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Elegant -> RE: Leather conditioners for floggers? (10/16/2008 5:34:49 AM)
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TOPGRAIN FLOGGERS
Floggers made with topgrain leather are fairly easy to identify. Topgrain leather is the uppermost layer of an animal’s skin. One side is fairly smooth and the other side has a suede like quality.
Cleaning
Keep all toys clean and in good condition. Wipe topgrain floggers with a soft, barely damp cloth after each use. Handle and tails can be cleaned a few times a year with a quality saddle soap used sparingly. Brush the leather with a soft, dry brush to remove all surface dust, etc. Then, saddle soap is worked into a lather with a soft, damp sponge (not wet). The lather and only the lather should be applied to the object and rubbed in a circular motion with a nearly dry sponge. The sponge should be rinsed and squeezed out to remove all dirt and water before it is re-applied to the leather. A quality leather conditioner (such as Feibings Aussie Leather Conditioner or Huberd's Boot Grease) should be used sparingly as needed. When conditioning the tails only apply conditioner sparingly on the smooth, top grain side, not the suede like side.
Dr. Charles Moser, a nation’s leading authorities on sexuality-related medicine recommends hanging up floggers in a ventilated place for a week after use. HIV and Hep C viruses, cannot live outside the body in the air.
Storage and Ongoing Care
Leather is porous and needs to breathe. Floggers are best stored hanging. Use a cotton covering if possible (pillowcase or specially made flogger storage bag). You should store your leather in an airy, dry area that is not too hot or cold and certainly not damp. Do not store in direct contact with the flow of heating vents or near heating units and avoid direct sunlight as this will dry and fade leather. Avoid storing any leather items in plastic bags, plastic containers, tight drawers, car trunks, bathrooms or packed jumbled into a toybag or toybox. It is normal for flogger tails to stretch a bit and become uneven with use. Trim the stretched tails with sharp scissors.
SUEDE FLOGGERS
Suede really isn't very cleanable. It is too porous and generally you end up having to rub and scrape off the soiled surface of a suede to clean or remove stains (Almost like sanding it off a piece of wood). I tend to advise against suede because of this. The thing many people don't realize is that suede will last only about 1/4 as long as a topgrain leather toy of the same type. So in the long run buying a topgrain flogger is more economical, even if the initial cost is twice that of a suede one.
Cleaning
Keep leather toys item clean and in good condition. Let your suede flogger air dry after use, as moisture cannot be removed with a cloth. A special suede brush or suede stone will bring back the nap of the suede and might remove some dirt. Do not use cleaners, conditioners or scotch guard on suede.
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