Cleaning leather shammy pad

[NewToBowling]

I've seen the how-to videos on cleaning these but honestly with the first one I bought it ended up tightening up and getting stiff.

On my second one now since the first one became unusable I'm not going to clean it at all. So far so good.

Anyone else clean theirs with warm water and a soft brush and still feel like new?

[ep1977]

I use the storm shammy and clean it regularly as needed. I clean it with warm water and dish soap and a soft bristle tooth brush. After I clean it I ring it by hand to get the water out and then I stretch it out before laying it out to air dry.

[NewToBowling]

Yeah I did that with my Storm pad and it got stiff.

I have a Brunswick branded one now and it seems to be better quality. Leather is more supple and there is more padding. I'm afraid to get it wet and turn out like the first one.

[bowl1820]

I've cleaned my bowlingball.com leather shammy with warm water and soap and a nylon suede brush and it's fine.

You have to treat it like a car chamois, you got to use a very mild soap. Don't use dish soaps, laundry detergents, chemicals , alcohol or you'll remove the natural oils from the leather. A Chamois usually get stiff because they get too dry and loss of the natural oils in the leather.

I washed mine by hand with a hand soap and gently scrubbed it with the brush, then rinsed it thoroughly and squeezed/wrung it dry. I then stretched it out and clipped it to a coat hanger and let it air dry. Don't put it in the sun, UV is bad for it.

[NewToBowling]

Ok, when the time comes I'll try milder soap. Maybe vinegar?

[bowl1820]

Ok, when the time comes I'll try milder soap. Maybe vinegar?

I don't think I'd use vinegar (But if you did try it, use white vinegar at least). I used a hand soap.

[KYDave]

I haven't had to clean mine yet, but I can tell you the Genesis pad is by far the thickest and nicest one I've ever used.

Their instructions for cleaning were the same. Mild soap, brush, lay out to dry.

[NewToBowling]

I've cleaned my bowlingball.com leather shammy with warm water and soap and a nylon suede brush and it's fine.

You have to treat it like a car chamois, you got to use a very mild soap. Don't use dish soaps, laundry detergents, chemicals , alcohol or you'll remove the natural oils from the leather. A Chamois usually get stiff because they get too dry and loss of the natural oils in the leather.

I washed mine by hand with a hand soap and gently scrubbed it with the brush, then rinsed it thoroughly and squeezed/wrung it dry. I then stretched it out and clipped it to a coat hanger and let it air dry. Don't put it in the sun, UV is bad for it.

Just an update I did clean my leather shammy with mild soap (foam) and a soft toothbrush. It did not stiffen up the leather and still looks brand new.

[fokai73]

good to know.. I didn't know how to clean it but used warm water and hand soap. I have the Genesis pad.

[1VegasBowler]

I haven't had to clean mine yet, but I can tell you the Genesis pad is by far the thickest and nicest one I've ever used.

Their instructions for cleaning were the same. Mild soap, brush, lay out to dry.

That's exactly how I clean mine, and I've never had an issue with it.

[foreverincamo]

Couldn't you use leather cleaner that's meant for leather upholstery ?