Product Overview
Leather Hydrator and Softener Kit HS3 by Leather Doctor cleans, rinses, hydrates, softens, and conditions stiff, dry, hardened, and sun-fading leather.
Leather hydrator is a specialized pH-balanced solution designed to restore lost moisture, relax leather fibers, and improve suppleness. It plays a crucial role in leather restoration by rehydrating dried-out leather to fullness, helping to reduce stiffness, creases, and wrinkles. By penetrating deep into the leather structure, it replenishes moisture, preventing dryness and cracking while making the leather more flexible. It also reactivates dormant dyes, helping to resurface caused by sunfading. Additionally, a leather hydrator facilitates the even distribution of essential fats and oils by preconditioning the leather for fatliquoring.
Leather softener is a specialized conditioning treatment designed to restore suppleness and flexibility to stiff, dry, or hardened leather. Over time, leather loses its natural fats, and oils due to environmental exposure, aging, or improper care, leading to stiffness and potential cracking. A leather softener works by deeply penetrating the leather fibers, lubricating them, to relax unnatural creases and wrinkles.
Leather softeners are particularly useful for restoring antique or dried-out leather items such as furniture, bags, gloves, car interiors, and equestrian gear. Unlike surface conditioners, which primarily affect the exterior, a softener works from within, ensuring long-lasting pliability without leaving a sticky or greasy residue. Regular application, especially after hydrating and fatliquoring, helps maintain the leather’s natural resilience, preventing premature wear and brittleness.
Kit HS3 requires 1068g (1.17 quarts) of distilled water to be added to the concentrates before they are ready to use.
Cleaning and Rinsing system:
Cleaner 3.8 is a pH 3.8 leather-safe, and effectively emulsifies and suspends general soiling without adverse side effects. It safely cleans pigmented leather, maintaining its pH-neutral range of 3-5. Paired with Rinse 3.0, Cleaner 3.8 ensures holistic cleaning, leaving leather residue-free and restored to its pH neutrality.
Rinse 3.0 is a pH 3.0 solution designed to remove suspended soil and reinforce the leather's pH integrity. This rinse neutralizes alkaline residues, extracts soiling with towels, and restores the ionic balance (+ve), enhancing tanning agents, dyestuff, and fat liquor bonding to prevent tackiness, bleeding, and stiffness.
Hydrating and Fatliquoring System:
Leather Hydrator 3.3 is a pH 3.3 hydrating conditioner formulated to maintain the natural pH integrity of leather while relaxing and softening stiff fibers. It effectively smooths out creases and wrinkles before the fatliquoring process, ensuring the leather remains pliable and breathable. This non-sticky, residue-free solution facilitates colloidal water movement, helping to reactivate dormant dyestuff and allowing the color to resurface for a more even and uniform appearance. Hydrator 3.3 is suitable for all leather types, including vachetta, aniline, nubuck, and full-grain leathers. It plays a crucial role in plumping up the leather, reducing surface interfacial tension, and preparing it for the replenishment of essential fats and oils with Fatliquor 5.0. By using Hydrator 3.3 before fatliquoring, leather is restored to its natural softness, flexibility, and long-term durability.
Leather Fatliquor 5.0 is a pH 5.0 micro-emulsion of fat, oil, and water designed to restore the original softness, strength, and flexibility of leather. It plays a crucial role in the leather’s conditioning process by replenishing the fat and oil content that keeps leather supple and prevents stiffness or cracking. When applied, the water-encased fat and oil molecules penetrate the leather fibers. As the water gradually wicks away during the drying process, the fat and oil remain, hydrogen bond with the fibers and creating a breathable structure that enhances the leather’s elasticity and durability. Fatliquor 5.0 is essential for maintaining and restoring vachetta, aniline, nubuck, suede, and other leathers, preventing them from becoming brittle over time. Proper fatliquoring ensures that leather retains its tensile strength, resists breakage, and continues to feel soft and luxurious.
Conditioning System:
Protector B is a pH 3.2 leather surface conditioner offering a buttery feel, nonstick protection, and rub resistance for pigmented leather. It preserves leather breathability for seating comfort, minimizes squeaking from leather-on-leather contact, and shields against sticky soiling and ink dispersion from ballpoint pens. It also reduces dye-transfer stains, particularly on pastel leathers, making them easier to remove. Its buttery-feel protection enhances resistance to wet and dry rubs, preventing stretch, scuff, and abrasion for long-lasting durability. Protector B Plus is the leather scent version.
Tools:
Brush 1 is a detailing horsehair brush for all smooth leather for soft and scratch-free cleaning. Brush 1 is ergonomically designed as an extension of our hand with a sturdy grooved grip to produce effective results easily and efficiently. Its length is 7 inches with a three-row horsehair 1½ inches cleaning head.
Foam 2 is a 2-inch high-density poly foam brush that resists tearing and shredding and carries more material for controlling and spreading solution for a more even distribution.
This paper towel works like cloth and is lint-free, highly absorbent, stretchable, washable, and strong.
Instruction:
Step 1 Cleaning:
- Cleaning over the leather surface area with Cleaner 3.8, Brush 1, Foam 2, and Towel 5.
- Cleaner 3.8 concentrate 1: 64 is mixed with 224g distilled water or 1.5 inches from the top of the 8oz bottle before use.
- It is spread with Foam 2 and detailing with Brush 1 over the entire surface.
- Allow to dwell 3-30mins or before it dries before extraction with a Towel 5 until it shows clean.
Step 2 Rinsing:
- Rinsing follows after Cleaner 3.8 with Rinse 3.0, Brush 1, Foam 2, and Towel 5.
- Rinse 3.0 concentrate 1: 40 is mixed with 222g distilled water or 1.5 inches from the top of the 8oz bottle before use.
- It is spread with Foam 2 and detailing with Brush 1 after Cleaner 3.8.
- Allow to dwell 3-30mins or before it dries before extraction with a Towel 5 until it shows clean to a healthy squeaky feel.
Step 3 Hydrating:
- Hydrating follows after Rinse 3.0 with Hydrator 3.3, Brush 1, Foam 2, and Towel 5.
- Hydrator 3.3 concentrate 1: 25 is mixed with 218g distilled water or 1.5 inches from the top of the 8oz bottle before use.
- It is applied to the micro-crazing, creases, scratches, abrasion, and stitching holes where they become darkened with Rinse 3.0.
- Allow 3-30 minutes to fully saturate absorbent areas and towel extract any wick soiling until it shows clean
- Leather is manipulated and unnatural creases and wrinkles are stretched ready for Fatliquor 5.0.
Step 5 Fatliquoring:
- Fatliquoring follows after Hydrator 3.3 with Fatliquor 5.0, Brush 1, Foam 2, and Towel 5.
- Fatliquor 5.0 concentrate 1: 5 requires 189g of distilled water or mixing up to 1.5 inches below the 8oz bottle top before ready to use.
- It is spread with Foam 2 and detailing with Brush 1 into absorbent areas.
- Repeat application between drying cycles until it absorbs no more.
- Stretching and manipulating overstretches wrinkles to smartness.
- The leather is left for slow natural drying for extra softness.
- Surface strays are wiped with Hydrator 3.3 to be free of sticky residue.
Step 6 Conditioning:
- Conditioning begins when leather is dry with Protector B, and Foam 2.
- Protector B concentrate 1:19 is mixed with 217g distilled water or 1.5 inches from the top of the 8oz bottle before use.
- Protector B is spread with Foam 2.
- Leave to natural dry and ready for use.
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Updated: March 10, 2025, by Roger Koh
