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

Preconceived notions tell us that leather needs to avoid contact with water, and therefore cannot be cleaned in a wash process. A funny notion when you consider rain, street puddles, early morning golf tee times in dewed grass, and dreaded winter slush are all things that come into direct contact with leather goods; and yet these things remain intact.

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When the juice isn't worth the squeeze

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

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

Items impacted by fire or water claims are commonly deemed unsalvageable due to their risk of not being in acceptable condition by the policyholder. However, the ability to restore leather items back to their pre-loss condition can be achieved, saving insurers substantial contents replacement costs while making claimants happy to have their cherished contents returned.

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Restoring leather with today's technology

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

Using today's advanced cleaning systems, automation technology provides restorers with the ability to process leather shoes and purses, usually having them ready for delivery to the policyholder within 24 hours. The speed at which the restorer can return essential or emergency leather and laundry items to a homeowner significantly reduces the DLE (Daily Living Expense) for the carrier, giving the policyholders confidence their claim is a priority.

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

A critical component of leather restoration involves reducing any agitation and mechanical action that could damage the items. For that reason, leather items are placed into net laundry bags to reduce movement of the items during the wash. The other two critical components involve maintaining a neutral pH and the proper water temperature throughout the restoration cycle.

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

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

Care is taken to dry the items properly so they retain their original shape and suppleness. Items are then conditioned and finished to be made ready for return to the homeowner, in pre-loss condition.

Adjusters and claims professionals are able to see significant savings by restoring and not replacing leather items. Selecting the right contents restorers with the technology, training and experience in leather restoration is critical.

Ken Campbell is vice president of ECONA Network, with over 265 certified cleaning & restoration contractors. Contact him at ken.campbell@econanetwork.com. Daryl Nestibo is director of customer success for Esporta Wash Systems Inc. Contact him at daryl.nestibo@esporta.ca.

Special Reports /

Leather cleaning technology allows companies to restore, not replace contents

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