Beginner Leather and Wool Care for Winter Maintenance

Hello Lovelies,
Today I'm showing you some wool and leather care to help maintain your winter wardrobe to keep these workhorses in your closet longer.
Chapters:
00:00-00:51 Introduction
00:52-06:02 Why Wool and Leather?
06:03-07:53 Clean and Soften Wool
07:54-10:17 Clean and Condition Leather
10:18-10:32 Bye~
An article I wrote a while back about wool with some helpful links throughout:
/ the-argument-for-wool
Popular Science weighs in on leather vs vegan leather: www.popsci.com/environment/le...
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[@canucknancy4257]

Great tips. I love mink oil for maintaining my leather boots. Works like a charm.

[@OdessaDenby]

It really does give them a lovely patina!

[@winterinbloom]

I have a great uncle who tried to tell me for years that I would be better off buying nice leather boots instead of the cheap pleather shoes I always bought. His boots were $300 so I thought he was nuts. After about ten years he was still on the same pair of boots and had had them re-soled a couple times. I did a quick estimate of the price of the many pairs of synthetic shoes I had purchased and destroyed in the same time, and realized I could have easily bought three pairs of my Uncle's boots and still had money left over.

[@OdessaDenby]

Absolutely, that upfront cost can be tough to manage, but in the long run, it's a better move. I managed to buy the ones featured in the video secondhand, but never worn for around $100. A stroke of luck, certainly! But the comfort and longevity is out of this world compared to $40 plastic boots I've gotten in the past

[@winterinbloom]

@@OdessaDenby I spent about $180 on my leather boots, new, but on sale. I finally got it together, saved the money and actually watched for sales around Christmas. I wasn't lucky enough to find the kind of boots I wanted used but that's ok, I'll get years of use out of them.
I was however, able to find some men's leather dress shoes at the thrift store for my son for when he had to wear nice clothes for band. He did not like the idea of wearing shoes that had seen better days, but the soles showed very little wear. I knew they were just scuffed and had gotten flattened under something. After popping them onto a shoe tree, cleaning them up, and giving them a good polish they were beautiful. He got so many compliments. When we looked up the shoes I found out they had been $250 new and I had snapped them up for $15.

[@rachelboersma-plug9482]

My faithful leather boots finally died this winter after ten years' hard wear. I spent a few hundred Australian on them, and probably as much again on re-soling, re-heeling and other repairs and maintenance, but a new pair every winter would have cost me much more. Plus these looked good the whole way through, and were better for my feet.

[@venomwoolknits]

This is brilliant! So great to hear an informed voice explaining why wool and leather are awesome :D I've been intending to use conditioner on some of my hand knits for a while but I didn't know about the vinegar so will incorporate that too. Thanks!

[@OdessaDenby]

Thank you! I think there's something to be said for materials that have been used sustainably for thousands of years... Abandoning them completely probably isn't a great idea!
The only caution with vinegar is to avoid soaking it for too too long so the fibers don't get overly stretchy!

[@KathrynsRavens]

I like to use saddle soap for my leather shoes, boots etc. Mink Oil is awesome. I also sometimes use a mix of beeswax and mineral oil my dad makes up which is also great as a hand cream or to condition wooden cutting boards, it's very versatile!

[@OdessaDenby]

I love making beeswax salve for chapped hands and little scratches, I never thought about it being multipurpose like that! I usually use olive and coconut oil as the fat source though... I'll have to test it out next time

[@thebugbear]

I have family members who are sensitive to fragrances and you can get scent-free conditioner! I keep a bottle specifically for softening my knitting projects.
Thanks for the video, I really needed the leather part.

[@OdessaDenby]

I understand. Synthetic fragrances bother me, but essential oils are okay, so that's usually what I have on hand conditioner-wise. Castile soap is not a bad option for cleaning and softening wool as well and it's easy to find unscented!
Thanks for stopping by, I'm glad the leather info was helpful~

[@charitealove]

So helpful! ❤

[@OdessaDenby]

I'm glad!

[@im_a_space_oddity]

Great information, especially about the wool! I've been trying to wear more natural fibers, but the itchiness of wool has always been a drawback for me. Thanks for putting this content out here!

[@OdessaDenby]

Yes, I always loved wool in theory, but sometimes it can be a bit rough when you first buy it! Thanks for stopping by~

[@jennglow4647]

Cool 😀

[@savannahbrewer6161]

music is too loud to hear you well

[@OdessaDenby]

I calibrate the sound based on what sounds best through my speakers when I'm editing the video, which may be different than how it sounds on your speakers, unfortunately. Though, I admit the VO sounds more robust than the talking head content because I don't have a microphone to use with my camera yet, so I'm relying on the built-in sound capture capabilities. I'm hoping to save up and get a proper mic for such usage soon, but it takes time. Most of my content is available for free, after all.