Robust and durable, leather is a natural material often chosenfor use in the harshest of environments. We take its relativestrength for granted. Leather is stitched together in everydayitems like shoes and boots, belts, wallets, purses, jackets, sofas,easy chairs, car and truck seats, sporting equipment and more. Evenfur coats are considered leather goods.

Preconceived notions tell us that leather needs to avoid contactwith water, and therefore cannot be cleaned in a wash process. Afunny notion when you consider rain, street puddles, earlymorning golf tee times in dewed grass, and dreaded winter slush areall things that come into direct contact with leather goods; andyet these things remain intact.

Related: 5 tips to creating a home inventory for aninsurance claim

When the juice isn't worth thesqueeze

Adjusters and claims professionals making assessments on smoke-or water-damaged leather contents often write off these items asnon-salvageable. Many dry cleaning service providers won't take thetime or trouble to restore leathers. The reason is obvious.Cleaning leather goods by hand is too time-consuming relative tothe revenue gain – it is almost impossible to return them topre-loss condition.

Removing soot or flood soil out of the zippered pockets of apurse or backpack takes time. Without a form of automatedtechnology, that also sanitizes items, odor and contaminates willlikely not be removed – especially when it is heavy soot or soil.What's more, Category 2 gray water or Cat 3 sewage, ormold-impacted leathers can't be proven safe when cleaned by hand.Without the benefit of using lab-proven, automated cleaningtechnology, bacteria, smoke and foul odor will most likelyremain.

Items impacted by fire or water claims are commonly deemedunsalvageable due to their risk of not being in acceptablecondition by the policyholder. However, the ability to restoreleather items back to their pre-loss condition can be achieved,saving insurers substantial contents replacement costs while makingclaimants happy to have their cherished contents returned.

Related: A hidden risk that could crack a nest egg

Restoring leather with today's technology

Leather can be processed in a wet clean wash process, providedthe wash cycle is brief, set at the correct temperature that doesnot negatively affect glues or dyes, has limited or no agitation,and uses non-caustic detergents that will not extract or dry outthe natural oils from the skins. If the leather items arecontaminated with bio waste, an organic sanitizer must be appliedthat will restore items to 'food grade' clean.

Using today's advanced cleaning systems, automation technologyprovides restorers with the ability to process leather shoes andpurses, usually having them ready for delivery to the policyholderwithin 24 hours. The speed at which the restorer can returnessential or emergency leather and laundry items to a homeownersignificantly reduces the DLE (Daily Living Expense) for thecarrier, giving the policyholders confidence their claim is apriority.

Related: Understanding the benefits of contentsrestoration

There are two processes of leather restoration: One forleather impacted by water, soil or smoke, and one for leatherimpacted by sewage and mold. Wash programs are selected accordingto the type of contamination. Proprietary detergents, sanitizersand additives are injected into the cleaning cycle that arespecific to restoring leathers.

A critical component of leather restoration involves reducingany agitation and mechanical action that could damage the items.For that reason, leather items are placed into net laundry bags toreduce movement of the items during the wash. The other twocritical components involve maintaining a neutral pH and the properwater temperature throughout the restoration cycle.

Today's advanced washing systems utilize a drum with individualcages designed to minimize agitation. The drum changes direction(clockwise to counterclockwise) every 30 seconds, forcing 99% ofthe contaminates out of the leathers. This process of hydraulicaction removes both organic and inorganic contaminants. The forceapplied can be compared to the force of waves crashing against thesand on a beach. Like a Mississippi paddle wheeler, leather iscleaned by moving the items through the detergent-laden water.

Once a leather wash is complete, the water is extracted with aspin cycle. The leather items are then placed in a drying room,where fans and large-scale dehumidifiers dry out the items at anoptimal room temperature. If leathers are dried too quickly, theybecome stiff and non-pliable.

Care is taken to dry the items properly so they retain theiroriginal shape and suppleness. Items are then conditioned andfinished to be made ready for return to the homeowner, in pre-losscondition.

Adjusters and claims professionals are able to see significantsavings by restoring and not replacing leather items. Selecting theright contents restorers with the technology, training andexperience in leather restoration is critical.

Ken Campbell is vice president of ECONA Network, withover 265 certified cleaning & restoration contractors. Contacthim at [email protected].Daryl Nestibo is director of customer success for Esporta Wash Systems Inc.Contact him at [email protected].