Caring for leather products
Leather mittens are treated to resist water. However, they are primarily meant to be used in cold weather, not wet weather. Your mittens will last longer in good shape if you avoid getting them wet.
Mittens often get wet during snowy activities. They can be dried e.g. in room temperature, in a drying cabinet, on a warm radiator (not hot), or on a heated floor. It’s not best practice to dry mittens in a dryer, because leather does not like hot.
Sometimes leather dries too much. If it is often exposed to wet conditions or has to endure hot for too long, leather may lose wax and harden. In that case it’s good to treat mittens with grease specially intended for leather.
If leather gets stained, it’s best to clean mittens with Marseille soap, which contains oil that prevents leather from drying while being cleaned.
Old-Time Leather Grease contains vegetable fats, tar, bee wax and antioxidant. It is absorbed well into the leather and does not leave the surface sticky. Apply grease evenly on the leather using a soft cloth. The wax leaves a soft silky gloss on the surface. If you want to saturate the leather more thoroughly you can heat the surface of the leather gently using e.g. a hair-dryer. A good rule of thumb is that the temperature at which butter melts, leather burns.
Marseille soap
The original Marseille soap is a french product that was first produced in Marseille. Marseille soap is made of nothing but vegetable oil, so it can be perceived as a natural product. Because the soap contains 70% vegetable oils, it does not dry the leather, but keeps it flexible after wash. Wash your glove with moderate amount of lukewarm water or wipe with a damp cloth. Dry the glove quickly after wash to avoid odors.