How to Care for Your KGUmusic Leather Accessories

You buy leather products from our website and expect them to serve you for a long time staying in trend. Since we use genuine leather, all our products are designed for frequent use in both indoor and outdoor settings. However, to help the leather preserve its attractive appearance and create the best impression about your personality, you need to properly care for this material. In this article, we will share some care tips that will help your leather accessories from KGUmusic maintain their attractive appearance and extend their lifespan. 

As an owner of genuine leather accessories, you should consider everyday care.  This can be done in several steps:

Everyday Cleaning

Clean your leather accessories from dirt and dust using a soft damp cloth. For more serious stains, use a mild cleaner specially designed for leather. You can also add some mild soap to water to remove stubborn stains, however, test this method on a small area first, and if everything okay, apply the solution to the whole accessory. Never rub leather with excessive efforts to prevent stains from spreading to wider areas. 

Never use baking soda, lemon juice and white vinegar as they can make the stains issue even worse. Don’t apply fingernail polish remover or window cleaner to clean your leather accessory, as these products contain alcohol that can destroy color and protective features of leather.

Using with Care

Use leather accessories for the specific number of items mentioned in the product description. We highly recommend paying attention to that section on the product page and explore the features of the item that you want to buy. Never try to store more pieces than necessary. Leather can stretch, so it’s very vulnerable to overfilling. It means that if you try to put more items in the slot than necessary it can damage the shape of the accessory and increase the risk of damaging your tools.

If it’s a double mouthpiece pouch, you can use it only for two items, the same applies to triple pouches. If you buy a leather holder for a saxophone mouthpiece, you should consider that it’s not suitable for storing ligature and caps. Single leather bags for brass and woodwind instruments are made to keep one particular instrument, while double and triple bags allow you to mix instruments as you like, using these models for two or three instruments, or using the triple bag for two instruments and the spare space for accessories.

Storage

Store your leather accessories in areas reliably protected from direct sunlight, as this factor can lead to the leather fading. Be careful with placing your leather items closely to the heat sources such as radiators as they can increase the risk of leather drying and cracking.

Careful Carrying

You might have heard that leather is durable and strong for many times, however these features don’t make leather indestructible, especially when you place accessories with sharp objects, or expose them to abrasive surfaces or chemicals. All these factors increase the risk of scratching and tearing that can spoil the attractive appearance.

Leather and Water

If you use leather bags and gig cases in humid weather conditions or expose them to rains, apply some waterproofing spray to their surfaces to make them more water-resistant. Use sprays that are made specially for leather accessories. If you overlook this care tip, one day you can find your bag with an unpleasant smell.

When the water evaporates, it also causes the oils in leather drawing out. Without these oils, leather accessories lose their quality and become brittle. Sometimes dried water leaves stains and spots that spoil visual appeal. Never leave leather items wet, because if the leather doesn’t dry enough, it could start to rot or increase the risk of mildew growth. Always soak wet leather with a dry cloth when you come back home.

When you use our leather valve guards, it’s significant to remove them after extended practices and let them dry to prevent the accumulation of moisture under them. Doing this, you will maintain the surface of brass instruments in top condition and avoid corrosion.

Leather Storage Tips

• Store leather bags, backpacks in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and radiators.
• Avoid folding leather accessories to prevent creases.
• When you don’t use the bag, stuff it with tissue paper to keep its attractive shape.
• Don’t store leather accessories in humid places to prevent mildew growth.
• Ensure the place for storage isn’t too dry, as dryness makes leather crack.

Additional Tips on How to Care for Leather Accessories from KGUmusic

To prevent leather from drying out and cracking, you should moisturize it with leather conditioner or cream once or twice a year. If you use leather wallets or bags every day, then you should condition them three or four times a year. How to do it: just apply the conditioner to a cloth and rub it into the material, wiping off excess conditioner with a cotton cloth afterward.

Sometimes leather starts smelling bad. To resolve this issue, just wear accessories regularly and the smell will disappear.  Another method is placing your leather items in the sun for no longer than half an hour during 2–3 days.

Remember, too frequent use can wear out your leather accessories. Thus, it’s useful to let them rest from time to time. Be patient as the beauty of your leather items can develop over time. 

Conclusion

Leather accessories for your musical instruments always look stylish and trendy, however you should take the time and care for them daily to prevent them from cracking, fading and losing their shape. Following simple tips mentioned above, you can extend the lifetime of leather accessories and maintain their attractive design. When leather accessories stay in top condition, they provide the necessary level of protection for your instruments.

Explore the variety of leather accessories for brass, woodwind, percussion, and orchestral string instruments on our website.

You may also like our article with tips on how to keep your trumpet in top shape.