Conditioning and caring for leather.

I was searching through some old posts on a Facebook Group recently. A little nostalgic may be, but in the last 10-12 years one question comes up with surprising regularity. 

'What do people use to condition their leather organisers?' 

I personally always recommend using products that are specifically 'leather care' products, I prefer ones that contain beeswax. I have a couple of branded products that I occasionally use, but not excessively. There is no need in my experience to treat the leather more than say once every 3 or 4 years, assuming your organiser isn't handled too heavily. 

One product that came up repeatedly in the conversations was the use of Nivea hand cream. This seemed very prevalent around about 2013. But I would add a note of caution here about using it. There are at least two different formulas for Nivea. Initially it seems to work well on leather, but in a few instances people reported issues with a sticky residue and mould growing on the surface of the leather. 

This of course could be due to applying excessive amounts of the hand cream, or not removing it sufficiently after a short 'soaking in period' 

Janet has done some research on the product: Nivea Creme.

Filofax give the following advice:

Leather is a natural material and there may sometimes be textural or shading variations within the surface. These are natural characteristics and representative of the leather’s unique, individual beauty and proof of its genuine origin. It is recommended, however, that you avoid exposing your leather organiser to harsh elements such as moisture, bright light or direct heat.

In the event that your organiser becomes soiled or dirty the following care guidelines may be helpful:

• Light scratches to waxy leather can be removed by rubbing softly with a clean finger
• Smooth, porous leather can be treated with good quality, neutral coloured leather cream (subject to manufacturer’s instructions)
• Textured or coated leathers can be wiped clean using a lightly damp cloth
• Suede is treated with a dirt resistant finish and a dry brush or cloth should be used to remove dirt or stains
• Fabrics can generally be cleaned by using a damp cloth
• Smudges on badges, metal edges or poppers can be gently buffed with
• a soft dry cloth

Expanding on the advice above. For fabrics I have found foam cleaners recommended for cleaning carpets without using water are very good for removing dirt and grime from fabric covers. 

Here are some products that come recommended for leather care:

Wheelers Natural Beeswax Leather Balm - I've been using this myself for the last 18 months or so. That is my bottle of it pictured above, as you can see you don't use a lot of it in that amount of time, so  a bottle will last some considerable time. 

Collonil Leather Gel for waterproofing leather as recommended by Mulberry

Saphir Universal Creme - highly recommended by Janet Carr for caring for leather hand bags and organisers.

There is an excellent page on Leather and Leather Care here.

What ever you prefer to use, because our opinions will just be one of the many you will find on the internet! TEST any products first in a small hidden area of the leather to ensure there isn't going to be any major altering of the colour of the leather or darkening of the leather. 

If you have a leather sample of the same leather as your organiser (Van der Spek, Gillio etc) then test any products on the leather sample first. Photograph the sample before and after treatment so you can see the difference. Leave the sample for a day or two before deciding to treat your actual organiser. 

Looked after and with care leather organisers will last a very long time in normal every day use. Check them once every six months even when stored. Check the metal work for any sign of rust and treat it early before it gets too advanced. 

May your organisers live a long and productive life!

The Philofaxy Guide to Caring for your Organiser

This is the first of a new series of Philofaxy Guides. We hope to cover a variety of other organiser related topics in the future months. We will also revisit these topics and republish updated versions over time too. We will include links to our own previous posts as well as external sites that we think are relevant to the topic. 

Anita and I thought we would start off with 'Caring for your organiser' as it is such a frequent topic with questions coming up on social media every week that we both get to respond to. 

Cared for, your organiser can potentially last for many decades and still provide excellent service many years after you purchased it. 

Let us break down your organiser and look at the various parts that need a little TLC from time to time. 

The Cover

The cover of your organiser is one of the parts that has to battle against the elements the most to protect your pages from being damaged. 

The cover can be made from a variety of materials or combinations of materials. 

Leather is a popular choice because of it's resistance to wear and tear, but over time it can become a little 'battle scarred if it is put in and out of a bag along with a lot of other 'stuff'. 

• Leather Care Tips
• The Perfect Organiser - Part 4 [Leather] - for information about the different types of leather.

Plastic outer covers might not be the nicest to hold in your hand, but they can be a bit more carefree, only needing a little wipe with a damp cloth every once in a while to remove any dirt and grime through everyday use. 

