A few simple tips can help you maintain your leather coat. First, always hang leather coats on wide, padded hangers to ensure that you don't stretch or puncture corners or shoulders. When storing your leather coat over the summer months, avoid storing leather goods in plastic bags or other non-porous covers, because leather is best preserved if it can "breathe." If clothing must be stored in a garment bag, keep it open for ventilation or choose a natural fabric garment bag. Place in a cool, dry closet to store, not in any area with excess moisture.

Always allow wet or damp leather to air dry naturally away from any source of heat, to avoid mildew build up or scorching from a heat source. To prevent mildew, protect never store your leather coat in an area with excessive humidity.

First, know that many stains on leather coats can be treated with simple soap and water. This works best if your coat is considered "finished" leather, which includes most leather coats sold by retail stores.

To spot clean leather with soap and water, place a small amount of gentile, moisturizing soap such as Dove soap on a damp cloth and bring it to a light lather. Rub the damp cloth on the leather without putting too much water or pressure on your leather coat. Wipe away any lather with a fresh damp cloth, but don't rinse the leather in water. Next, polish the leather with a dry towel, and treat the newly clean leather with a leather coat conditioner after it has air dried totally. One tip to remember when cleaning your leather coat with this method is to always test the cleaning method on a small, hidden patch of leather before proceeding to the whole item, as leather cleaning can sometimes transform the color or appearance of your coat. Caution in cleaning is ever the key to keeping your leather coat in good condition!

In addition, it is best to avoid products like mink oil, shoe polish, and waxes when cleaning leather coats, as they can leave both a residue on the coat and an odor that you will not be able to get rid of after you have used the product.

For unfinished leather, saddle soap worked into the leather with a damp cloth or sponge works well to clean stains and spots. Wipe away any lather and allow the leather to air dry. Oil leather with a leather preservative after you have finished cleaning and the leather is completely dry.

If you have an unfortunate accident and spill something on your leather coat, you are best served to avoid rubbing the stain in to the grain of the leather. Always blot dry any stains. You can remove dry stains and marks by softly rubbing a pencil eraser on affected areas. There are also dry cleaners that specialize in spot treatments for stains on leather, though few will guarantee their results as stains on leather are quite difficult to remove. Bottom line - be as careful as you can to avoid the stains in the first place!