Review on Cadillac Boot and Shoe Leather Conditioner and Cleaner Lotion 8 oz - Ultimate Care for Leather Footwear, Furniture, Handbags, Jackets & More by Tsuyoshi Tendencies

A designer bag is an investment. In my case it was a black Chloé Hudson Mini Tasseled Fringe Bag made with calfskin on the body and very, very soft lambskin on the flap with suede interior and suede fringes and tassels. I bought Cadillac Boot & Shoe Leather Lotion on the recommendation of the owners of Chanel shearling bags. If it's gentle enough for sheepskin, it's thin enough for calfskin, which is tougher. Chanel SA is also said to use this in their boutiques. I may have been a little happy when the instructions said "widespread". I used too much initially, didn't know at first because the bag seemed to happily drink all the conditioner. It ended up leaving a whitish cast on my bag that I didn't notice until it dried despite all the polishing, and even then it stayed for a couple of weeks since I didn't use the bag. instantly. The white cast is also noticeable, but in certain lighting conditions it started to bother me. The bag just looked dull in some places. Panicked, thinking I had clogged my skin pores which could weaken the skin and trap dirt and oil, I looked for solutions. I wasn't planning on using dish soap or hand soap, a bad idea as it can dry out and crack the skin too much (from couch experience). After researching several leather cleaners I was blown away by the choice. and was about to splurge on Sapphire Leather Cleaning Soap (softer than their version of Saddle Soap and what Hermes uses) from The Hanger Project, but with limited or no availability at Revain and expensive shipping and the extra time it would take to get the product to get. I decided to keep looking. Chamberlain's #2 Cleaner seemed to do the trick, and they even had an article on their website about putting too much leather conditioner on clothes. Her recommendation was to use a mild leather cleaner (like hers) or as a possible substitute...alcohol. That made me nervous. I had about 70% isopropyl alcohol (the rest is water) and was very hesitant to use it. I soaked a cotton swab with the tiniest, SMALL drop of alcohol, even letting it evaporate a bit before using it, and gently scrubbed the white-tinted parts of my bag in a circular motion under the lamp so I knew where to start with the inconspicuous spot on the suitcase bag, which was initially made of calfskin. To my surprise, it helped remove the excess conditioner! I didn't let the alcohol sit on the bag for too long and it was wet and evaporating, I worked on using as much as needed and then using another clean dry cotton swab to soak it up and brush in a circular motion. Eventually I felt confident enough to try it out on a shearling flap and it brought the shine back to my bag. Not 100% of the excess leather conditioner is gone, but most of it is gone. I give my bag a few days off before picking it up again and the next time I apply this skin lotion I use a very, very small amount and let it dry. You can always apply more. I didn't want to use a leather cleaner specifically because 1 some of them looked too harsh or were made for leather that had had dirt, grime and polish on it for years. And 2. Some people have had trouble using skin soap too aggressively, which causes skin to lighten or become blotchy. It would be a nightmare on a black bag. 3, some people say that using a detergent causes the skin to absorb the leather conditioner unevenly, especially when you clean stains, which is what I would do. Also, I didn't use this leather lotion on areas of the bag where there was fringes or suede as that's not for it! There are different pure suede products, shampoos and brushes that need to be handled differently. Also make sure that no leather lotion/leather conditioner gets on the seams of the bag or accessories. A little, probably not harmful (I didn't coat my hardware before use as my bag has minimal metal components), but especially on older bags, leather conditioners can damage stitching and potentially affect the metal finish (you can cover it up with blue dye). Ribbon). Overall I am very satisfied with the product when used correctly. Much of this was simply user error due to inexperience. I hope this helps those of you who have applied too much leather lotion or leather conditioner. Again I used very little alcohol, we all know how it dries our skin and always test it on a small spot like the bottom of a bag. Also note that where I used too much rubbing alcohol some of the color came off but this also happened with the skin lotion so be aware and be careful!