Your Guide to Cleaning and Maintaining Your Leather iPhone Case

There are more than 1 billion people worldwide who own iPhones, so it only makes sense that knowing how to clean iPhone cases is important knowledge. There are many iPhone case options and most of them are made out of some kind of plastic or rubber. However, leather iPhone case options are currently more popular than ever before. 

After all, leather cases and other leather accessories can give your phone a very unique and rustic look. But leather cases won't do much to improve your phone's appearance if they're dirty or worn out. For that reason, if you plan on getting a leather iPhone case, then it is very important that you learn how to clean this type of phone case and how to maintain it. 

If you leave a leather phone case alone, it will eventually break down and it certainly won't be as stylish as it should be. Keep reading and learn more about leather care for your phone case below as well as why having a leather case is a great idea. 

Why Should You Have a Leather iPhone Case?

You might be wondering why you should bother buying a leather iPhone case in the first place. After all, isn't it easier to buy a phone case made out of any other material? While other types of phone cases might be easy to obtain, they certainly do not have the same style that leather cases do. 

After all, it isn't a common occurrence to see a leather phone case while you're out and about. For that reason, if you have a leather phone case, you and your phone will immediately stand out from the crowd. Such a phone case can even provide a great first impression of you and your personal style. 

After all, these days, people carry their phones all over the place and often use them in public. People tend to use certain phone accessories and cases to express themselves, and having a leather phone case will make you all the more interesting. This is not to mention that leather phone cases are ideal to bring to all sorts of situations. 

Because they are relatively minimalistic, you can bring a phone with a leather case to a business meeting, a cocktail party, and virtually anywhere else you can think of. Besides the unparalleled style that these cases have to offer, you also have to consider how durable they are. 

While they can wear down if you don't clean or take care of them, they tend to be more durable than most other phone cases in general. For example, plastic phone cases have a tendency to crack if you drop them on a hard surface. You'll never have to worry about that when you drop a leather phone case.

Other Leather Phone Case Benefits

After all, leather is naturally a very soft and flexible material, especially high-quality leather. Most ordinary phone cases only last a few years before they start to break down. Leather cases, on the other hand, can last many years, and they sometimes even last longer than the phone itself. 

One final benefit of leather phone cases is that they are easy to grip. Many ordinary phone cases such as plastic cases tend to be slippery. This increases your risk of dropping your phone and potentially cracking the case or the phone screen itself.

This, of course, is not something you want to deal with. The great thing about leather cases is that they have a more significant texture compared to smooth plastic cases. This makes it far less likely that you will ever drop your phone. 

Give Your Leather Phone Case a Routine Clean

If you decide to get a leather phone case, you should know how to take care of it. As long as you keep it in good shape, it should look as good as new for many years to come. But where should you start?

For one, you should clean your leather case about once every two weeks. Of course, you don't have to be exact with your cleaning schedule. You might prefer to clean it once a week or once every three weeks. 

Whatever the case, you should clean your phone case at regular intervals. That way, a bunch of dirt and debris won't pile up on the phone case and end up becoming a big problem at a later time. As long as you keep up with cleaning your phone case, it should always be very manageable. 

You should also make sure that you get every inch of your phone case. Some people only bother to wipe off the front and sides of the case. While these sides do get the most dirt and debris, the inside of the phone case can also pick up some dirt and dust. 

For that reason, you'll always want to make sure that you take the phone case off of your phone before you clean it. That way, you can get every nook and crevice that the case has. Besides that, it is important to remove the case from your phone when cleaning as you might damage the phone itself if you accidentally expose it to water or some kind of cleaning solution. 

Also, take a moment to examine the case if it is a wallet case. If so, then make sure that you remove any money or credit cards you might have in the case before you do any cleaning.

Preparing To Clean the Case

After all, the last thing you want is to get your money or cards wet or soapy. 

Once you isolate the leather phone case, you can start to clean it. But what kind of cleaner should you use for leather? After all, leather is a bit more finicky compared to other materials like plastic or rubber. 

