Like all clothing, leather jackets require some maintenance and care to stay looking good, but they can be tricky to maintain.
No matter how diligently you store your clothes, wrinkles may still occur. The most difficult wrinkles to remove from leather may be those that developed long before your leather garment even leaves the store (an unexpected downside of online shopping). Although air-sealed packaging might make shipping easier, it leaves a stubborn wrinkle on leather items. A leather jacket tends to wrinkle with time, especially if it’s stored in a tight closet.
The following tips will help you prevent wrinkles from appearing on leather jackets so you can continue wearing them for years to come.
- Hang your leather jacket to remove wrinkles
- Steam leather jackets to remove wrinkles
- Unwrinkle your leather jacket with a steam iron
- Use a hairdryer on leather jackets to remove wrinkles
- Use a dryer
- Wrinkles in leather jackets can be removed with alcohol
Hang leather jackets to remove wrinkles
Put your leather jacket on a clothes hanger or in a closet. If you don’t have room to hang it, lay it flat on a clean surface. As the jacket is heavy, gravity will remove wrinkles. Allow your jacket to air out for a couple of days before wearing it in a well-ventilated room. Doing so will help loosen up the fabric and remove wrinkles.
Steam leather jackets to remove wrinkles
Put your leather garment up on a hook or drape it over the shower curtain rod instead of using a steamer. Put the stiff fabric in the shower and let the steam bring it to life. Make sure not to hang the leather too close to the water, or water will leave stains on the leather. Wait about 10 minutes for wrinkles to fall out.
Unwrinkle your leather jacket with a steam iron
Try steaming iron your leather jacket to remove wrinkles quickly. Set the iron to the lowest heat setting to avoid damaging your leather jacket. Hold the iron about six inches from the fabric surface, and place a clean towel over the jacket before ironing it. The wrinkles will begin to disappear when you rub the iron over the towel back and forth.
You can unwrinkle leather jackets with a hairdryer
Use a hairdryer instead of iron to remove wrinkles from a leather jacket. When drying the leather jacket, hold the hair dryer at a distance of about six inches and set it to the lowest heat setting. Move the hairdryer over the fabric back and forth until the wrinkles are gone.
Use a dryer to remove wrinkles
A low-heat dryer will also remove wrinkles from your leather jacket. Put the jacket in a pillowcase or laundry bag so that it does not get damaged. Keep an eye on the jacket periodically to ensure it doesn’t get too hot. After the jacket is wrinkle-free, take it out of the dryer and hang it up to cool. It is best to dry your leather jacket on a coat hanger and let it air dry naturally.
Wrinkles in Leather Can Be Removed With Alcohol
The mixture of 1 part water to 1 part alcohol makes the best wrinkle-releasing spray for leather. Apply a light mist of spray bottle solution (don’t soak them) to the jackets from a distance. If you’ve never used the alcohol method on leather before, test it in a small area to check no color will rub off. Then you can spray it all over. The alcohol will soften the stiff fabric, and you can smooth any creases with your hands. Use a moisturizing leather conditioner after alcohol because it can dry your jacket
Tips for keeping leather jackets wrinkle-free
Here are a few tips for preventing wrinkled leather or reducing the wrinkling process significantly:
Hang your jacket on quality hangers
Use wide-shoulder wooden hangers to prevent wrinkles. Besides providing ample support, these hangers evenly distribute weight and prevent jackets from falling off. This method keeps the jacket smooth and wrinkle-free.
Use leather conditioner regularly
Keeping leather supple and lubricated helps to prevent wrinkles. Apply leather conditioner every few weeks or as necessary to keep your jacket looking its best and maintain its appearance.
Store your leather jacket in a dry place
It is necessary to store the jacket in a cool, dry environment. Leather can dry out and become brittle when exposed to excessive heat or humidity, making it more likely to wrinkle.
Travel with a garment bag
Packing light can make traveling particularly difficult on your clothes. The fabric of leather jackets can wrinkle easily, so you should pack them in a garment bag before traveling. You can prevent wrinkles on your jacket by storing it in a garment bag instead of a suitcase because it protects the fabric from being squished in a case.
Final Thoughts
As a natural material, leather is not as pliable as other fabrics, so leather jackets often wrinkle. New jackets are more flexible and less likely to wrinkle. As leather ages, it becomes less flexible and wrinkle-prone. So, if you get wrinkles in your leather jacket, don’t panic. Make your leather jacket last as long as possible with these tips. If you take good care of it, you can keep its shape and remove wrinkles.