Leather has to be well cleaned and conditioned. That is the only way to keep it looking good and lengthen its life.

The Bestsellers

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This  guide will offer you insights on the top leather cleaners & leather conditioner for cars, bags, shoes, furniture, and jackets. It is also an all-encompassing guide on how to choose leather conditioners and how to use them. Check out the list of best leather conditioners below:

Best Leather Conditioners

Leather Honey Conditioner

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Leather Honey is one of the most dated leather conditioners on the market, having been in existence for more than 50 years now. No wonder most people trust this brand. The USA made conditioner was patented by a small family owned business, and all those years later, it still uses the same formula as it did when it was first formulated. Leather Honey is a conditioner for people with different leather items including cars, shoes, and bags among others.

When applied, the conditioner will last about six months on your leather, keeping it moisturized to enhance its flexibility, appearance, and strengthen its water resistance quality. The formula is safe for the user’s hands, it is odor-free and silicone free. Granted, it can be used on all leather products with the same great results.

After application, the conditioner will absorb into the leather quickly, leaving nothing on top of your item. If you apply the right amount, you will have nothing left on the surface for you to wipe. If there is any remaining product, you can wipe it out with a clean piece of terrycloth. The manufacturer recommends ensuring that the conditioner is evenly spread on the surface of the leather item. Given the clear nature of this conditioner, it does not discolor articles, even the light colored leather products. However, be sure not to use it on suede or synthetic leather.

Note that, this product is not a waterproofing agent and it is not a cleaner. For impressive results, the manufacturer recommends using it with a leather cleaner.

Bickmore Bick 4 Leather Conditioner

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Bickmore Bick 4 was formulated for exotic and luxury leathers. Like the Leather Honey reviewed above, it is a US product. Having been on the market since 1882, the Bickmore Bick 4 conditioner has a reputation, spanning more than a century. Unlike many other conditioners on the market, this product is designed to maintain the new look of your leather and avoid darkening it. This makes it an ideal choice to use on light colored leather.

This leather is lanolin based, but contains no toxic ingredients. During use, the conditioner applies smoothly. You can safely apply it with bare hands and expect no health conditions. When you use bare hands to apply, the lanolin in the product will leave the skin feeling smooth and soft. If you have new leather items, you can apply this conditioner to reduce the breaking-in duration.

Seeing that this conditioner does not leave a sticky feeling on the leather surfaces, it is suitable for furniture and car interiors or leather surfaces you are always touching. The formula is versatile, making it useful on shoes, bags, jackets, car interiors and other leather surfaces. A single application will last for months.

Chemical Guys SPI 109 Leather Care Kit

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The Chemical Guys Leather Cleaning Kit is one of the top leather care combos on the market. The conditioner is accompanied by a cleaner, making this a complete set. The products are made of a simple natural formula geared towards offering effective and safe results.

The manufacturer recommends use with a microfiber cloth. Its clear formula ensures that the conditioner does not darken your leather. This makes it ideal for use on light colored leather on your car or furniture. The cleaner is highly effective in removing dirt and grease while the conditioner makes your leather softer and suppler. The conditioner has a wax-free and silicone free formula. This ensures that no sticky residue is left on the leather surface and the results are safe for the user at home.

The conditioner was designed for use on car interiors, but can also be used on furniture. When used on colored fabrics, the conditioner can discolor them. Granted, it is advisable that you give it time to absorb fully before you attempt sitting on it. Sitting on it might damage your clothes.

BlendItOn Leather Max Quick Blend Refinish and Repair Kit

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BlendItOn is formulated to restore leather that is in constant wear and tear. When applied, the product not only conditions, but also repairs damaged leather goods with great effectiveness. It is formulated with special ingredients that make it easy to seal holes, rips, and generally cover up sign of wear and tear. This makes it suitable for shoes that experience a lot of wear and tear, and for car seats and the steering wheel.

