Leather jacket salvageable?

[Itchy]

I left a leather jacket in a loft since before my Russian trip..

I took it out and it was a tad mouldy, it says do NOT wash! on the tab on the inside.

I wiped the jacket down with some wetwipes and a damp cloth...

Problem is it stinks of mildew, the leather itself seems to be ok and mold free but the mildew smell remains...

How to get rid of this smell and or wash it without damaging the jacket as per the do not wash label! It seems ok the leather is still bendy and not brittle.

Johnsons and assorted other dry cleaners want £40+ to wash it. I fancy a cheaper solution as £40 will buy another jacket off ebay probably.


What say you BCF?

Thanks
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[Suntan Sid]

Buy some saddle soap, wash it with that, let it dry, then hang on washing line for a couple of sunny afternoons.

Failing that, smother it in Patuli oil!

[beast rider]

I think putting it in the freezer does something? i don't know what though.

Or

Just wear it out on a long ride the fresh air should clear the smell.

[herulach]

Is it lined? You could try febreze on that as thats probably what's holding the smell
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[Itchy]

[Fisty]

I did a similar thing, banged a damp jacket in the loft and when I got it down it hummed.
I cleaned it with nikwax leather cleaner then frebreezed it, it still ponged so I gung it outside for 3 days. Was fine after that!
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[Flip]

Febreeze (*sp) is fine if you keep it off the leather. I just bought some leather conditioning stuff from a horse type shop to revitalise old leather. Works well.

[krytenboog]

[Flip]

Probably the cold killing the bacteria and hence no more smell.

[doggone]

It would probably withstand washing despite what the label says assuming it's heavy bike leather not a thinner fashion jacket.
I had one once a cat peed on so not much to lose - used the wool cycle with small amount of powder.
Took about three days to dry on hanger but you would hardly of known it had been done afterwards (still a faint cat pee smell for a while though!)

[dextersaurus]

Stick it in a black bag and tie it, and stick it in the freezer for a day or two, then let it warm up naturally in a cupboard or whatever, make sure the condensation doesn't get into it though as it'll make the leather shrink.

Freezer cools it enough for it to kill the bacteria causing the bad smell, as well as whatever mold is left.

Works the same with boots and gloves and the like

Dunc

[Deckx]

take it to the dry cleaners.... i wouldn't recommend washing it normally as i did that to a leather suit before and it went all hard..

[alun111]

I'd wash it outside with a bucket and soap and then rinse it with a hosepipe. Then I'd hang it on the line for a few days to dry. When it was fully dry if the smell had gone I'd condition it with leather conditioner.
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[chris-red]

The freezer will definately kill the smell, thats what I would do, that or dry clean.
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[Serendipity]

I’m a little sceptical about the freezer trick. Does that really work? I tried it with old gloves that smelt like wet dog, but it made no difference. Bacteria are quite resistant to extreme cold. You’ll wipe out some of them, but not all. When was the last time you heard of people freezing water to make it safe to drink? Heat will utterly destroy them though. High temperatures cause the bacteria to denature. Hence boiling water before drinking.

However, mildew is fungal so freezing may be more effective, but I simply don’t have enough room in my freezer for what I need to deodorise.

I have a set of Shoei leathers from Ebay. They must have been stored in a loft or garage and absolutely stink of musty mildew. I’ve left them out in hot sunny weather and worn them on long rides, but the smell persists.

My next attempt is going to be a wipe down with damp cloth then seal them in a bin bag with an open container of new bicarbonate of soda. I’ve had great success with bicarb for cleaning up milk spilt by the kids. I think the idea is to leave the leathers in the bag for quite a while, then take them out and treat them with leather conditioner.

I use Autoglym Leather Care Cream for my gloves. It has a really strong petrochemical smell so I hope that also helps mask the mildew.
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[MarJay]

Fridge or freezer won't kill bacteria, even then the smell is obviously caused by fungus being that it is mildew.

The Fridge or Freezer trick won't kill bacteria, it'll just make them dormant for a while. In order to kill bacteria you need to use heat, or chemicals.
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[leenit]

Seems the liner is the problem, thought about cleaning it with a can of 'dry foam cleaner - the stuff you spray on to car seats,scrub & wipe off?, as you spray it on some of it's bound to soak through the liner into the padding (might do the trick on the mildew inside too) then it dry's out. At about a fiver a can worth a try?