When winter comes most people put away their leather motorcycle jackets. Unless your down south like Florida where I am. In that case it’s perfect for biking at this time of year! But even if your up north there still are plenty of fashion leather jackets and shearling leather jackets made for the winter to wear as all around jackets and coats.
Most have no idea what, if any, extra care should be done with leather jackets in the winter time. There are a few things you should do to help your leather jacket make it through the winter months as best as possible, as well as things not to do. The number one enemy of leather jackets in the cold winter months is drying out from the cold dry air.
So it’s important to make sure you have applied leather conditioner to your leather jacket to help keep it soft and flexible. Putting on a good coat of leather conditioner and sealer just before winter is a great idea. The oils in it will keep the leather soft and flexible, while also helping to keep moister out. As always try not to get it wet or covered in snow or ice.
If you happen to get ice built up on it, don’t try to chip it off, you could rip and scar the leather. Just hang it up AWAY from heat and let it dry out. Another thing you might run into is getting road salt on your leather jacket. That stuff is really bad for leather, or any clothing for that matter. If you somehow get road salt stuck to your leather jacket, try to rinse it out with warm water.
Use several different rinses with a wet washcloth or something like that. Once you think you have it all off, hang it up and let it dry completely. Road salt can really discolor leather in a hurry, so make sure you get it all off. Once it’s dry treat the area with more leather conditioner. Don’t hang your leather jacket near the furnace or a fire or any other heating device.
A winter leather jacket is very warm and looks great, requiring little care. Just remember to keep it dry, hang it up away from heat, keep ice and road salt off it. If you do get those on it, use the advice above. The most important thing you can do is treat it with leather conditioner and sealer just before the winter season. Now enjoy your leather winter coat or jacket!