For that reason, you should avoid any strong cleaners that you buy from the store. Instead, you should stick with natural cleaners or, better yet, some simple warm water and a rag. Keep in mind that you don't want to soak the leather with water. 

In fact, you should use as little water as possible when cleaning your case. Using too much water can actually damage the water or discolor it in some cases if you're not careful. For that reason, you'll just want to get a rag and get it very slightly damp. 

Wring out any excess water from the rag so you don't end up getting the leather too wet. Then, all you need to do is wipe the rag gently over the leather case, both the inside and the outside as well as the sides. Try not to scrub the case as this might damage the leather's texture. 

The Details of Cleaning a Leather Phone Case

When using water to clean your leather phone case, it is best to use water that is not too hot and not too cold. Lukewarm water is best. This will make removing any stains or spots easier.

If you can, you should try to refrain from using any soap. You will find that warm water alone should remove most of any spots or pieces of debris stuck to your case. Soap isn't great for leather because it can soak into the material and leave an unpleasant residue that will ruin the appearance of the case. 

You should only ever use soap on a leather phone case if you really need to. For example, if there is a spot or stain that isn't coming out with warm water alone, then you should use soap. But when you do use soap, you should dilute it with warm water. 

That way, the soap shouldn't be strong enough to damage the leather or leave any kind of residue. When you wipe down the leather with your rag, be sure to follow the grain of the leather. This will ensure that the leather doesn't sustain any scratches from the rag, especially if the rag is rough or worn down. 

For the best results, you should use a microfiber towel. Microfiber towels are ideal for cleaning leather because they are woven so tightly and are very smooth as a result. It will be nearly impossible to scratch the leather with a microfiber towel. 

If you don't want to risk using soap or water to clean your case or if your leather case is particularly delicate, you should use a leather cleaner instead.

What You Need to Know

Leather cleaner should not damage the leather in any way, but you should still use it sparingly. All you need is to dab a bit of the cleaner on the cloth and then rub it onto the leather case. 

When using a leather cleaner and a soft cotton or microfiber cloth, you can move the cloth either with the grain of the leather or in circular motions. Circular motions are best for removing stains and spots, especially deep ones, but you should only do this motion with a soft cloth. Make sure that you don't ever scrub the case or put too much pressure on it. 

If you do, you could actually end up stretching the leather which will damage it. After you have wiped down the entire case, remove any remaining leather cleaner with your rag and then let the case dry in the open air. Do not dry the case with a rag. 

This is also the case when cleaning the case with soap and water. Fortunately, leather dries quite quickly. After a few minutes, there should be no remnants of any moisture left on the leather. But your task of maintaining your leather case is not quite done yet. 

While your case will be clean by this point, you will still need to care for it to make sure that it doesn't get damaged or dirty in the future. 

How to Condition Your Leather Phone Case

Regularly conditioning your leather phone case is arguably just as important as washing the case. While leather cases are naturally very durable, they do have a weakness: drying out. As leather gets older, it loses some of its natural flexibility and softness.

When this happens, the leather will start to become drier and firmer and it will become more prone to cracking. This, of course, will not only look bad but will also damage the integrity of the leather itself. Fortunately, you can prevent this from happening by conditioning the leather case once in a while. 

You can buy leather conditioner online without any issue and it should do the job without any problems. However, some people swear by other options other than traditional leather conditioners such as beeswax. Leather conditioner and beeswax are both good choices, so the decision will be up to your personal preference and what you think will be best for your leather phone case. 

The point of using any kind of leather conditioner is to keep the leather moisturized and protected. Leather conditioner not only seals in the leather's natural moisture but will also act as a shield against the elements so that things such as sunlight or dry are won't harm the leather. Keep in mind that you don't have to use a leather conditioner every time you wash your phone case. 

Instead, it is best to condition your case once a month or once every other month. You can also condition the case if it seems to look dry. Applying the conditioner isn't hard at all and all you need is a gentle rag to apply it. 

Applying the Conditioner

Be sure to apply only a small drop of the conditioner to the rag and never put the conditioner directly on the leather case. Putting too much conditioner on the leather may cause the leather's color to darken or become splotchy, so be careful. Then, apply the conditioner in small circles. 

