Vegetable tanned leather: one material,
Different solutions
When is the last time you went shopping? This is probably what happened: you sat at the wheel of your car and drove to the store or the mall.
You entered the store by carrying a bag or a backpack, maybe the same one you use to go to work, and that sometimes lays on the ground of the train or the bus.
You had the impression that you missed to buy something and to be sure you called at home with the phone, the same phone that before you had leaned on the desk of the office and the bar counter.
Once at the cash desk, you paid and put inside the wallet some change, receipts and coins that have passed for countless hands before ending up in yours.
Now, try to think how many bacteria you came into contact with during this short daily adventure.
You want to run wash your hands right now, don’t you? And maybe disinfect them with some special gel. But remember that not all the bacteria you touch are harmful.
Excessive and too frequent hygiene also eliminates the harmless ones, which, by their presence, prevent the proliferation of “bad” germs.
Tannin is present in many of the objects you use every day, even those you used to go shopping. Choosing vegetable tanned leather items made of tannins means having an important ally in the fight against bacteria:
Shoes
Bags
Wallets
Car Interiors
Sofas or Armchairs
Cell Phone and Tablet Covers
Thanks to its ability to bind to animal proteins, tannin absorbed by the skin during vegetable tanning process remains firmly inside the fibers and its effectiveness does not change over time.
%
of the weight of a vegetable tanned leather is made up of tannin
the amount of tannin used to make 1 kg of vegetable tanned leather
The Importance of Tannin in Everyday Objects
Tannin’s antibacterial properties have been recognized by two scientific investigations carried on by the University of Milan and by Wellmicro, spin-off of the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna.
Perhaps, in your buying decisions, you have not paid much attention to the quality of the leather. Until now. Maybe you have chosen the leather for its softness, its scent, for the sensation of touching it or because any leather object looks prestigious. But have you ever asked yourself about what kind of tanning process was used? If so, have you been offered a comprehensive answer?
Probably not.
But now you have one more reason to ask questions. You can inquire if the object you are interested in is made of vegetable tanned leather. If it is, it means that you are going to take tannin home with you and therefore count on its properties.
The effect is long-lasting, since during the tanning phase tannins chemically bind to the proteins of the hide. A shoe or a wallet made of vegetable tanned leather will always be an ally against the bacteria.
Bad Smell of Shoes, a very Common Problem
You will not believe it, but “how to prevent smelly shoes” and “how to get rid of shoe odor” are very sought-after keywords online. Maybe once you have done a similar search, too.
This embarrassing topic affects practically everyone: men and women, sport lovers and lazy people, children, teenagers and even senior people. The classic solutions are deodorant sprays, antibacterial creams, insoles eating odors. But their action is limited in time and expensive.
On the contrary, the tannin activity is permanent because prevents the formation of unpleasant odor that respects the natural physiology of the foot.
The scientific researches demonstrate that foot odor does not depend on poor hygiene, but on the shoes that we wear and in particular on the materials they are made of, an element that is strictly linked to the bacterial proliferation within these closed environments.
Leather Accessories: Shoes and Boots
Choosing shoes made of vegetable tanned leather means choosing products characterized by quality, expression of antique craftsmanship and beauty, but above all products which inhibit once and for all the cause of feet smell.
The vegetable tanned leather, in fact, absorbs the sweat and “captures” the bacteria, exposing them to contact with the tannin molecules present in its fibers.
It also favors perspiration and prevents the inside of the shoe from creating the conditions of temperature and humidity ideal for the proliferation of bacteria. From a market point of view you have 3 possible choices:
Vegetable Tanned Leather Interior Insoles
A simple solution suitable for any kind of footwear, because they can be inserted in any type of brand and model. Their fabric and effect is extremely durable.
Sole and Vegetable Tanned Interior Lining
A solution that allows sports and fashionable shoes to counteract the bacterial proliferation. The inner lining also allows a better wear resistance, even without socks.
Vegetable Tanned Leather Shoes
An integral solution. It certainly represents the best solution in the fighting against bacteria, because it also involves the outside of the shoe, the one in contact with the soil and the environment.
Other Uses of Vegetable Tanned Leather
The Romans said that Pecunia not olet: it is true, money never smells bad. But passing from hand to hand it inevitably comes into contact with bacteria. In the singular research “Dirty Money” researchers from New York University have identified over 3000 different types of bacteria on coins and banknotes circulating in the Big Apple. Storing them in a vegetable tanned leather purse or wallet can limit their proliferation
The vegetable tanned leather is used for the realization of seats and car interiors. We think of taxis or cars used for car sharing: they are means of transport where many different people sit, each with bags, suitcases, umbrellas and other objects. The conditions for a very heterogeneous bacterial ecosystem towards which seats and leather car interiors are functional, as well as elegant.
How often do you use your smartphone every day? And in how many different places? At work, on public transport, at the bar, while you are in the bathroom… some of these places do not always shine for cleanliness. And then maybe you pull it out again at home, on the couch or even in bed. Choosing covers made of vegetable tanned leather for our tablets or smartphones is an excellent solution to limit bacteria spreading in the bags and in the rooms of a house.
A New Awareness in Purchasing Decisions
The item you are about to buy is not made of vegetable tanned leather? Ask specifically what other method of tanning has been used: chromium tanning, in fact, can cause allergies in particularly sensitive subjects, while the chromium tanning with vegetable retanning allows the material to recover in large part the capacity of tannin to counteract the bacteria.
A Varied Shopping
As you can see, the choice range for your next purchases is extremely wide. Do you want more information about the benefits of tannin? Go to the page and discover the properties of tannin.