How To Clean Racing Leathers In 5 Simple Steps

It's cool to be in a leather racing suit, but the mood can easily change when you get it dirty. The tricky part about owning a leather suit is cleaning it. If you're stuck on wondering how to clean racing leathers, we will give you some quick steps to get it done.

Step-by-Step Guide To Cleaning A Racing Leather Suit

When you're in a race, you might be too excited to notice that you already have a lot of dirt on your racing leather suit. This piece of equipment can be costly, which is why maintenance is essential.

NOTE: Before you start cleaning the suit by yourself, check with your manufacturer for specific instructions.

1. Start by disassembling the entire suit and its components. Try to remove all the things you can remove so you can thoroughly clean each part:
   
   • Liner - gentle cycle in a washer or hand wash
     
   • Suit (without the armor and knee pucks)
     - soak in lukewarm water with powdered soap
     - use microfiber cloth to scrub the leather
     - gently soak and squeeze the suit
     
2. Hold the suit above the bath and gently wring out as much water as possible.
   
3. Lay the suit on towels and move it front to back, changing to dry towels if necessary. 
4. Leave the suit for a day or two BEFORE hanging it to dry to avoid stretching the shoulders or shrinking the suit because of forced drying.
   
5. When the suit is dry, expect it to have a crisp texture. The next thing to do is to condition the leather:
   - invest in a leather conditioner for your leather race suit
   - rub the leather conditioner to your suit
   - reassemble the suit and hang to dry
   - apply a second layer of leather conditioner to ensure you don't miss the other spots

The advantage of knowing how to clean racing leathers is that you can personally inspect any existing damages to your suit. You can also check other areas that might need more cleaning.

Additional Tips For Cleaning Leather Gear

What if you had to know how to clean white motorcycle leathers and other leather motorcycle gear?

There are three phases to cleaning leather motorcycle gear:

• Clean the interior
  - Remove
  - Air it out
  - Apply de-salter to remove the odor 
• Clean the exterior
  - invest in high-quality leather cleaner and use a soft cotton terrycloth rag for application
  - apply the cleaner to the rag instead of the gear directly
  - apply the cleaner to the jacket gently
  - allow the jacket to dry
• Condition
  - apply a leather conditioner to the jacket using a damp sponge
  - allow it to dry

Reminder: Don't condition your leather gear too often to avoid discoloration caused by too much oil. Limit conditioning to only twice a year.

Conclusion

Your leather motorcycle gear requires proper care and maintenance. That's why knowing how to clean racing leathers is crucial. After all, your leather motorcycle is your best and only riding companion.