 hours. Then I gave it 30 minutes in the tumble dryer on low heat with 3 tennis balls and a packet of Sainsbury’s own label tumble dryer sheets. It came out damp and shiny so went off to the garage for a few hours to cool down on a properly sized hanger.
The result is quite amazing.
No smells, super supple leather and all ready for the next stage of GT11 conditioner.
I had spent the best part of a day googling various options (including putting the whole jacket in the washing machine on a brisk cool wash) but the tennis/tennis ball option seemed most proven/lower risk.
I have to say that putting a £500+ jacket in the tumble dryer made me nervous but I’m now considering putting my Vanson Enfield and Vanson Octagon Royale through the same process simply to soften and condition the leather.
I’m interested whether anyone has tried the same method with motorcycle leathers and specifically whether they’ve tried this with Vanson’s Octagon leather. If so, what can I expect!?
Thank you for making this a brilliant go-to site!
Woody
I smothered and scrubbed it with Liquid Leather GT12 Intensive Cleaner and then let it dry for 24 hours. Then I gave it 30 minutes in the tumble dryer on low heat with 3 tennis balls and a packet of Sainsbury’s own label tumble dryer sheets. It came out damp and shiny so went off to the garage for a few hours to cool down on a properly sized hanger.
The result is quite amazing.
No smells, super supple leather and all ready for the next stage of GT11 conditioner.
I had spent the best part of a day googling various options (including putting the whole jacket in the washing machine on a brisk cool wash) but the tennis/tennis ball option seemed most proven/lower risk.
I have to say that putting a £500+ jacket in the tumble dryer made me nervous but I’m now considering putting my Vanson Enfield and Vanson Octagon Royale through the same process simply to soften and condition the leather.
I’m interested whether anyone has tried the same method with motorcycle leathers and specifically whether they’ve tried this with Vanson’s Octagon leather. If so, what can I expect!?
Thank you for making this a brilliant go-to site!
Woody
