Fissatore colore di COLOURLOCK

Leather color stays in the leather with the color fixative from COLOURLOCK

What is the COLOURLOCK color fixative? A pre-treatment for leather washing: COLOURLOCK "Leather Fixative" binds loose dyes in aniline, nubuck, and multicolored leathers before water can dissolve them. Used as a soak before machine washing, it prevents bleeding in leather clothing, motorcycle suits, and lambskins.

COLOURLOCK Color Fixative is the leather repair specialist's answer to the greatest risk in washing leather: dyes that dissolve from the leather upon contact with water, staining linings, seams, and lighter sections. COLOURLOCK "Leather Fixative" is applied as a soak before washing and anchors loose dyes to the fiber, ensuring that dyed leather can withstand machine washing without losing color. Developed from professional repair practice since 1995, now under the Koch-Chemie umbrella.

• Fixing before washing instead of trouble after. The fixative bonds to dyes that were not firmly set by the tannery and anchors them in the top layer of the leather. This does not create a visible film; the color and feel of the leather remain unchanged.
• A soak, about 60 minutes. Use approx. 50 ml per 5 to 10 liters of lukewarm water, soak the leather item completely, agitate occasionally, let it drip, and put it directly into the machine without rinsing. For a complete motorcycle suit, the manufacturer recommends double the amount.
• For leathers that really bleed. Aniline and nubuck leathers, intensely dyed and multicolored items, and leather-textile combinations benefit the most. The 100 ml bottle covers individual garments, while the 1000 ml / 1 liter container supplies those who regularly wash leather clothing or pelts.

Pro-tip from Detailing1: Do not rely on leather being colorfast just because it has never stained while dry. Almost every leather holds its color when dry — only water, detergent, and the movement of the drum mobilize the dyes. The test takes 30 seconds: rub a white, damp cloth over a hidden area of the leather with some pressure. If the cloth remains white, the wash concentrate alone is sufficient. If it takes on color, the item needs to spend an hour in a fixative bath before washing — once a lining is stained, no wash cycle will get it clean again.

It is the water, not the detergent, that releases the color

Aniline and nubuck leathers carry their color as a dye-through, not as a closed pigment layer — some of the dyes are only loosely seated between the fibers. As long as the leather stays dry, this bond generally holds up in everyday use.

In the wash, conditions change completely. Water penetrates the capillaries of the leather, surfactants lower the surface tension and carry it even deeper, and the drum moves the material for over an hour. Experts call the result dye migration: loose color molecules travel with the moisture to places they do not belong. This becomes visible as stained linings, blotchy light-colored seams, or a color cast on everything else in the drum.

How mobile such dyes are is evident even without a washing machine. We regularly receive inquiries about light-colored leather seats that have taken on the color of a jacket or dark jeans after a warm day — moisture and slight pressure are enough for the transfer. What is annoying in a car in isolated spots happens extensively during washing and on both sides of the leather.

The reverse is also a constant issue: jackets that bleed onto shirts every time they are worn — wiping it off only helps until the next time you sweat, because moisture continuously brings loose dyes back to the surface.

Combinations of leather and textile are hit hardest. Fabric inserts, knit cuffs, and light-colored linings act like blotting paper in wash water: they immediately soak up the dissolved dyes and hold onto them — the typical motorcycle suit with gray or white inserts shows the most distinct traces exactly there after an unprotected wash. And the more color borders an item has, the more zones there are where color can migrate.

Refraining from washing is the worse answer, however. Sweat, body oils, and road dirt continue to work in leather clothing and motorcycle suits, making the material hard and dull over the years. Washing is correct — it just needs the right preparation, and that is exactly what this category is for.

Fixing binds loose dyes before water reaches them

COLOURLOCK "Leather Fixative" addresses the root cause: dyes that are not firmly bound to the leather fiber. The fixing component specifically attaches to these loose molecules and cross-links them with the fiber.

The binding matrix acts like an anchor, fixing every loose color molecule in place before water can pick it up. This means for you: the wash water remains largely clear, the lining retains its color, and the leather comes out of the machine in the same shade it went in.

In addition to dyes, the formula also fixes tannins — the substances from leather production that turn hide into leather and also start to move when wet. They are the ones that leave the typical dark edges on drying water stains. In everyday life, this means: fixing not only calms the color but also the material itself — the reason why the fixative is also used on aniline leather against water spots.

