by BretMan » May 9th, 2009, 9:19 pm
The cheapest route to go, if that is an issue, would probably be to try a couple of light coats of petroleum jelly. Just about every household has a jar of it already, and if you don't you can get one for a buck at a discount store.
Petroleum jelly is a tried-and-true leather conditioner. Personally, I prefer the results I get from either Lexol, pure lanolin or a lanolin-based product. Those can be kind of pricey. Petroleum jelly comes in a close third for the results you'll get and is dirt cheap.
PJ will give you some cleaning benefits, as well as softening the leather. It tends to cause dirt to come out of the pores of leather a bit and it can then be wiped off.
If the leather is dusty or dirty, a good cleaning can help with the glove's appearance and softness before applying a conditioner. Even just hitting the glove with a shoe brush, or wiping it down with a damp sponge or rag can remove a lot of dirt.
Lexol makes a great cleaner, but is is as expensive as their conditioner. Fast Orange hand cleaner, designed to dissolve grease and grime, can be found for a couple of dollars a bottle in some discount stores. It's the stuff I use on the dirtiest, grungiest gloves I restore.
A pretty good- and cheap!- leather cleaner can be made from a 50/50 mix of Murphy's Oil Soap and water, mixed in a spray bottle. This does a great job on all but the grimiest of gloves.
The expensive cleaners and conditioners can give you fantastic results, but almost as fantastic results can be acheived with relatively cheap, readily available household products.