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Care recommendation for wool felt

 

What exactly is wool felt? Wool felt is a non-woven material made of disordered, difficult to separate wool fibres, which is transformed into a solid composite material by mechanical threshing and pressing. The wool fibers have a flaky surface, the microscopic platelets of which permanently interlock during mechanical treatment. Unfortunately the term “felt” is not protected and is also used for synthetic products, which has very different material properties, cheap appearance and price. Our felt is made of 100% wool with a particularly high density and is therefore dirt and water repellent.

Unsplash © Helene Yankovska

What to do if there are stains from wine, oil and food?

Step 1: Moisten the area well with a mixture of warm water and mild detergent (preferably a special detergent for wool or a shampoo for lambskin) until it is saturated.

Step 2: Massage the stain lightly to soften it – wait 3-5 minutes. Don’t rub, because felt starts loosing it’s form and beginn to fuzz!

Step 3: Press the area firmly with an absorbent paper towel to remove moisture. Here again the same rule – No rubbing!

⇒  If the stain is still there, repeat steps 1-3 as necessary.

Step 4: Remove the residues of the detergent with a damp cloth, press the well-dampened cloth onto the surface and then remove the moisture with an absorbent paper towel.

⇒  Repeat step 4 until the detergent is removed from the fibers

Step 5: Simply let the Urstil article dry at room temperature without any additional influence (no heating or hair dryer).

⇒   Some stains can not be removed with home remedies, so the mentioned tricks might not work. In that case you can bring your item to the dry cleaner and let it clean professionally.

What happens when felt gets wet?

Basically, water cannot damage the felt surface. In light rain, the items will usually not get soaked. If something overturns and a large amount of water is absorbed, the surface should be dried with a cloth or absorbent paper rolls. Eventually put something flat in or on top of it, so that the tight and lint-free shape is retained. Then let it dry at room temperature.

 

Will the felt start fuzzing?

Felts made of long-fiber wool are used in our products and surface pilling is rather rare. If there is a slight lint effect on the surface or edges of your product, we recommend a few passes with a home textile razor or a disposable razor. Please do not exert any pressure and feel your way slowly to avoid damaging the surface.

Can felt lose its shape?

If your bag gets wet, certain objects lying in the interior, especially angular and heavy ones, can cause a slightly dented area on the felt surface. The surface can then be smoothed using an iron with a steam function. Set the iron to a lower temperature for wool and carefully and slowly run it over the affected area a few times. Feel free to tap with your fingers or the palm of your hand. The residual moisture can then escape at normal room temperatures.

 

Can the bag or shoes be dry cleaned?

Dry cleaning is possible, and since almost all of our products are a combination of leather and felt, a cleaning company that specializes in leather should be found. Point out to the cleaning specialist that the leather is vegetable-tanned and pure wool felt.

 

What to do with mud pollution?

Resist the urge to clean and let the mud dry! Once it’s completely dry, you can brush it off with a brush. You can also clean the area with a vacuum cleaner.

Care recommendations for the use of vegetable tanned leather products

 

What exactly is vegetable tanned leather? The vegetable tanning process is the origin of leather production and is characterized by the fact that the animal skins are tanned with a mixture of vegetable materials such as tree bark, wood, leaves, fruits and roots.

Unsplash © Lina Verovaya

Care

You can use a neutral, non-dyed leather grease to care for your items made from vegetable-tanned leather. Use a clean, dry cloth with a soft surface for this. Let the fat soak into the leather for a day so that the fat residue does not transfer to the clothing. If you have little time for maintenance, let the fat (or another suitable care product) soak in for an hour and remove the remaining residues with a cloth after at least half an hour.

For the care of sensitive vegetable-tanned leather, we offer a high-quality product in our shop that does not stain clothing.

You can also use a waterproofing spray, but you have to be aware that this will affect the haptic properties and the aging of your Urstil natural product.

With appropriate care, the leather or your Urstil article will be preserved for years.

Vegetable tanned leather changes its beautiful patina over time and becomes a little darker. It does this through exposure to the sun, oxygen, moisture, and oils on your skin, or through products you may use to make it more water resistant. In this regard, natural wax oils offer more protection and do not completely close the pores.

Specific of vegetable tanned leather

The vegetable tanning process is very time-consuming and more environmentally friendly compared to conventional industrial processes, in which mostly harmful substances such as e.g. heavy metals, are used.

The leather produced in this way retains its natural liveliness and therefore you cannot expect a flawless homogeneous surface, even color distribution and the same weather resistance that you know from products made of chrome-tanned leather.

The vegetable tanning gives the leather its typical natural properties, which make each piece unique. There may be small spots from insect bites or scars on the leather surface as they are not treated with a thick layer of pigmented paint.

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