Yes, You CAN Wash Leather!!!

Quote for the Day:

If an article is attractive, or useful, or inexpensive, they'll stop making it 

tomorrow;  if it's all three, they stopped making it yesterday.

~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

A couple of days ago I posted about a leather jacket that was given to my husband.  However, it wreaked of cigarette smoke.  YUCK!  Not wanting to spend the $40 + tax that it would cost to have it "leather cleaned" by the dry cleaners, I searched the internet and found information from people who had washed leather items without incident.  (Isn't the internet a WONDERFUL thing???  [...even if it was invented by Al Gore!  LOL]  I LOVE having instant access to all kinds of information, literally at my fingertips!)

But I digress...
Anyway...since the jacket was FREE, Andy & I had a meeting of the minds and decided that if washing ruined it, we weren't out anything.  So onward I proceeded.  I put it in a LARGE mesh sweater bag and washed it in SHAMPOO since it is made from "skin" and then added some HAIR CONDITIONER to the second rinse.  I then hung it on a hanger to dry.   (It will shrink if you put it in the dryer.)  If you like, after it is dry you can go over the leather with some mink oil or leather conditioner, but I don't think this particular jacket needed it.

It turned out FINE!!!!  There is still a VERY MINOR hint of cigarette smoke if you really bury your nose in the collar.  But it doesn't make you pass out when you walk past it like it did before!  LOL  Seriously, Folks...I will not hesitate in the future to throw leather in the washer in the future.  I don't know about you, but I've got better uses for $40 than to hand it over to the dry cleaners!  :)


I did my couponing at Walgreens and Rite Aid today...

Rite Aid...

 
$13.42 out-of-pocket...received back $6 in +Up Rewards and $3 survey coupon...net out-of-pocket $4.42.  :)

Walgreens...

$8.49 out-of-pocket...$1.50 received back in Register Rewards...net out-of-pocket $6.99.

Not too bad!  The cashier at Rite Aid asked me if I had ever thought about going on the TV show, "Extreme Couponing".  I told her "no" and that I had some issues with the people on that show.  I told her that I don't subscribe to some of their "ethics", or lack thereof.  She brought up the issue that one person that was on that show has been investigated for coupon fraud following her appearance on the show.  I told the cashier that I had heard the same thing and that that was unfortunate because it gives the rest of us "couponers" a bad name.  

I do like saving money...I even like making a little money with my couponing when it works out that way.  But I'm not in it to buy 62 bottles mustard (and clearing the shelves in the process) just because I have coupons for all of them.  Many, many of my coupons expire before I can use them all.  If it's not something that I can use or pass along to someone I know can use it...it doesn't get purchased.  Just like the other day at a yard sale...kids clothes were $1/bag.  I could have scooped up all of them whether or not my grandkids needed them....but why?  I only purchased what I knew my grandkids could use...one bagful.  Why not share the bounty and leave some for others? 

What goes around, comes around. 

Happy couponing to us ALL!  :)

Loretta