Leather products, such as leather clothes, leather shoes, leather bags... are the treasures of many friends. But many friends have encountered such troubles. Leather products have not been used for a period of time, but when they take them out, they find annoying mildew spots. What to do if leather becomes moldy? Today, editor Li Ji will give you a detailed introduction to leather repair and care tips. With these methods to rescue leather mold, old leather clothes, leather shoes, and leather bags can also have a "second spring". 
First of all, let’s briefly talk about why leather tends to get moldy?
1. Why does leather become moldy?
Genuine leather becomes moldy, mainly because the anti-mildew effect of the leather gradually disappears, or the weather is humid, causing mold to grow. The growth of mold on leather can cause the leather to lose its luster. In severe cases, the enzymes secreted by the mold can corrode the leather fibers, causing grain brittleness and mildew, reducing the physical and mechanical properties of the leather and shortening the service life of genuine leather products.
Specifically, leather mold is mainly affected by the following three factors :
(1) Humidity
Humidity is one of the conditions that causes mold to grow on leather products. If the humidity is 70% to 80% or higher, mold growth will be intense.
(2) Temperature range
The second condition that causes mold to grow on leather products is temperature. Mold becomes active when the temperature reaches 20°C to 30°C. If leather products are stored at a temperature of around 20°C, it will be a comfortable space for mold to breed. 
(3) Nutrition
The final requirement for mold to grow on leather is nutrients. Since mold is also a living thing, it cannot thrive where there are no nutrients. Leather products are richer in nutrients than fiber and vinyl.
In addition to clinging dust and food particles, leather products also contain tannins and oils. In addition, skin oils brought from human hands to leather will also provide many molds with the nutrients they need.
2. How to remove mildew on leather?
Once mildew appears on leather goods, different measures can be taken depending on the severity of the mildew and the type of leather.
(1) Leather mildew stain removal method
If the leather is only slightly mildewed, you can wipe it gently with a soft towel wrung out with sticky hot water. Pay attention to the use of force when wiping, and try your best to remove the mildew on the surface of the leather while ensuring that the coating layer of the leather is not damaged. Wipe off the spots completely and cleanly.
After wiping, let it dry naturally in a cool place. After it is completely dry, use special maintenance oil for luxury leather goods.
After mild mold is removed, if there are still some mold marks, such as black or brown leather goods, you can choose maintenance oil of the corresponding color and maintain it to achieve perfect results.
If mold still grows again after the leather is dried in the sun, you can wipe it with ethanol to remove the mold. But be careful with ethanol disinfection. Some leather products may change color or deteriorate, so it's best to conduct a test in an inconspicuous place.
Note: 1) Never use alcohol, nail polish remover and other strong and inferior products to wipe.
2) Do not expose leather goods to the sun for a long time. The sun's ultraviolet rays have a bactericidal effect, but if left to dry in the sun for a long time, it will cause leather products to deteriorate.
If the leather is severely moldy and it is difficult to remove it all by household washing and maintenance alone, you should leave it to a professional shop for treatment. Do not try to "drug" it yourself. 
(2) Methods to remove musty smell from leather
Mildew on leather not only produces mildew spots, but also produces an unpleasant musty smell. The musty smell of leather can be removed with the following methods:
1) Green tea removes musty smell
The catechins contained in green tea are effective in deodorizing and antibacterial leather products. Take a little green tea and put it in a pan. When the color of the green tea changes from green to brown, turn off the heat. After cooling for a while, wrap the dried green tea in paper towels and put it in leather bags, leather shoes, and leather bags. The musty smell will be naturally removed. 
2) Baking soda removes musty smell
Baking soda has deodorizing properties. Wrap about 300 grams of baking soda in a cloth (such as a handkerchief) and place it in a large plastic bag with the musty-smelling leather item. Keep it airtight for 1 to 3 days and the musty smell will disappear.
3) Remove the musty smell from grapefruit peels
Put 2-3 grapefruit peels in a breathable leather mesh bag in leather clothing, etc. After leaving it for about a week, the odor will be eliminated, and you can still smell the fragrance of grapefruit.
In addition, you can also put a few pieces of grapefruit peel or some activated carbon in the wardrobe, which can also effectively absorb the odor of leather clothing. 
4) Low temperature treatment of electric iron
For moldy leather clothing, you can use an electric iron to treat it at low temperature to eliminate the musty smell. First, prepare a towel and place it on the leather jacket. Turn the iron to low temperature mode and press it on the towel with gentle pressure. Heat and steam will gradually remove the musty smell from wet leather clothing.
3. Leather repair and care tips
To prevent the occurrence of mildew on leather goods, you should pay attention to the following points when using and preserving leather goods:
(1) Stored leather goods should be kept dry and ventilated.
