Last month my mom set out a box of my deceased grandfather's belongings and allowed my siblings and I to lay claim to the items we wanted. In opening the box it was as though my grandpa's presence filled the room. Everything smelled like him! My husband and I each took a leather belt. All of his shirts, belts, and other accessories screamed American Southwest and these belts were no different. Mine came complete with a silver belt buckle with a stone roadrunner encased in it. I LOVE the belt and wear it several times per week, including when I make any big purchases or financial decisions, that man was good with money and I want my financial decisions to follow suit. It isn't so much superstitious as it is in ode to him and the choices he made and tried to teach to us.
When The Ogre and I brought the belts home we made a plan to take good care of them. We felt that all of his items were so well maintained that we should make it a point to continue the maintenance of the belts. When your lives are busy and you have two little ones it seems like anything that enters your house gets beat up and worn out. I have never done anything to care for the leather products I own.
I ordered these leather cleaners and conditioners in order to try on the leather and was pleased with the results. I own four leather belts. The red one pictured was one passed on several years ago by my sister's roommate as she was moving to Mexico. It is pretty beat up but the red color was fun. She passed away suddenly after moving to Mexico so I am interested in maintaining this belt as well.
I used the separate cleaner and conditioner on the my grandfather and Sara's belt as I figured these deserved better treatment. The Leather Nova Leather Cleaner comes with a microfiber cloth. You spray the cleaner on the cloth and massage in a circular motion in order to loosen any dirt. After drying I used the Leather Nova Conditioner. It comes with a small round applicator sponge. You apply this in a circular motion and then let it air dry for at least an hour before buffing. The results were better than expected. I can imagine my grandfather doing this regulaurly and I plan to follow the guidelines and do this monthly. I already added it to my calender! 
The pink belt I picked up at the clothing swap and that may be where the brown one came from too. Since these don't carry any importance beyond their function as a belt I used the one step combo cleaner and conditioner. It also comes with a yellow applicator sponge, this one a bit bigger. I wiped down the belts with a wet cloth and then applied the Leather Nova Conditioner and Cleaner. The belts looked nearly new!
I like having all three as I can choose the two step system when I have the time or if the items are particularly dirty. I plan to clean my winter boots with the cleaner before storing them for the summer. When I am low on time or my To Do list is overflowing I can use the combo Conditioner and Cleaner to save on time.
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| The finished product. Much better! |
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