Vachetta leathers darkened and water spots stains – what would you recommend?

I've been spending some time on your forums and website and am a fan of your products. I recently bought prep 7.7 and took out a pen mark on my car leather just as it was promised.

I took a pic of some loafers I'm wearing. When I bought them they were pale in color sort of like the Louis Vuitton bags (vachetta leather). Over time they darkened but also quite a bit of water spots showed on the leather. What would you recommend (cleaner, rinse, acidifier, hydrator, fat liquor)?

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Also my wife has some suede shoes. She stepped in some water so the wet suede that has since dried looks discolored and hard (grey suede, wet area is more black/dark in color). How would you treat that?

Thanks!

Matthew Ko

The new color of vachetta leathers takes on a pale biscuit color.

Like our skin, when exposed to sunlight they darkens.

Liquid especially alkaline will browns and spot them as well, they are pH sensitive and even clean tap water will shows water marks.

The darkening effect from sunlight will lighten up and the water spotting will disappear when a specialty vachetta leather cleaner is use to clean them.

Roger
www.LeatherDoctor.com


Product information:

Attachment 1456
Leather Doctor Kit V3 – Unfinished Leather Browning Removal Kit
Leather Doctor® Kit V3, unfinished leather care system is design for corrective appearance of vachetta, saddlery and veg-tan leathers from browning liquid stains. These alkaline pH sensitive leathers when neglected often suffer unsightly browning stain marks from a variety of liquid sources. Even apparent clean rain and tap water often leave a lightening spot with an outer ring. The pH 7 alone of water will often cause a rippling effect on the tannin that destabilize and causes it to moves. Browning correction is perform by using Vachetta-2.8, a pH 2.8 specialty leather cleaner that is particularly effective in emulsifying oily soiling, lightening suntan and water staining effect. A holistic system includes rejuvenating the leather structure for softness with Hydrator-3.3 to relax, follows with Fatliquor-5.0 to soften when dry and protecting with the healing properties of Protector-D thereafter. The lightening effect takes place when the leather dries. When leather is wet and dry again, it will often stiff up, as the fibers becomes stick closer together. Hydrator-3.3 helps separate and open up the inter-fibrillary spaces preconditioning for effective Fatliquor-5.0 replenishing to lubricate for leather flexing smoothness from cracking. Replenishing the leather structure with fat and oil after browning corrective cleaning besides the softening effect also prevents the ingress of liquid stains as a preventive measure. When leather is full of fat and oil, it makes the leather less absorbent. Fat and oil conditioning or rejuvenating with Fatliquor-5.0 mellows and enrich the appearance of the leather while most oil conditioners will simply darkens and dulls the appearance poorly. Protector-D enhances a rub resistant draggy-feel against friction rubs and is use routinely to conceal and fill scuffmarks. Body contact areas should be clean routinely with Clean-3.8 follows with Rinse-3.0, thereafter applied with non-stick protection and commence for another cycle of use. Darken and prolong body grease and sweat contacts will require a degreasing process with Degreaser-2.2 follows with Acidifier-2.0 in most cases. Preventive cleaning and protection to shield against sticky soiling, with the abilities to heal and conceal lightening scuff and abrasion marks keeps the leather appearance level high at all times rather than relying on corrective or salvage cleaning where the cleaning appearance deteriorates and diminishes with each cycle. Note that the mentioned products suffix numbers denotes its pH value in this holistic approach to removing vegetable, plant and water stains from vachetta, saddlery and veg-tan leathers.

Instruction

Browning Stain Removal:
1. Dry soil removal prior to product application.
2. Shake well, spray and saturate with horsehair brushing for an even appearance and towel extract until it shows clean.
3. Option is to use a saturate cotton swab and clean until the cotton swab shows clean or use a terry towel.
4. Let natural drying and inspect result, repeat as necessary.

Hydrate Stiff Leathers:
1. Saturate with Hydrator-3.3 to soften and for an even appearance.

Soften Leather:
1. Saturate with Fatliquor-5.0 and as water contents evaporate, repeat application.

Protect Leather:
1. Apply Protector-D for an even appearance.

Kit Content and Product Description:

Leather Doctor® Vachetta-2.8 (120ml)
Vachetta-2.8 is a specialty leather cleaner design especially for unfinished veg-tan leathers popularly known as Vachetta. This is a waterbased pH 2.8 cleaner that is particularly effective in emulsifying oily soiling, lightening suntan and water staining effect. Use in conjunction with Hydrator-3.3, Fatliquor-5.0 and Protector-D in a holistic care system.

Leather Doctor® Hydrator-3.3 (250ml)
Hydrator-3.3 is a waterbased pH 3.3 leather-safe hydrator. It is a fatliquor preconditioner with multi functional abilities. Surface application is primary to check for even surface tension free of blotchiness prior to fatliquor replenishing. Structural application will require saturating to an optimum level with moisture oozing out when gently pressed between thumb and fingers. The multi functional abilities include: a) to check for surface tension for an even appearance free from blotchiness prior to fatliquor replenishing. b) To plumps, relaxes and separates crushed, shrunk and stick together fibrils for manipulating away-unwanted creases and wrinkles. c) To rectify alkaline overexposure areas by facilitating colloidal water movement to redistribute the leather constituents from surrounding areas. d) To activate the dormant dyestuff within the leather structure for color refreshing. e) To facilitates colloidal water movement within the inter-fibrillary spaces for wicking foreign soiling particulates to resurface. f) To stabilize, pH balance and charge the protein fiber below its iso-electric point (pI) ionic positive to hydrogen bond with the ionic negative fatliquor more effectively. This universal Hydrator-3.3 is for all leather types including pigmented, aniline, vachetta, nubuck, suede, hair-on-hide and woolskin.

Leather Doctor® Fatliquor-5.0 (250ml)
Fatliquor-5.0 is a micro emulsion of fat, oil and water is an anionic charged pH 5.0 fatliquor for rejuvenating all leather types. It relaxes coarse breaks, creases and wrinkles enhance suppleness and prevent cracking. It softens the leather with stretchability, compressibility and flexibility, while enhancing its rip tensile strength greatly. It is for replenishing the original fat and oil that diminishes thru sun-bleaching, ageing, heat and alkaline overexposure or cleaning. On application, the water-encased molecule breaks free when hydrogen bond attraction takes place between the fat and oil with the protein fiber. The excess free water content wicks out leaving a breathing space behind for leather natural transpiration. The fat plumps the leather with fullness from easily collapsing into creases and wrinkles during stress or flex, while the oil lubricates the fibers so that they slide over one another smoothly like millions of inter-connecting hinges. Thus helps to keep leather at its optimum physical performance and prevent premature ageing. This universal Fatliquor-5.0 is for all leather types including pigmented, aniline, vachetta, nubuck, suede, hair-on-hide and woolskin.

Leather Doctor® Protector-D (120ml)
Protector-D (Draggy Feel-79) is design for Aniline and Nubuck Wax Pull-up, Bicast, Vachetta, Steering Wheel and Leather Flooring. This is a non-film forming, non-stick scentless protector that enhances a natural draggy-feel. It imparts a non-stick breathable barrier essentially to shield the detrimental effects of sticky soiling. Its natural draggy-feel protection increases the leather resistance to wet and dry rubs, thus reduce stretch, scuff and abrasion. It is also use as a scuff repairer, filling and concealing surface scuffs to improve appearance. The drag produces an unforgettable familiar sound sweet to the ears when leather rubs.