Moisture is the decisive factor that causes mildew in leather goods. Even if the leather goods are dirty under dry and ventilated conditions, there will be no mold. Therefore, to avoid the occurrence of mildew, it is necessary to ensure that the environment in which leather goods are stored is dry and ventilated.
(2) Ensure the cleanliness of leather goods and the surrounding environment.
If there is no dirt, the moldy substances will be lost, and there will be no mildew spots. Therefore, after using leather goods, all parts of the leather goods should be thoroughly cleaned and dried thoroughly before storage. This is an important method to avoid mildew spots. one.
Let’s talk about the maintenance skills of leather clothes , leather shoes and leather bags in detail.
1. Leather clothing repair and care 
(1) It is best to hang leather clothes on hangers and not press them into the wardrobe like folding underwear to avoid dead folds.
(2) Ventilation is required when storing leather clothing. It cannot be stored in an airtight bag or plastic bag. It can be covered with a layer of cloth or a single garment. It should be stored in a cool, dry place and protected from moisture and mildew at all times.
(3) Do not use leather shoe polish to wipe leather clothing. If you apply shoe polish, the gasoline in the shoe polish will penetrate into the leather and the wax will stick to the surface of the leather. It makes the color of the leather bloom and disperse, affecting the appearance, and makes the leather sticky, attracting dirt and dust.
(4) To prevent insects, you can put a few mothballs in the wardrobe. But be careful not to come into direct contact with leather clothing. Because camphor balls have a corrosive effect on leather clothing.
(5) Before collection, decontamination should be carried out and then dried. It is best to dry it once or twice during storage, but do not
(6) Once the leather garment is wrinkled, you can use an iron to smooth it out. When ironing, please pay attention to: first, use low temperature for ironing; second, move the iron quickly; third, it is best to use packaging paper or oil paper as an ironing pad.
2. Leather shoe repair and care 
(1) Use a soft cloth or soft-bristled brush to clean gently, and use special shoe polish to maintain it to prevent the shoe polish from reacting with the leather surface, causing discoloration or damage to the leather.
(2) The nubuck leather uppers cannot be wiped with shoe polish or water brush. Use special detergent, brush lightly in the direction with a brush or use special rubber shoe powder to clean.
(3) The oil leather upper has been soaked in oil. During maintenance, a dry cloth or special product can be used to clean the upper.
(4) Leather shoes can be decontaminated with banana peels. Take a few banana peels and use them to wipe the oil stains on your leather shoes to make the leather surface clean and fresh, because banana peels contain tannins, which can remove oil stains.
(5) If frost is found on leather shoes, you can use gauze or cotton dipped in a small amount of warm water to wipe off the white frost on the uppers, place them in a ventilated place to dry, and then apply a small amount of shoe polish to preserve them.
3. Leather bag repair and care 
(1) If your leather bag accidentally gets wet, be sure to wipe it clean in time and dry it in the shade. Do not blow it with a hair dryer or leave the leather goods in the sun in a hurry, as this will cause the leather to burst.
(2) When storing a leather bag, put it in a dust-proof bag. The dust-proof bag can not only protect the leather surface from being scratched, but also ensure ventilation between the leather and the outside world, so that it will not be too humid or affected by temperature differences. Causes water to leak out inside.
(3) In humid places, put some mothballs when storing leather bags, which can prevent the leather from rotting and moldy.
(4) Remove dirt immediately if it appears. In addition to moisture-proofing, you should also pay attention to the treatment of stains on the surface of the leather bag and use a special leather bag cleaning agent to remove dirt.
(5) Do not apply care oil frequently, just apply it once a month because as a chemical, it also has certain, more or less certain (side effects). It has both maintenance and corrosion effects. In addition, shoe polish should not be used casually.
(6) Try not to let strong light shine directly, otherwise the leather will become drier and the elasticity and softness will slowly disappear; once the leather bag is stained with juice or grease, wipe the surface with a clean rag first and let the remaining The oil under the leather slowly penetrates into the leather. Never use water to wash away the oil stains.
(7) The frosted leather should not be wet. It should be cleaned and cared for with a raw rubber wipe and special supplies.
(8) If the leather is worn, you can apply non-greasy colorless leather maintenance cream, let it slowly penetrate, and then polish it with a clean and soft rag. This can restore the bright luster of the leather and prevent the leather from getting damaged. dry.
Okay, the above is the editor Li Ji’s summary of leather mildew removal methods, as well as leather repair and care tips. Genuine leather is animal fiber protein and needs careful care just like human skin in order to stay beautiful for a longer period of time. If mildew does appear on leather accidentally, don’t be nervous, and don’t throw it away. You may wish to try the various tips introduced by the editor above.