Its formula has seven intermix color dyes blended to offer impressive results. The conditioner lets you perform touchups on leather that is worn out and discolored. Its formula allows it to be used on virtually any leather product from shoes, bags, jackets, furniture and much more. Repairs with this product is easy – it involves trimming off excess leather and filling the holes, then sanding to make the leather surface smooth. You can then condition the surface normally. The clear conditioner is easy to apply and works well on all leather types, from exotic to luxury.

When conditioning alone is not enough and you need to take more care of your leather products, this kit can come in handy. It lets you repair items and condition them to lengthen their life.

TriNova Conditioner and Restorer

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TriNova Conditioner and Restorer is formulated to moisturize and rejuvenate leather that is dry and cracked. If you are looking for the best leather conditioner for jackets, shoes, car upholstery, furniture, and bags among others, this formula is designed to offer just that. It enhances the water repellence quality of leather, letting you wear your leather items in any weather. The product has a leather scent that may be appealing to most people. The clear formula is fast absorbing and leaves nothing to be wiped.

Application is easy – like all other products on this list, the manufacturer recommends applying the conditioners, leaving it for some time to absorb, and then buffing the excess with a piece of soft cloth. On drying, the conditioner leaves your leather shining with a wet-look. This product is effective exotic leather, but does not work well on suede.

For those who are looking for a conditioner to brighten their old looking leather, the TriNova might be a good option. It was initially formulated for car upholstery and furniture, but it can also be used on other leather products such as shoes and jackets. Its fragrance brings back the smell of new leather.

Chamberlain Leather Milk Conditioner and Cleaner

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The Chamberlain Leather Milk is another double-action conditioner. It cleans as it conditions. The USA made product is shipped with an application pad, so, you do not have to look for an application cloth. The Saddleback Leather Company, one of the reputable leather companies in the US and in the world, endorses this leather conditioner product and this makes it a favorite of many.

The product is known for its natural formula and its deep conditioning property. It is non-toxic and safe for use in any condition even with bare hands. You can apply it on deep scratches on leather to buff them. When applied, it restores the moisture and the shine on leather that has dried out. Even better, it is also a cleaning agent and helps remove dirt and grease. The enclosed applicator pad is specifically to buff the conditioner evenly on the surface of leather. The conditioner’s light formula makes it absorb fast and evenly.

This is a multi-purpose conditioner and cleaner, which would be a good choice when you are searching for the best leather conditioner for furniture, bags, car interior, shoes and much more. Ergo, you can choose it if you prefer using a single condition for all your leather items.

Leather Rescue Conditioner and Restorer

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Leather Rescue is stellar in that it has a balanced pH. It is a conditioner that restores your old leather furniture, car upholstery, shoes, or bags among other leather items. Unlike other products on this list, the conditioner can be used on unfinished leather, making it a suitable choice when you are looking for versatility in a conditioner.

When applied, this conditioner restores the state of your leather, moisturizes it, and improves its water repellence properties, prevents cracking, and covers it from UV damage. This conditioner sports a light clear formula that dries out in less than an hour. You can safely use it on faux leather and suede, enhancing its versatility even further.

The conditioner is gentle on your hands and gentle on leather. Application is as easy as spreading the formula on leather and buffing it with a soft cloth.

Obenauf’s Leather Oil

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Obenauf’s Leather Oil is one of the all-natural products on this list. The conditioner is formulated from beeswax and natural oils. It can be used for all leather items including shoes, car upholstery, and furniture among others.

Primarily, this product is formulated as a conditioner to be used in conjunction with a cleaner. Though it is made of beeswax, it has been made light to ease applying and reduce absorption time. After application, the conditioner makes the leather softer, moisturized, and suppler. If you need a product to enhance the water repellence property, try other products.

The oil is geared towards leather boots and accessories made of leather. The conditioner is delivered in a relatively small container and users might need to buy a number of containers to apply large surfaces such as car interiors and furniture.

Best Leather Conditioner Buyer’s Guide

Why Do You Need Leather Conditioners?

If you do not condition your leather up to this point, you might be sending your leather items to an early old appearance. First off, you need to understand what leather is. Leather in a way behaves like the human skin. Whether you have leather or eco-leather, it will need regular care to keep it at tip top shape. The same way you moisturize your skin and apply sunscreen to protect it from UV damage, it is the same way leather items need to be protected to prolong their lifespan.

