Von Bondage’s Care Guide for Leathers, Sheepskin Fur & Patents
I often get asked what products to use for maintaining the leather and keeping it soft and supple after years of use, or how to keep it clean after play sessions. This all depends on which leather was used to make your collar or restraints. Some leathers dont need too much care at all while others do benefit from various oils and waxes to keep them protected and in good working order.
I offer a FREE cleaning service for the Latigos, Bridles and Red-trim leather lines. Feel free to contact me if you would like me to clean any items you bought from me and re-apply some finishes.
Caring for Veg-tanned Leathers
Latigo, Bridle and Red-Trim Leathers - Veg-tanned
Let’s begin with the firm, veg-tanned leathers (I will include my Latigo Leather here as well, but it is both veg-tanned AND chrome-tanned)
These are the 3 stiff leathers I offer and they can last many decades when taken care of properly. I treat all of these hides with Resolene and Leather Balm before they leave my hands to yours but after a while they may need freshening up with some oils. The first thing to use for any cleaning away muck and grime or sweat is Fiebing’s Distressed Leather Conditioner (DLC) or Leather Lotion. I use both! These wipe away scuff marks and clean off grime. After this process, if you are finding the collar or restraints is still in need of oils you can either use Aussie Leather Wax to make old dried out leather more supple again. Use sparingly with a cloth and work it in. This will help seal it from moisture and make it more pliable.
If you decide to send me your collar or restraints back for a clean I will also apply Resolene as a top finish to seal everything up and prevent rub-off of any color. Resolene can be tricky to apply especially once all of the hardware is on, as it can streak, so feel free to have me do it for you if you wish. I only charge shipping back to you.
Caring for Sheepskin Fur
How to Clean Sheepskin Fur only
Sheepskin fur shearling can get dirty and sweaty pretty quick! Sheepskin fur is absolutely fine to hand wash with a damp cloth using very mild diluted detergent (NOT wool-lite) or diluted mild hand soap. Do NOT saturate the fur though. You can use a paper towel to blot the moisture out of the fur after cleaning it and the let it AIR DRY away from sunlight. Once dry you can use a wire brush or a bore bristle brush to fluff up the fur-side.
Caring for Pigmented & Waxy Leathers
The Colors Line - Pink, Royal Blue, Electric Purple only: Pigmented
These 3 colors are Pigmented Leathers (chrome-tanned) and this info is for cleaning the TOP COLORED LEATHER ONLY. The black leather underneath is is different and will be discussed in the next section.
Pigmented leathers are quite easy to care for and maintain due to them having a layer of polyurethane coating on top to help protect them. They are smooth but not as soft as the anilines and semi-anilines. They will not dry out or get stiff so they need minimal care. A damp cloth will wipe away any sweat, dirt or grime, and if you need to spot clean you can use Oakwood Glycerine Leather Cleaner Spray or Fiebing’s Leather Lotion on the Pink, Royal Blue or Electric Purple Leathers.
Cognac Bullhide, Whiskey & Tucson Bison: Pigmented, Veg-tan, Waxy
Care is for the TOP SIDE only
These 3 leathers have Bullhides bonded underneath. My advice in this paragraph is for the TOP leathers only. The Laredo Bullhide (cognac) is a pigmented hide, the Whiskey Bison is veg-tanned and the Tucson Bison is ‘waxy’. All of these leathers are medium tempered so a bit firmer than the Bullhides they are bonded to. They have a sheen on top and can withstand different products. All 3 of these hides will happily take the DLC for cleaning and removing grime. You can also use a small amount of Aussie Leather Conditioner Wax to help protect the top layers and give them some richness in their color. These hides have a deep, pronounced, grain so make sure you have a soft dry cloth to rub off excess.
The Bullhides that line these leathers will be explained in the next section…
Caring for Aniline & Semi-Aniline Leathers
Red, Black & Cream Bullhides & Garment Bison : Aniline
The luxurious Bullhides and Garment Bison Leather (which is used on the Bison w/Red Bullhide & Bullhide w/Bison lines) are all chrome-tanned aniline hides which is what makes them oh so soft and luscious on the skin! These leathers are also super easy and need very little care (Yay!) One thing you will notice is that they never get dried out and stiff. Due to the nature of aniline leathers being quite porous, you wont want to use oils, saddle soaps, or any abrasive type cleaners on them. Instead, you will want to gently wipe the leather with a clean, damp cloth to remove any sweat or residue and allow it to air dry away from direct sunlight. If you have some staining or discoloration you can also use a very mild soap like Ivory or Wool-lite, diluting it in water and then dipping your cloth in the diluted soapy water and clean the spot.
The Arizona Collection: Aniline
Von Sanguine, French Blue, Nephrite Jade Green, Deep Indigo, Walnut Brown, Arizona Black (for Black w/Color Inlay line & Colors line)
I will also include the Ivory Leather from the Allure Collection in this section which makes the Ivory w/Brown Inlay color line. [(Ivory Allure) with (Arizona Brown) Inlay]. Again, these are all Full Aniline leathers so very soft and very luxurious with minimal care needed as they do not stiffen up or dry out. To clean them, do NOT use oils, saddle soaps or abrasive cleaners, and instead, if you need to wipe off sweat, grime or dirt, use a damp wet cloth or paper towel, wrung out, and you may use very mild soap (diluted) applied to the CLOTH not the LEATHER. Airdry, and you should be fine!
Lambskin Liners and Cheyenne: Semi-aniline
White Cheyenne, Purple Lambskin, Red Lambskin & Pink Lambskin
White Cheyenne is used for the Pink Sheepskin Fur and Pink w/White Inlay lines. The Lambskins are bonded to the Aniline Bullhides. These are semi-aniline hides.
Lambskin - These are super silky and very light weight and an absolute dream to wear. They are perfect for those subs who need to sleep in their collars and restraints due to the lambskin being breathable and porous. Lambskin is super delicate and due to it being porous you wont want to get it very wet. A very rung out damp paper towel can wipe it down, and if you want to clean it Bick 4 Leather Conditioner can be applied to a cloth (NOT directly on the leather) and wipe the lambskin down this way. Bick 4 is perfectly fine for the Cheyenne line as well.
Cheyenne - This leather is a little bit more robust than the lambskin even though it is semi-aniline. Again, a clean damp cloth is fine to wipe down your collar or cuffs. If you get a spot or dirt on the White Cheyenne you can use a mild soap like Ivory and use a Q-tip to dip into the soap solution and gently wipe the spot. Also, you can use DLC on Cheyenne to clean off any dirt or grime.
Caring for Patent Leather
These patent leathers are bonded to the Arizona Black leather which is an aniline leather. Patent leathers are super shiny and have a beautiful high gloss finish! This varnish that is applied to the leather makes patent leather water-proof. Caring for the patent leather line is quite straight forward. Firstly you want to wipe your collar or restraints down with a a clean damp cloth. Dont use any chemical cleaners because this can damage the shiny varnish finish on top! You may use a mild soapy solution with a soft cloth to clean any stubborn grime. Wipe off excess water and dry away from sunlight.
If you have any questions about how to take care of your Von Bondage items please dont hesitate to Contact Me with any questions or if you would like to arrange to have your Veg-tanned Leather Collars, Accessories or Restraints cleaned for free by me please reach out.
