If you are looking for a perfect fit with a leather jacket, then there is a solution for you today. Learn how to shrink a leather jacket in this article.
How To Shrink A Leather Jacket Reviews:
Why Most Bikers Own At Least One Leather Jacket
Having a leather jacket is something many people desire, especially if you love to watch out for your fashion. The leather jackets are known to make someone stand out and look classier than others do.
Well, if that is your thing, then you will understand that at some point, you have to shrink the leather jacket so that it feels fitting once again.
If you own a motorcycle, the common attire would be having at least one leather jacket. It is often the symbol that you are a rider. If you are going to get yourself the best leather jacket for motorcycle riding, then you have to get the right type.
The common types of leather jackets include the following.
- The classic look
- The rocker version
- The twist with some color
- The hybrid type
- Faux leather jacket
Let us now turn to learning more about how to shrink a leather jacket correctly using simple methods.
Method 1: Shrinking The Leather Jacket In A Bathtub
What You Will Need
- A Plastic container
- Warm water
- 2 towels
Instructions
Step 1: Pour Enough Warm Water Into The Plastic Bin
It is recommended that you get the plastic bin placed in the tub first before filling it with warm water. The leather dye is known to start bleeding the dye once it gets soaked in the warm water. This could ruin your nice tub, so be careful how you handle it. Or you can also do that at any area is easy for cleaning.
You will now have to fill the plastic bin with enough warm water that will allow for total submersion of the jacket. And let a little of leather cleaning solution into the container at this point is a good idea. That will help cleaning the jacket surface easier.
The plastic bin can easily be purchased online or a store close to you. Make sure that the bin is large enough that it can allow submerging of your jacket at once.
Step 2: Submerging Your Jacket
Proceed to submerge your leather jacket in the warm water and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You will notice that the dye would easily come out of the jacket, but not all of it. You may have to rub the dye out even more so as to allow more dye to come out.
This process of rubbing the jacket to bleed more dye makes the jacket absorb more water and thus leading to more jacket shrinkage.
Still on the jacket bleeding the dye, you might want to wear gloves to prevent the dye from the jacket getting onto your hands.
Step 3: Squeeze The Dye Water Out
If you are now done with soaking the jacket, the next step would be squeezing out most of the water dripping from the jacket. Make sure that the squeezing is still done over the plastic container or else you might end up creating a mess with the jacket dye. Make sure you get most of the water out before you can let it dry.
Step 4: Drying The Shrunk Jacket
You might not notice right away that the jacket is smaller, but it might have changed a little bit. To finish the process of shrinking the leather jacket, you have to let it dry for two days over a towel. When the towel has absorbed most of the remaining water, replace the towel with another one.
You do not have to put the jacket in direct sunlight. This will make the jacket to shrink much faster and also much smaller than you may have wanted.
Method 2: Shrinking The Jacket By Using The Washing Machine
What You Will Need
- Washing machine
- Dryer
Instructions
- step 1
- Step 2
- step 3
Time To Dry The Jacket In The Dryer
A dryer is now important to help with the whole process of shrinking the leather jacket. It is crucial that you place the jacket in the dryer when it is still wet so that you increase the chances of it shrinking properly.
You are required to run the dryer on medium heat during the shrinking process. Once your jacket is dried, you can now take it out and try it to see if fits well or not. If the jacket still feels too big, you can still repeat the process until you end up with the right size that you want.
Below is a video with additional tips How to Shrink a Leather Jacket
Final Verdict
Maybe as an additional method, you may want to consider having the jacket altered by a professional tailor as a way of shrinking the leather jacket to your size.
This could be a great alternative if you still want to maintain the dye coming out the jacket while using the other types of methods. Always make sure to communicate with the tailor so that the shrinking process is done to your preference.
It is easy to note that all these methods are quite easy to follow and use them to your advantage. If you are always using the same leather jacket for riding the motorcycle daily, make sure that there is an alternative gear available before washing the leather jacket or taking it to the tailor.