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I spent all day in torrential rain on Saturday.
Got home, hung everything up in the shop with what I thought was plenty of ventilation, same as I have always done after riding in the rain.
Never had this problem tho...
My vest is still damp and is now it's starting to smell pretty foul.
Mrs. Cujo's gloves are positively growing with mold.
My question..How do I ...
a) get rid of the mold without ruining the leather
b) clean it so it won't stink.
Anyone ??
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__________________ -Sarcasm helps keep you from telling people what you really think of them.
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Samuel L. Jackson fixed my bike. Chuck Norris in the front cylinder, Jack Bauer in the back cylinder, Tommy Lee Jones in the tranny. You should quit now. Your mods suck.
If they were mine, I'd be making some calls to local dry cleaners to get a lead on someone who professionally cleans leather, for some help or advice...
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The Pussification Of The American Biker Is Upon Us.
I read on one of the pledge threads (might even be the one that I started) that it's awesome on leather...and I'll bet it'll get rid of the smell too...I love how my bike smells after pledge!!!
If the vest and gloves are unlined you can just wash them with soap and water (saddle soap if you are picky) put them in a better ventilated area, outside would be good if it is not raining, and let them dry or almost dry. Then rub them down with a leather dressing.
I read on here a couple of days ago that Extra Virgin Olive Oil is very good but I have never tried that. I currently use either Langlitz Leather Dressing or Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP (Leather Preservative). You can call Langlitz and they will mail it to you and it is about as cheap as any leather dressing I have found.
Probably any leather dressing will work well enough. The main step is to wash all of the mold away. Do not be afraid of ruining them by washing with warm water and soap. Wash the inside of the gloves also.
If the vest or gloves are lined you can do the same thing but it will take longer to dry. The lining may say dry clean only so do what you think best.
Some think leather has to be dry cleaned but this is incorrect. Every piece of leather that I own has been soaked at some time or another.
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Last edited by txfxstrider; 09-23-2009 at 01:44 AM.
We don't have 'rain gear', we wear our heavy leathers ALWAYS. Figure cows are happy standing in a rainstorm, its good enough for us! Hubby pulls the sheep skin up over "the boys" to cover what the chaps miss. Yes, after a week of riding in serious rain, those leathers were very heavy and wet but still kept the wet and wind off us. Unfortunately, it sounds like yours never did dry properly, hence the mold. You need to clean them big time, with soap and then treat the leather. Our leathers held up very well, it was our zippers that jammed due to excessive wet. We started to rub them with a candle mid tour because we didn't have the bees wax with us!
We don't have 'rain gear', we wear our heavy leathers ALWAYS. Figure cows are happy standing in a rainstorm, its good enough for us! Hubby pulls the sheep skin up over "the boys" to cover what the chaps miss. Yes, after a week of riding in serious rain, those leathers were very heavy and wet but still kept the wet and wind off us. Unfortunately, it sounds like yours never did dry properly, hence the mold. You need to clean them big time, with soap and then treat the leather. Our leathers held up very well, it was our zippers that jammed due to excessive wet. We started to rub them with a candle mid tour because we didn't have the bees wax with us!
brother I'd take Oma's advice Korea's got some excellent leather products...Oma, kam sa me da! da ju ne pa yo (spelling might be off)...got lots of Korean friends...hope I'm not making a mistake here...if I am pls forgive me!
A few weeks ago I left my Jacket rolled up on the handlebars after a rain. Did'nt think anything of it and rode around a few days like that. When I did unroll it, it was still wet and stanky and a little mildewed in places. I wiped it down with soapy water and hung it in the sun to dry for a day. Good as new.
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As most said, clean it good with saddle soap to remove the mildew and all the other crud from the road. Then use a good conditioner. I use Feibing's "all in one" cleaner and coinditioner, Feibing's makes excellent leather products and is available at most local "farm" stores (TSC, Fleet Farm, Farm & Fleet, etc.).
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Wet Leather...