If there are any scratches on the leather, you will find that the conditioner will lessen the appearance of those scratches. It will also make the leather look far more supple, new, and shiny. After the leather absorbs the majority of the conditioner, let it sit for a few minutes so that it will absorb the rest. 

By that time, your leather phone case should look better than ever. It will also be quite protected with the addition of the conditioner. But there are still a few more things you need to consider if you want your leather case to stay in good shape. 

In particular, you will want to add a waterproof layer to your leather phone case to make sure that it won't get accidentally damaged. 

How to Waterproof Your Leather Phone Case

Water is harmful to natural leather for all sorts of reasons, especially luxury leather. This is because leather is full of natural oils that keep it moisturized and protected. However, if you expose leather to a lot of water, the water will cause these oils to crawl up to the surface of the leather. 

This will weaken the leather's structural integrity and will also damage it. In particular, exposing leather to too much water will make it discolored as well. If the water starts to evaporate from the leather without you noticing, the leather may be permanently damaged and may be quite stiff as a result. 

This, of course, is not what you want to happen to your stylish and expensive leather phone case. While you might plan to keep your phone case away from water, there still might be a chance that the phone case could get soaked. For example, it might start raining all of a sudden and you might not be able to protect your phone case. 

It is particularly important to waterproof your phone case if you often are outside in areas that contain water. For example, if you often hike with your phone, you might accidentally drop it into a puddle. Fortunately, there are quite a few ways you can waterproof your phone and it is a relatively simple process.

The Details

All you need to do is buy a waterproofing spray online. Such a spray is full of ingredients that will stick to the surface of the leather case and protect it. That way, if water does happen to touch your phone case, the water droplets should roll right off without damaging the leather at all. 

All you need to do is spray a bit of the waterproofing solution into the surface and sides of the leather case. Spraying the case a few times should be enough to do the trick. There are also liquid waterproofing solutions that you can rub onto your case with a rag. 

Both options should work quite well for leather cases. You should apply a waterproofing solution as often as you condition your case, so around once a month or once every other month. As long as you do that, you shouldn't have to worry about water staining or damaging your leather case. 

Other Ways To Protect Your Leather Phone Case

Once you waterproof your phone case, you might think that there isn't anything that could possibly damage your case, but you would be wrong. If you don't consider the importance of storage, then your phone case might still sustain some minor damage. Whenever you're not using your phone, you should always put it in a safe location. 

In particular, you should always keep your leather phone case out of direct sunlight as often as possible. Why might this be, you ask? The sun's UV rays are harmful to all sorts of different materials, including leather. 

This is because the sun's UV rays are able to break down different materials on a molecular level by breaking the bonds between molecules. This can damage your leather case in a variety of ways. In particular, excessive sunlight will start to discolor the leather until it looks faded.

It will also dry out the leather and destroy its oils. This will make it dry and brittle. While a leather conditioner will be able to protect your leather case from the majority of the sun's damage, it won't be able to protect it completely. For that reason, you should keep the leather case out of the sun as much as you can, especially when you're not using your phone.

Protecting the Leather From the Elements 

Exposing the leather to too much heat is also bad for it. Heating up the leather too much can ruin the leather's oils and, as mentioned before, this can lead to the leather becoming brittle and dry. So, where should you store your phone with a leather case when you're not using it?

As long as you don't put the phone anywhere that's too hot or dry, you should be fine. So, keep it away from windows or hot lights. For the most amount of protection, it is a good idea to store your phone case in a drawer. 

That way, it won't get exposed to too much light and it won't overheat either. Keeping it stored in a soft cotton bag or something similar will also keep dust away from it. 

How To Keep Your Leather iPhone Case in Great Shape

Keeping your leather iPhone case in great shape doesn't have to be an impossible task, but there are certain things you need to keep in mind. In particular, you need to make sure that you clean your leather case on a regular basis to keep it free from dust and stains. You also want to protect the case with a leather conditioner and waterproofing solution.

To learn more about leather phone accessories, contact us here.