I've also used ordinary household silicon based polish on this sort of cover. 

Cloth covered outer covers are nicer to hold, not related to an animal, which is important to some people, but like your clothes they can look a little tired after a few years of constant use. There have been 'Denim' Filofax organisers over the years, a potentially hard wearing outer cover. 

For these I recommend the foam type 'dry' cleaning sprays used for household textiles. You don't want to get this type of cover 'wet' because it might stain as it drys and also the interior between the outer and inner layers could be damaged. A little gentle brush with a soft brush can free the dirt and restore the cover to being 'like new' again. Follow the instructions on which ever product you use. 

One golden rule before you use any cleaning solution on any cover is to test it first. Either on a part of the organiser that will not be seen such as the inside of the clasp. Or if you have a leather sample for your particular organiser. Test the cleaning or stain removal on the leather sample first. The sample can be cheaply replaced, your custom organiser less so. 

The Rings

In normal every day use your rings shouldn't get damaged or become misaligned or start to have gaps. But it does happen. 

The first rule of course is to always use the tabs to open the rings, pushing down on the tabs at both ends together. And closing the rings by gently squeezing them together, being careful to not trap your fingers...ouch!

In the case of buying a pre-owned organiser you might inherit someone else's poor treatment of the rings or you might find a long lost organiser that hasn't been stored in dry conditions. 

The rings are typically made of polished/chromed steel so they can go rusty, generally only surface rust. You can rescue them with some metal polish and a dry cloth and a lot of hard rubbing! In extreme cases you might need to use some steel wool to get rid of the worse of the rust before using metal polish. 

The internal workings of the ring mechanism is also prone to rusting, but you might not be able to access them, a short squirt of WD40 using the nozzle inserted between the tabs and the cover this will help prevent any further rust, but be careful to not over do it and wipe away any excess with some paper towel or similar. 

If you need to change the rings then it will depend on the type of rings fitted to your organiser. Some are 'relatively' easy to change, others not so easy if they are riveted to the cover. 

We have a collection of posts and videos on 'adjusting' and replacing rings:

• Ring Mechanism Parts Explained.
• Can I Fit Bigger or Smaller Rings? 
• Fixing Ring Gaps and Other Issues

Here is my recent video for changing and reassembling Krause rings often found in Van der Spek and Gillio organisers. 

If you get stuck with any ring problems please contact steve at philofaxy dot com

If you have any feedback on this guide, please leave a comment below. Likewise if you have any suggestions for future Philofaxy Guides, please leave a comment below, thank you.

Leather Care Tips

I'm sure we all like to take care of our organisers and cherish them. I often see questions from people looking for advice as to what products to use to clean and care for their organisers.

Filofax give the following advice:

Leather is a natural material and there may sometimes be textural or shading variations within the surface. These are natural characteristics and representative of the leather’s unique, individual beauty and proof of its genuine origin. It is recommended, however, that you avoid exposing your leather organiser to harsh elements such as moisture, bright light or direct heat.

In the event that your organiser becomes soiled or dirty the following care guidelines may be helpful:

• Light scratches to waxy leather can be removed by rubbing softly with a clean finger
• Smooth, porous leather can be treated with good quality, neutral coloured leather cream (subject to manufacturer’s instructions)
• Textured or coated leathers can be wiped clean using a lightly damp cloth
• Suede is treated with a dirt resistant finish and a dry brush or cloth should be used to remove dirt or stains
• Fabrics can generally be cleaned by using a damp cloth
• Smudges on badges, metal edges or poppers can be gently buffed with
• a soft dry cloth

Expanding on the advice above. For fabrics I have found foam cleaners recommended for cleaning carpets without using water are very good for removing dirt and grime from fabric covers. 

Here are some products that come recommended for leather care:

Wheelers Natural Beeswax Leather Balm - I've been using this myself for the last 3 years or more. That is my bottle of it pictured above, as you can see you don't use a lot of it in that amount of time, so  a bottle will last some considerable time. 

Collonil Leather Gel for waterproofing leather as recommended by Mulberry

Saphir Universal Creme - highly recommended by Janet Carr for caring for leather hand bags and organisers.

There is an excellent page on Leather and Leather Care here.