How and with what to smooth natural, patent and artificial leather on a leather jacket, bag, boots at home: methods, tips. Is it possible and how to iron and steam natural and artificial hair?

Leatherette is a popular material for sewing clothes, accessories, and furniture upholstery.

Imitation leather is distinguished by a rich palette, has a pronounced texture, and has proven itself in use.

Sometimes bags and clothes made of leatherette wrinkle and therefore require ironing. We'll tell you how to smooth leatherette at home in this article.

How and with what you can smooth natural leather on a leather jacket, bag, boots: methods

Products made from genuine leather have a presentable appearance, are of good quality and high wear resistance. However, sometimes creases, folds or dents form on leather products. Most often, such defects can be discovered after long-term storage of the item in a closet, rolled up.

Important: To ensure that genuine leather products do not wrinkle or break, they must be properly stored and properly cared for.

If you nevertheless find that wrinkles and folds have formed on your favorite leather jacket, bag or boots, you can smooth them out at home. There are several ways to smooth natural leather, the success of which depends on various factors, for example:

How long was the product stored folded?
From the quality of the leather.
How quickly should the product be ironed?
From proper care of the product.

Now we list ways that will help return the product to its previous appearance:

Hanging the product;
Steaming the product;
Ironing the product using an iron;
Using a special press.

The easiest way, accessible to everyone, is hanging the product on the back of a chair or on hangers. But in the case when you need to smooth the item quickly, this method is unlikely to help. It will take 1-2 days to smooth out thin skin, and up to 7 days for thick skin.

In addition, you can purchase a skin moisturizer, which is applied to the problem area in a small amount. After which the moisturizer is not washed off for 2-3 days. This special product is a real helper when you need to smooth out a leather product without difficulty or much effort.

Smoothing a leather jacket by hanging it vertically

Types and technical features of synthetic material

Eco-leather or leather created artificially has a number of synthetic components. These elements are created from polymers and are used in various branches of the light and textile industries. But before you iron eco-leather and choose a smoothing method, you should determine the type of synthetic material in order to eliminate a possible defect in the product. The most famous varieties of leatherette are:

Granitol or leatherette. A very budget material that can imitate genuine leather. It is widely used for upholstery of furniture and economy clothing. The structure of the material contains a layer of cotton fabric (sometimes synthetic), on the base of which a coating consisting of cellulose nitrate is applied. Leatherette is short-lived. It quickly loses its attractive appearance. How to iron leatherette? Leatherette is not subject to smoothing when defective folds appear in the structure of the material;
Derivatives of polyvinyl chloride. This material is in great demand. In industry, the polymer can be found under different names, for example Lukovil. This polymer has good strength and a smooth surface. It is widely used by manufacturers to create erotic clothing and subcultural products. Almost every fashionista has leatherette underwear in her wardrobe, as the popularity of such products periodically returns to the fashion sector;
Fitted stretch leather. This is a special leather substitute, which consists of fabric and polymer. This polymer contains a huge amount of elastane. Such products are very convenient for making fashionable clothes and fit perfectly;
Kirza. These raw materials are used to make shoes. Shoes made from this material are particularly strong and durable. Not only boots for military personnel are made from tarpaulin, but also various bags and suitcases. This type of leatherette is often sprayed on top with polymer elements to imitate the resemblance of a natural component. This material is not subject to external influences or wear. It does not require ironing, since the tarpaulin is very difficult to wrinkle.

How to iron a genuine leather jacket with steam?

Steam smoothes leather items well and, most importantly, helps to do it quickly. If you have a steamer in your home, you can easily iron out a wrinkled leather jacket.

Important: The steamer must be kept at a distance of at least 30 cm from the jacket. Moisture entering the skin can lead to deformation of the material. After steaming, the jacket needs to be dried for 2 days, sometimes it takes longer, depending on your skin type.

Instead of a steamer, you can use a regular iron with a steam generator function. Using an iron is convenient for smoothing small elements: cuffs, collar, belt.

