How To Wash Faux Leather Pants by Hand or Machine
Understanding how to wash faux leather pants is crucial to keeping your wardrobe looking good and long-lasting. Cleaning synthetic leather has a similar process to cleaning genuine leather, but you’ll want to use faux leather cleaner when cleaning faux leather.
I love a sexy pair of faux leather pants over the real thing for many reasons. First, the vegan-friendly peace of getting the soft texture without guilt means I never pass up on faux leather products.
Fake leather is not hard to keep clean if you know the proper steps and products.
The good news is that I know how to keep fake leather in tip-top shape and will share all my faux leather cleaning secrets with you!
How to Wash Faux Leather Pants
The first thing to do when figuring out how to clean faux leather pants is to check the care label on your pants. Every article of clothing and many non-clothing products has tags that provide the recommended method of care.
If you’ve never cleaned the faux leather item, it’s best to do a patch test before cleaning the entire product. Choose an inconspicuous spot that isn’t visible in case the method you choose causes damage to your pants.
A crucial part of keeping faux leather clean and in wearable condition is to treat spills fast to avoid damage. Allowing messes to sit on faux leather can lead to material staining.
What is Faux Leather?
Faux is another word for imitation – fake. It’s a way to get the same effect as a product but in an artificial or alternative material.
It’s also known as vegan leather due to a more environmentally friendly manufacturing process. And it’s cruelty-free since it doesn’t come from animals. So, what is faux leather made of, then?
Most faux leather is polyurethane – PU (plastic leather or pleather) – a polymer substance applied over a base fabric. PVC – polyvinyl chloride – is another material used, but it has been known to contain more harmful chemicals (chlorine) than other plastics.
Other vegan materials for faux leather can include:
- Fruit skins
- Cork oak
- Pineapple leaves
- Catus leaves
- Recycled plastic
Faux leather can be long-lasting and durable with the proper care. However, fake leather can experience cracking, wrinkling, and peeling without the right treatment due to excessive light and heat exposure.
Washing Faux Leather Pants Quick Care Guide
Cycle: hand wash or delicate washing machine
Water temperature: cold
Detergent: Mild
Stain treatment: spot treat with distilled vinegar, alcohol, or baking soda
Drying: Air
Iron: Low setting
Total washing time: 30 to 60 minutes prep with 4 to 24 hours to dry
Special notes: flip inside out and wash inside a garment bag
How to Wash Vegan Leather Pants In A Washing Machine
Fake leather’s advantage over the real deal is that you can clean it with water. In terms of pleather pants, you can put them into the washing machine on a delicate cycle with cold water and a low spin.
Then, wash them in a mesh bag, so they don’t get damaged. And flip them inside out before you put them in the bag.
While you can wash them for routine cleanings, you should only wash them occasionally and only when there’s no risk of color transfer. But do not put fake leather pants into the dryer.
Instead, hang them to dry away from direct sunlight. You can also dry them lying flat on a dry rack.
You should also pre-treat stains and remove any dried debris or particles before applying water to clean the fake leather. You can also hand-clean faux leather pants in between times you wash them in a machine.
Shop Women’s Vegan Leather Pants
Fake Leather Pants Cleaning Tools
When cleaning fake leather pants, you need more than soap or other natural cleaning agents. You’ll also need microfiber cloths, a moisturizer like coconut oil, and baking soda.
Other items you may need for how to wash fake leather pants can be a stain treatment removal, a mild detergent – baby shampoo or dish soap are gentle enough – and a faux-leather conditioner.
Baby oil or petroleum jelly are natural conditioners that you should apply every six months. Not only will it keep the fake leather feeling soft, but it will also give the material a healthy sheen. However, you cannot apply waxes or oils to pleather made with polyurethane.
Step-by-Step Faux Leather Cleaning Process
Stop struggling with how to wash faux leather leggings by following these simple steps. First, choose the appropriate method for your type of fake leather – PU or PVC.
Step 1 – Prep Your Pants and Pre-Treat Stains
The first thing you have to do when getting ready to wash faux leather pants is to read the care label.
