# please help me fix my leather pants :(
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 8, 2003, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282 "2003-04-08T11:11:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@phraser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phraser)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/1 "2003-04-08T11:11:08Z")
Ok, I got this great pair of leather jeans from an op-shop (thrift store to all you north americans) for a bargain price ($40 if anyone was curious š ). They were a little the worse for wear, although not badly damaged, and I thought āI should put some of that stuff on them which will make them soft and supple and a little protectedā.
I donāt know an awful lot about leather clothing- most of the leather Iāve owned has been shoes, or suede. š In my cupboard, i had the stuff I use to care for my leather shoes- Dubbin, I believe itās called. It says itās fine for use on leather jackets, so I applied it to my trousers and rubbed it in.
Alas, my trousers are now (two weeks later) still sticky/tacky and they are also kind of greasy :smack:
Is there some way I can clean this stuff off?
What should i use to do that?
What should I have used instead of Dubbin, or am I doing this right? What, if anything, should I be doing differently with the Dubbin?
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### Author:  [@phraser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phraser)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/2 "2003-04-08T11:30:03Z")
For example, would leather survive being hand washed in a gentle detergent?
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### Author:  [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/3 "2003-04-08T11:45:34Z")
Get yourself a can of saddle soap, usually available in the same places a shoe polish, and use it to clean the jeans. Be sure to follow the directions on the can carefully and you should have good results.
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### Author:  [@phraser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phraser)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/4 "2003-04-08T13:09:29Z")
thanks š
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/5 "2003-04-08T13:19:29Z")
Little late for this, but test the saddle soap on a small area first to make sure nothing awfuller happens.
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### Author:  [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/6 "2003-04-08T14:14:01Z")
Furniture shops that sell leather furniture also usually have cleaning products for leather which will double as a conditioner.
I have spome leather clothing and have never really used anything on it - just donāt get it wet and it will last a long time.
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### Author:  [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/7 "2003-04-08T14:17:02Z")
Armor-all?
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/8 "2003-04-08T16:28:48Z")
No armor-all! That will ruin leather in pretty short time.
Either use saddle soap, or Woolite & water by hand - ie: dampen a sponge with the Woolite and water mix.
For conditioning, Lexol is pretty widely available.
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### Author:  [@Sutremaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sutremaine)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/9 "2003-04-08T21:32:48Z")
What does it smell of? Iām kind of curious as to how well leather collects and holds various smells.
(Iām hoping this is the lesser of two evils- either be a little off topic, or start a new thread fairly similar to one thatās on the same page? Decisions, decisionsā¦ š )
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### Author:  [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/10 "2003-04-08T22:34:53Z")
After a night out, my leathers can smell quite a bit like cigarette smoke but I air them out outside of the window and the smell comes out in one day.
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### Author:  [@phraser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phraser)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2003, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-fix-my-leather-pants/167282/11 "2003-04-09T11:09:10Z")
My leathers currently smell like dubbin, but previously were a little cigarette/sweat scented.
Iāll try some woolwash on a small area and see what happens.
So furniture leather products are ok for clothing?