Have I ruined my leather jacket?

Question

Hey there, my leather jacket got soaking wet in the rain, I'm letting it dry naturally but I'm worried that I have ruined it. Will it shrink beyond recognition, or will it be okay if I let it dry in its own time? This is a one-off, it's never got this wet before. Thanks, Steven

Answer 1

Actually, leather takes getting wet just fine.  It's getting hot that's a problem.  If you let it air dry hanging on a hanger indoors it should be just fine.  Now, depending on the finish you may have some water marks on it...  But that's just discoloration, not damage to the leather.

Some leathers do get stiff when they dry.  Natural oil leather softener will solve this.

In case you're skeptical, consider:

Saddles (like for horses) are cleaned with water and saddle soap.

Leather hiking boots are fitted by soaking them and then wearing them dry.