With a little maintenance you can add years to the life of your leather

One of the most important things you can do is give your leather jacket a little maintenance. This will add years to the life of your investment. And yes leather is an essential investment to every wardrobe. With just a few common tips and a little effort on your part, it will help to keep your leather looking like new.

A few very important tips to know right away.

Always use a wooden or padded hanger.
Do not store your leather in an enclosed bag. Leather just like suede, comes from living things and need room to breath.
It is not recommended to use silicones, turpentine substances, wax, mineral spirits or alcohol substances. These items should be avoided as they can ruin your leather.
AVOID taking your leather to a dry cleaner. Most of them do not know how to properly care for leather. If you must get your leather jacket cleaned, seek a professional leather cleaner and one that is recommended if at all possible.

After purchasing your leather jacket it is recommended to lightly spray it with a leather repellent/protectorant. This will help waterproof your leather. Mind you this waterproof is actually a repellent and only helps if you get stuck out on a ride and run into a little rain. It is NOT going to protect from a heavy rain. If you do get caught in the rain here's what you should do.

Wipe off as much excess wetness as possible and hang to dry. Allow to thoroughly dry. DO NOT place your leather jacket near any heat source.
Once your leather is completely dry see if you need to spot clean. You can do this with a small amount of gentle bath soap or saddle soap on a damp cloth and work into a light lather. Do not soak your leather,. Use a fresh damp cloth to wipe off the leather. Polish the leather with a dry towel.
Next step is conditioning. While the leather is still a little damp apply a thin coat of conditioner. Hang your leather jacket in a warm dry place for about an hour. Wipe off excess conditioner. If necessary wait 24 hours and apply another light coat of conditioner waiting about and hour and wiping of the excess conditioner.
After this apply a light spray of leather repellent/protectorant and allow to dry.

If you get mud on your leather jacket scrape off as much as possible and allow to dry. Once the remaining mud has dried you can brush it off with a medium stiff natural brush and follow the cleaning advise as outlined above. If your leather jacket is dusty you can just brush it with a medium shoe brush or mohair brush and wipe down your leather.

With the proper maintenance of your leather jacket it will last you a life time. There is a wide variety of leather and maintenance products online.