WCS Chamois Leather Large

Caring for your chamois leather

You need to care for chamois leather in order to get the best out of it. Contrary to popular belief, storing a chamois leather wet in a jar or sealed bag will cause it to deteriorate quickly and leave it virtually useless. This is because chamois leather is tanned with fish oil, giving it its unique smell and also enhancing its absorption. Storing the chamois wet causes the skin to naturally deteriorate. Likewise, if a detergent (such as washing up liquid) is used to rinse the chamois, it will remove the oil oxidised into the skin during the tanning process, leaving it (once dry) hard and brittle and less likely to freely absorb both dirt and water.

The best way to look after your chamois, after washing your car, is to rinse it well with warm water and lather it with a bar of soap (just an ordinary bar of soap as you would use to wash your hands). Rinse the soap and dirt from the chamois under warm water and lather the soap in again. Without rinsing in clean water, squeeze it dry and leave the skin to dry naturally, away from direct heat. Leaving the soap in the skin helps to keep it supple and soft. The next time you need to use your chamois, rinse it in warm water, squeeze it dry and it is ready for use.

Meets BS6715:1991