If the jacket is completely wrinkled, it is best to hang it in the bathroom and let hot steam in there.
At the same time, try to prevent water from getting on the jacket, as in previous steaming methods.
On average, after 10 minutes, the wrinkles on the jacket will be smoothed out under the influence of steam.
Hang your leather jacket in your room to dry.

Important: The disadvantage of this smoothing is the ability of a leather product to “shrink” after exposure to moisture.

Steam iron

Is it possible to steam eco-leather?

For people who are afraid to iron, there is an excellent option for smoothing eco-leather. Why you can simply steam it with a special device.

As with any other method, it is recommended to first treat an inconspicuous area of the product to determine whether this method is suitable for leveling. The item needs to be given a certain volume; it is advisable to put it on a mannequin. If the latter is missing, attach it to a hanger.

Problem areas should be steamed for 3-5 seconds. A distance of at least 15 cm must be maintained. Do not touch the material with your hands, otherwise stains will appear. After cooling (approximately 30 minutes), the item is ready for use.

Recommendation: If a steamer is not available, use a regular hairdryer. In this case, the air stream must be warm, and it must be directed at a distance of at least 50 cm.

How to iron a genuine leather jacket with an iron?

Another option for smoothing out a wrinkled genuine leather jacket is using an iron. You should know that not all types of leather can be ironed, namely:

Jackets made of pressed and also very thin leather;
Jackets with embossed designs.

When ironing a leather jacket with an iron, follow certain rules so as not to spoil your favorite item:

You can iron the jacket both from the inside and the outside, but always through thick cotton fabric or wrapping paper.
It is unacceptable to use gauze or thin fabric as a gasket.
Remember that touching the metal part of the iron to natural leather can permanently damage the item.
Do not move the iron over the jacket, but simply apply it to the desired place for a few seconds.
After removing the iron, lightly pull the product with your hands.
The iron temperature should be at a minimum, be sure to turn off the steam mode.

Important: After ironing your leather jacket, do not put it on immediately. Leave it hanging on a hanger until it cools completely. Otherwise, the jacket may stretch in the places where the iron touched.

Traditional methods

You can smooth your favorite leather skirt using a heavy press or buy a regular spray moisturizer for natural fabric (material). Let's look at each of them.

Press

To smooth it out, you will need a heavy and large load (a bulky metal object or several volumes of a Soviet encyclopedia).

Procedure:

the skirt is placed on a flat surface, the kinks are straightened out;
cover the top with a thin cloth and “lay” the load evenly;
leave for 12 hours or more, depending on the result.

Spray humidifier

If you need clothes today, and you can’t wait that long, it’s worth buying a special moisturizer for leather products.
As a rule, it is sold in the form of a spray, which allows you to easily apply it to your favorite item.

After the skirt has taken the desired shape, it is necessary to remove the remaining spray with a damp cloth, otherwise stains and stains will remain on the product.

How to iron a genuine leather jacket with a press?

Smoothing a leather jacket with a special press is an effective and harmless method. Unfortunately, it is not available to everyone, especially at home.

First of all, because the press is bulky and storing it at home is not always convenient for the sake of one jacket or several other similar things.

It makes sense to contact specialists in the manufacture and sale of leather products; they will definitely have this press. Thus, for a small amount of money, you will quickly and effectively smooth out your favorite item.

How and with what you can smooth artificial leather on a leather jacket, bag, boots: methods

Important: Products made from artificial leather can be ironed in the same way as those made from natural leather. The advantage of smoothing leatherette is that this material is not afraid of water.

If you want to smooth leatherette boots , do the following:

Stuff papers into them, giving them the correct shape.
Wipe your shoes with a damp sponge.
Leave until completely dry and smooth.

To iron a jacket or bag , you can use the following method:

Turn the item inside out, then hang it on a hanger.
Use a spray bottle to moisten the product so that it is wet, pay attention that water should not flow from the product.
Leave the product in this form until completely dry.

Do not dry items made of natural or artificial leather on electric heaters; avoid drafts when drying such items.