Then, if there are stains on the synthetic nonporous surface, you’ll need to treat them before you can wash them.
How to Treat Faux Leather Stains
You can use a vinegar stain solution if your leather pants have persistent stains. Mix equal water with distilled white vinegar and attempt a patch test on your pants.
Then use a cloth to blot the stain with the DIY stain solution. Keep moving the rag, so you have a clean, dry patch to blot the stain until it’s gone.
You can also rub the stain with unscented soap for faux leather pants made of PU. Then wipe the soap clean with a damp cloth.
But for stains on vinyl leather, pour baking soda onto a cloth and rub it onto the stain. Then, use a damp, clean cloth to rinse the PVC off.
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) can help treat dye transfer and ink stains left on synthetic leather pants. You can apply the alcohol to the stain with a soft cloth or a cotton swab. Then wipe the stain with a rag dampened with clean water.
Step 2 – Set the Right Washing Cycle
It’s okay to wash faux leather pants infrequently. You can usually wipe them down with a damp cloth for fast topical cleaning.
But you can also put them in the washing machine when they get soiled and need a deeper cleaning. So hand washing is another possible method of cleaning faux leather pants.
Before putting them into the machine, flip them inside out to prevent the washing motion from causing cracks or peeling.
Put the pants in a mesh laundry bag and add them to the machine. Set the cycle to Delicate with a low spin setting and all cold water. We love these mesh bags!
When hand-washing your leather pants in a sink, add a small amount of laundry soap to cold to warm water. Then swish the pants around in the water to mimic a washing machine agitation. Squeeze the material gently, then let it soak in the water for five minutes.
Finally, rinse hand-washed garments with cold water to remove all suds. Do not wring the water out.
Step 3 – Use the Right Faux Leather Products
Faux leather cannot use the same types of products as actual leather. But there are products specifically formulated for synthetic leather construction to stop common problems like cracking, peeling, and discoloration.
You should only use mild detergents and soaps when washing and treating stains. But you should not add fabric softener.
Step 4 – Drying Faux Leather Pants
Once you take your faux leather pants out of the washing machine, remove them from the garment bag and spread them out.
You can dry fake leather pants flat on a drying rack. You’ll need to turn them frequently to ensure all areas are dry. Or you can hang them up to allow air to circulate all around.
Wiping leather pants with an absorbent microfiber cloth before drying them can speed up the process. And keep the pants dry away from natural sunlight.
Step 5 – Condition and Dewrinkle Faux Leather Pants
After the synthetic pants dry outside and along the inner liner, you can rub them down with oil.
The best faux leather oils to condition the nonporous material are olive, coconut, or baby oils. Vaseline or petroleum jelly can also soften and nourish synthetic leather.
Apply a small amount of oil to the pants using a soft microfiber cloth to protect the material from cracking and peeling. It can also reduce wrinkles.
Most wrinkled faux leather smooths out by itself while drying. But it’s possible to reduce wrinkles with iron too. First, flip the pants inside out and then cover the garment with a pressing cloth.
Then turn on the iron’s lowest setting and press the material through the pressing cloth. Avoid keeping the iron in the same place for too long, which can cause melting.
FAQs about Washing Faux Leather Pants
Can You Use Leather Cleaner on Faux Leather?
Because fake leather is made of artificial ingredients intended to look and feel like leather, it does not have the integrity to handle genuine leather cleaners and conditioners.
Is Faux Leather Easy to Clean?
Artificial leather is easier to clean than real leather because it’s resistant to water. So wiping your pants with a damp cloth can suffice as a general cleaning between washes.
Can You Wash Faux Leather?
Faux leather can be washed in a washing machine using a gentle, cold cycle. But before you wash your pants, be sure to check the care label.
Wash Your Faux Leather Pants the Right Way
Faux leather pants can be a regular part of your wardrobe when you take the time to wash them the right way. It’s easy to care for fake leather pants with the right steps and products.
You can wash artificial leather by hand or on a delicate cycle in the washing machine. But remember to use gentle products, treat stains before washing, and air dry.
Other Posts You Might Like:
