The Nubuck Leather pH Restorer and Care Kit N7 by Leather Doctor® is a Nubuck-Safe™ holistic restoration system engineered to correct alkaline pH damage caused by improper cleaning.
- This professional system restores tackiness, discoloration, bleeding, dryness, and stiffness by re-balancing Nubuck back to its healthy acidic pH range, while replenishing lost fat, oil, and moisture.
What Is Alkaline pH Cleaning?
- Alkaline pH cleaning refers to cleaning with products that have a pH value above 7.
What Is Nubuck Leather?
- Nubuck is top-grain leather that has been lightly buffed or sanded to create a fine velvety suede-like nap. While luxurious, Nubuck is highly pH-sensitive.
What Is the Healthy pH Value of Nubuck?
- A healthy Nubuck leather pH ranges between pH 3.0 – 5.0.
Why Does Alkaline Cleaning Damage Nubuck?
- Nubuck is an amphoteric protein material. Exposure to alkalinity weakens the ionic attraction between Nubuck fibers and their essential constituents:
- Tanning agents
- Dyestuffs
- Fatliquors (fat and oil)
This breakdown destabilizes the leather structure and surface.
What are the Common Nubuck Damage from Alkaline Cleaning?
- Tackiness: Nubuck reverts toward rawhide as tanning agents lose hydrogen bonding
- Bleeding & Discoloration: Dyestuff migrates from the center of alkaline overexposure
- Dryness & Stiffness: Fat and oil are stripped away
What are the Examples of Alkaline Cleaning Products?
- Products with pH above 7 include:
- Saddle soap
- Baby wipes
- Baking soda
- Dishwashing liquid
- Household cleaners
How to Safely Use Specialty Alkaline Products
- Any alkaline cleaning must be immediately followed by pH balancing using a low-pH acidifying rinse.
What are the Low pH Rinse Example?
- Acidifier 2.0 (pH 2.0) is specifically formulated to neutralize alkalinity and restore Nubuck stability.
How Alkaline Overexposure Is Restored?
- Alkaline damage is reversed through a controlled pH-balancing system, using:
- pH 1.5 (restorative cleaner)
- Acidifier 2.0 (pH-balancing rinse)
This system safely returns Nubuck from denaturing back to its stable acidic state.
Easy-to-Use Concentrate System
Kit N7 liquids are concentrates and require 1500g (1.6 quarts) of distilled water to mix and fill before use.
Why Concentrates?
- Indefinite shelf life
- Reduced freezing damage
- Reduced handling damage
- Lower shipping weight
- Freshly mixed for maximum performance
- ✅ pH 1.5 - 8oz (fill)
- ✅ Acidifier 2.0 - 8oz (fill)
- ✅ Prep 4.4 - 2oz
- ✅ Soft 4.5 - 8oz (fill)
- ✅ Rinse 3.0 - 8oz (fill)
- ✅ Hydrator 3.3 - 8oz (fill)
- ✅ Fatliquor 5.0 - 8oz (fill)
- ✅ Conitioner S - 8oz (fill)
- ✅ Eraser 4 - 1pc
- ✅ Brush 1 - 1pc
- ✅ Foam 2 - 1pc
- ✅ Towel 5 - 5pcs
How pH 1.5 & Acidifier 2.0 System Works!
- pH 1.5:
- pH-1.5 specialty restorative cleaner
- Controls bleeding, water spots, and tackiness
- Protonates Nubuck to reverse alkaline denaturing
- Acidifier 2.0:
- pH-2.0 balancing rinse
- Neutralizes alkalinity
- Prevents bleeding, streaking, discoloration, and tackiness
How Prep 4.4, Soft 4.5 & Rinse 3.0 System Works!
- Prep 4.4: Heavy soil prep cleaner safe for pH-sensitive Nubuck
- Soft 4.5: Universal mild cleaner without rings, browning, or stiffness
- Rinse 3.0: pH-3.0 rinse to remove suspended soiling and rebalance pH
How Hydrator 3.3 & Fatliquor 5.0 System Works!
- Hydrator 3.3:
- Rehydrates dried, stiff, or shrunken Nubuck
- Allows tanning agents and dyestuff to redistribute evenly
- Fatliquor 5.0:
- Replenishes lost fat and oil
- Restores softness, strength, flexibility, and color intensity
How Conditioner S System Works!
- Conditioner S leaves Nubuck with a smooth, non-sticky feel while maintaining breathability and nap integrity.
Instructions:
1️⃣ How to use pH 1.5 and Acidifier 2.0?
- pH 1.5 concentrates is mixed and filled with distilled water before use.
- pH 1.5 is applied, brushed and towel extract until the towel shows clean.
- Feather out the product making sure the entire surface appearance is even out, and towel extracted until the towel shows clean, and proceed with Acidifier 2.0.
- Acidifier 2.0 concentrates is mixed and filled with distilled water before use.
- Acidifier 2.0 is applied, brushed, and towel extract until the towel shows clean.
- Inspect for an even appearance, and tackiness with satisfaction and proceed with Hydrator 3.3, otherwise repeat.
2️⃣ How to use Prep 4.4, Soft 4.5 & Rinse 3.0 System
- Prep 4.4 is used to prep heavily soiling.
- Prep 4.4 is applied to the heavily soiling, brush and extract with towel until it shows clean.
- Soft 4.5 is mixed and filled with distilled water before use.
- Soft 4.5 is applied, brushed over Prep 4.4 and towel extract until the towel shows clean.
- Rinse 3.0 is applied, brushed over Soft 4.5 and towel extract until the towel shows clean.
- Inspect for an even appearance, and tackiness with satisfaction and proceed with Hydrator 3.3, otherwise repeat.
3️⃣ How to use Hydrator 3.3 and Fatliquor 5.0?
- Hydrator 3.3 concentrate is mixed and filled with distilled water before use.
- Hydrator 3.3 is applied, and brushed over Rinse 3.0 and Acidifier 2.0, to saturate, relax, and plump the Nubuck with a little moisture oozing when pressed with a finger.
- This hydrating process allows the migrating Nubuck constituents like the tanning agents and dyestuff to redistribute and return to the damaged areas.
- The dormant excess dyestuff is activated and resurfaced to refresh the damaged discoloration accordingly.
- Suspended soiling is towel extracted until towel shows clean.
- With satisfaction, while still damp proceed with Fatliquor 5.0.
- Fatliquor 5.0 concentrate is mixed and filled with distilled water before use.
- Fatliquor 5.0 is applied similarly to Hydrator 3.3 without leaving a dry edge.
- As the water content dries more is applied until the last application the Nubuck absorbs no more.
- Fatliquor 5.0 saturates the color intensity, and softens with strength when dry.
- Slow natural drying produces a softer Nubuck.
- Finish the nap with Eraser 4 for a finger-writing effect.
4️⃣ How to work with Conditioner S?
- Conditioner S concentrate is mixed and filled with distilled water before use.
- Conditioner S is applied and brush for an even appearance and let to dry.
- Brush the nap again for a finger-writing effect when dry.
Professional Results, Leather-Safe™ Confidence
The Nubuck Leather pH Restorer and Care Kit N7 is trusted by professionals to correct alkaline damage at the fiber level, not just mask surface problems.
Your feedback and insights are invaluable and help us continue improving leather care solutions worldwide.
Updated: July 21, 2024 | December 15, 2025 by Roger Koh.