A few more folk methods to help smooth leatherette:

Soak a cotton pad in glycerin and apply to the product, leave the product hanging until completely absorbed.
Mix 9% vinegar, laundry conditioner, and water in equal quantities. Using a spray bottle, spray the mixture onto the leatherette item. Then leave until completely dry.
A walk outside in damp, foggy weather helps to smooth out a leatherette jacket. Humid air can remove dents just as well as steam in a bathroom.

Try these methods for smoothing faux leather to see which works best for your item.

How to smooth artificial leather?

Product made of leatherette and eco-leather

Eco-leather and natural material are similar in appearance, but the process of ironing and operation is somewhat different. Faux leather looks the same as leather.

The main feature is that steam destroys artificial material, so the hot air flow should not come into contact with the product at close range. In this case, it is better to use a steamer.

Procedure:

the product is turned inside out;
bring the steamer at a distance of 30–40 cm and hold it for only 5–7 seconds;
Leave the clothes to cool for 40 - 60 minutes.

You should not touch the hot substitute - fingerprints (handprints) will remain on the skirt and the item will be damaged.

New items with small kinks can be smoothed out with water.

For this:

heat the water to room temperature;
pour into a container with a spray bottle;
water the lining of the skirt generously;
leave overnight.

This manipulation can also be done using vinegar . It is added to a bottle of water in a 1:1 ratio. Don't be afraid that the smell will remain, it will quickly disappear. And after it, the artificial material becomes soft and elastic.

Other methods to help smooth out artificial material (expert tips):

Shoe polish (necessarily colorless) . Apply a small layer and leave for several hours, then remove. The skirt is thoroughly wiped with a damp cloth or a piece of wet cloth.
Walk under the rain . Go outside in rainy weather and take a walk around the neighborhood. The material will take the desired shape within an hour, and folds and kinks will be leveled out.

Another important tip. Before ironing or steaming, you should “test” the skirt by choosing its most inconspicuous part. This will allow you to choose the right method and avoid damage to your favorite clothes.

How to iron a patent leather jacket?

You can smooth a patent leather jacket using this method:

Turn it inside out.
Spray with water.
Leave until completely dry.

If you need to smooth a patent leather bag, this method will do:

Place a damp towel in your bag so that it covers the entire space of the bag.
Hang the bag and leave it in this position overnight.

You can smooth patent leather using an iron. You need to iron very carefully and always from the inside through the fabric. If the product does not smooth out, you can gradually increase the temperature, but again, this must be done extremely carefully.

You can soften and smooth out creases on patent leather using Vaseline, glycerin or castor oil. To do this, use a soft cloth; under no circumstances should you rub patent leather with hard brushes.

Is it possible to do this?

iron a skirt made of genuine leather , but you should adhere to a number of rules and observe the temperature regime . You can also smooth out cracks and creases using other alternative methods.

Leather is a natural material that has a number of properties: strength, wear resistance, water resistance.

When in contact with water, characteristic stains remain on the material. Small pores are visible on the front and back sides.

How to straighten natural and artificial leather: tips

Here are some tips that will help you maintain the original appearance of your leather product, as well as straighten out folds and creases:

Store the products straightened out in the case. If it is a bag or jacket, then store it in a suspended state. Then you won't have to deal with creases and folds in the future.
Store your boots stuffed with paper.
Before any manipulation, look at the product label, if it is still available. Some faux leather items can be washed in a washing machine, while others, in turn, cannot even withstand steam.
Peanut oil is used to smooth artificial and natural leather. Just apply the oil to the crease, wait until the skin absorbs the oil, remove the remaining oil with a napkin.
To smooth a leather item, first use a gentle method, such as spontaneous smoothing on a hanger. If it doesn't help, try other methods.
Do not allow natural leather to get too wet if you decide to straighten it with water or steam.
It is better not to iron very thin and delicate skin.

If you show ingenuity and patience, you can return a leather product to its original appearance and extend its service life.