When you apply a conditioner on your leather item, it reintroduces moisture back to dry leather, and this keeps it supple, flexible, and smooth. The moisture that has been reintroduced then helps reduce the appearance of dryness, cracks, and possible discoloration. Conditioning leather also has the effect of reducing or completely removing the discoloration that occurs on leather when the natural oils from our hands come into contact with leather, or even remove the dirt that settles on the leather items when worn outdoors.

By conditioning, you make leather items more water repellant. Though it does not make leather 100 percent waterproof, it reduces its water absorbency in case you are caught in the rain.

The type, condition, and age of the leather will determine the amount of leather conditioner you use. Old and worn out leather will use more than the recommended amount. While different manufacturers will recommend different amounts, below are some of the standard measurements.

• Pair of new work boots – 2 ounces
• Jacket – four ounces
• Full-sized couch or a car interiors – between 16 and 32 ounces
• Saddle – a pint

You will only need to apply a small amount and it goes a long way. Seeing that some conditioners last for about 6 months, you will seldom need to replace conditioners.

How Often Do You Need Leather Conditioner?

Most leather conditioners are formulated to be water resistant with no solvents. This means they will penetrate deeply into the leather and stay there. The conditioner can be effective for about 6 months. However, certain factors will determine how frequently you need to reapply the conditioner. When the leather is saturated with water, the conditioner tends to float on the surface and this means you need to reapply within a short period. Granted, keep the leather away from water as much as possible.

Direct sunlight also has an effect on the duration your leather conditioner stays effective. If you are treating a jacket that you often use in direct sunlight, you will have to treat it more frequently than you would a jacket that you use inside your office. This is the same for a couch that stays near the window or a car that is always parked under direct sunlight. You will know when time to reapply is ripe if the leather feels dry to touch or looks chalky. Note that, you should not confuse dirt with need for a conditioner. The conditioner needs to be applied on a clean surface.

You can clean the leather item several times in between conditioning.

Why are there different conditioning formulae?

There are different methods applied in the tanning of leather. The main difference, however, comes in the way leather is finished after tanning. Oil tanned leather undergoes fat liquors treatment that replaces the oils taken out during tanning processes. These oils dissipate with time and you need to keep the leather items soft and supple. When this happens, an oil based conditioner will be a good choice.

Dry tanned leather will not have oil, and in most cases, will have a nap. For these, a silicone based protectant will come in handy. A number of leather items have a sprayed on-coating and their treatments do not work well with oil or silicone based conditioners. To this end, a water based lotion comes in handy. This is why in some instances, the best leather conditioner for shoes might not work well for car upholstery.

Before you place your order, it is advisable that you confirm whether you have leather or vinyl. It is a common phenomenon to have car upholstery and furniture having leather on the sitting areas and vinyl on the sides. When this happens, identifying the material becomes a little challenging.

When you touch leather, it feels naturally soft and warm. Vinyl is hard, cold, and stiff. It will feel artificial. While touch may be a simple way for some people to distinguish between leather and vinyl, others may still have problems. The sure-fire way of distinguishing between leather and vinyl is to look at the underside of the leather item. If the fabric has a cloth-like material glued to the underside, then that is vinyl. At times, the backside of vinyl will have a white-colored fuzzy fabric. Natural leather, on the other side, has no backing and has a rough texture. The backside of leather has the same color as the front side.

A scratch test and an oil drop test will tell you the kind of leather you have. If you can easily scratch the surface of leather with your fingernail, then you have oil tanned leather. If there is no scratch, the leather is coated. For the water drop, oil turned leather will absorb water and form a dark sport while coated leather will roll away the drop.

Conclusion

Irrespective of the type of leather you have, it will need conditioning at one point. You do not have to wait for the leather to get all dry, cracked, and looking worn out to apply the conditioner. Apply when the leather is new and reapply after every six months or immediately the leather feels like it is drying. The above review has the best leather conditioner for bags, shoes, car interiors, and other leather items. All you need is to pick one that meets your budget and your needs.