Top tips for maintaining your collar

Have you purchased a beautiful leather collar from Cooper & Quint? Then you will want to maintain it well. Cooper & Quint collars are made of vegetable tanned leather. This type of leather requires different care than chrome tanned leather. Therefore, do not use standard products that you find at the shoemaker to clean, nourish or protect the leather. These can seriously damage the leather.

We have three tips for maintaining vegetable tanned leather.

1. Cleaning

Did your dog enjoy a mud bath and do you want to make the collar shine again? Then use a soft cloth to clean the collar. First remove the worst dirt from the collar. You can then wet the cloth (slightly damp, not soaked) to clean the collar. Rub the cloth over the collar to clean it.

Try it on a spot where it is not noticeable before cleaning the entire collar. Let the leather dry completely naturally after cleaning. Do not use a hair dryer or place it on a heater to speed up the drying process. The leather will dry out and become hard.

2. Feeding

Leather tends to dry out over time. During tanning, natural fats are added to the leather to make it nice and supple. Due to exposure to heat, sun, rain or a refreshing dip from your dog, these fats slowly disappear from the leather, which can cause it to dry out. Cleaning can also dry out the leather.

To nourish it, it is wise to give it a little oil or grease every now and then. You can think of neutral shoe polish. If the leather is very dried out, you can also use a cream, such as the Saphir d'Or Créme for vegetable tanned leather.

The leather may be slightly darker after feeding the leather. This is normal and cannot be prevented.

3. Storage

Are you not using the collar for a while? Make sure you keep the collar away from moisture and large temperature differences. It is best to wrap the collar in natural fibers, such as cotton or linen. Leather needs to breathe, so never store the collar in plastic or synthetic fabric. There is a chance of mold.

Even if you are not using the collar, it is nice to take it out of its cotton or linen cloth every now and then. Leather dries out over time, so give it a little bit of food every now and then to keep it nice.