FABRIC CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Duck Canvas

Duck canvas is a tightly woven cotton fabric. It’s durable and versatile, as well as weather and abrasion-resistant.

Garments made with duck canvas should be washed by hand. Submerge the garment in cold water with mild detergent for one to two hours, occasionally agitating the garment. Rinse with cold water. While wet, stretch the garment at the seams. This step is critical as duck canvas is more prone to shrinkage than other cotton fabrics and stretching it while it’s wet helps prevent this. Hang to dry.

 

Waxed Canvas

Our waxed canvas fabric is made using duck canvas. The difference? The cotton yarns of the duck canvas have been impregnated with wax to make waxed canvas. That makes our waxed canvas is just as strong as duck canvas, with an added layer of protection against water, wind, or whatever weather you find yourself in.

 

Waxed canvas products can be used for months (and even years) without maintenance. As needed, spot clean using cold water and mild detergent. Avoid machine washing and hang to dry. After long periods of use, you can re-wax using a natural fabric wax to maintain its weather resistance.

 

Leather

The tanning of animal hides creates leather, which is strong, durable, and versatile. But much like our own skin, leather products require cleaning, hydration, and protection. How regularly you need to clean and care for your product largely depends on your frequency of use.

 

We recommend cleaning your leather products once a year - but honestly, every two to three years is also acceptable. Consider caring for your leather products more frequently if you use them regularly (more than once a week). 

 

There are many different ways to clean and care for leather. Your preferred method may differ from ours, and that’s okay - but this is how we do it. 

 

We use a horsehair brush to remove dirt build-up from the surface of the leather. Use a damp cloth (damp - not soaking wet) to clean any remaining dirt or debris. After cleaning, allow the leather to dry completely. Use your hand or a lint-free cloth to spread an even layer of an all-natural leather oil or wax onto the leather. Let the leather dry for several hours, ideally in a warm space. Once it has dried completely, you can use a different horsehair brush or cloth to buff the surface of the leather; this will remove any excess wax and help maintain the leather’s sheen. Any oils or waxes will darken leather that is light in color. You can spot test a new treatment on a small, discreet part of the leather product to see how it affects the color. In our view, this simply contributes to the beautiful and unique patina of your leather item.

 

Leather can stretch, so avoid overfilling items like leather wallets.

 

Denim

Unless otherwise noted in the product description, we use sanforized (AKA pre-shrunk) denim for all of our garments. Sanforization minimizes the amount of shrinkage and ensures the accuracy of our measuring guidelines.

 

Like leather, you’ll find that many companies prefer and promote different ways to care for their denim. Particularly for the first wash of your new denim garment, we recommend waiting for several weeks, even months. Yes, really! Use your best judgment here - if dirt, stains, or odors develop, wash the damn denim. 

 

Like most of our products, we recommend washing our denim garments by hand. Submerge the denim in cold water mixed with a mild detergent and occasionally agitate the garment by hand. Rinse with cold water. You can squeeze out excess water but do not wring. While wet, stretch the garment at the seams to avoid potential shrinkage. Hang to dry.

With heavy, regular wear, denim will eventually break down. Take advantage of our free repairs and send your denim garment to us before large holes and damage occur.

 

Wool

Wool is naturally warm and resistant to stains, wrinkles, and odors. Best of all? It requires minimal care. 

 

Generally, it’s a good idea to clean your wool garment once a year. Do not machine wash or dry. Hand wash wool by submerging it in cold water mixed with a gentle wool detergent for 30 minutes. A regular, mild laundry detergent will also work but can dry out the wool with repeated use. Rinse and remove excess water by laying the garment flat on a towel and pressing it - do not wring. Lay flat to dry. Allow the garment plenty of time to fully dry - wool can take up to 48 hours to dry completely.

 

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Have questions about how to care for your Sidnaw Co. product? Reach out to us, and we’ll be happy to help.