This does not create a visible film. The fixative works within the top layer of the leather, does not change the color or feel, and leaves the leather breathable — the prerequisite for open-pored leather to be treatable at all. This distinguishes it from sealants that lay a layer on the surface.

It is no coincidence that a repair specialist developed this pre-treatment. COLOURLOCK has been re-dying leather since 1995 and must be able to permanently fix these colors — the wash preparation uses the same expertise in the opposite direction: it stabilizes the color that is already there so that re-dyeing does not become necessary in the first place.

An hour-long soak determines the success of the entire wash

The color fixative is not added to the machine, but applied beforehand in a basin or tub: about 50 ml per 5 to 10 liters of lukewarm water; use double the amount for a complete motorcycle suit.

Immerse the leather item completely and let it soak for at least 60 minutes, agitating occasionally so that the fixing solution reaches all areas — seams, folds, and double layers take the longest. Afterwards, let it drip and put the item directly into the washing machine without rinsing. Gloves should be worn when working with the solution.

Lukewarm means lukewarm: hot water would fuel the exact color mobility that the bath is meant to prevent, and leather does not handle temperature spikes well anyway. The bath itself remains pure — the wash concentrate is only added in the subsequent wash cycle, not in the tub.

The effort seems high the first time, but the active steps are done in a few minutes — the rest is waiting time that you do not have to spend by the basin. Simply plan the hour into your wash day: fix in the morning, wash at noon, and the rest of the day is for drying.

From daily life at Detailing1, we can clearly identify the most common procedural error: the well-intentioned rinsing after the bath. You wash out part of the fixative before it could work in the wash cycle. Dripping is sufficient — the machine does the rest.

Color fixative and wash concentrate work as a pair

Fixing is step one, the actual washing is step two — for this, the leather wash concentrate is ready, which COLOURLOCK developed exactly for this use.

COLOURLOCK "Leather & Fur Wash Concentrate" cleans with mild, leather-compatible surfactants that dissolve dirt and odors without stripping the leather of its oils — the reason why leather washed with this stays supple instead of becoming board-stiff. Wash on a delicate cycle at a low temperature and low spin speed.

Dry flat at room temperature — not in the dryer, not on the heater, not in the sun. Rapid heat abruptly removes moisture from the leather and causes the fibers to harden; exactly the damage that mild washing is meant to avoid would occur during drying. Pull the item into shape in between, and gently brush pelts after drying.

The final step is re-oiling — washing always removes some oil from the leather, which needs to be replaced, otherwise the material will become stiff over the next few months. You can find the right products for this in the COLOURLOCK care range, from re-oiling oil to care milk.

Together, this creates a fixed sequence: test, fix, wash, dry flat, re-oil. Each step secures the next — the fixative protects the color, the concentrate protects the oils, and the care product protects the suppleness. Anyone who has gone through the chain once understands why textile detergents and tumble dryers do not appear in this list.

The color fixative fixes existing color and does not re-dye

What is faded or worn remains faded after fixing. The fixative stabilizes the dyes that are already in the leather — it does not replace any. For lost color, the dyeing and repair line from COLOURLOCK is responsible, not the wash preparation.

The second boundary is set by the leather itself: the fixative does not make material machine-washable if it is not already. Wash only what the manufacturer of the garment declares as washable — very delicate, untreated aniline leathers without this approval should stay out, with or without fixation.

And even when fixed, not every leather is immediately completely colorfast. We tested an older, strongly bleeding nubuck through the bath and checked it again with a white cloth: significantly calmer, but only after a second run did the surface stop releasing color. For extremely bleeding leathers, the manufacturer expressly suggests a repetition — plan for it instead of being disappointed.

Honest assessment also means: colorfast, pigmented everyday leathers often do not need the fixative at all. If the white cloth remains white in the test, wash directly with the concentrate and save yourself the bath and waiting time. There is, however, a secondary use: water stains and marks on natural and aniline leathers can be treated with the fixative according to the manufacturer — and for individual stains that do not justify a complete wash, the Aniline & Nubuck Cleaner is the smaller first step.

When your leather really needs fixation

The decision follows the leather, not caution. Multicolored leather items and leather-textile combinations always belong in the fixative bath — every color border is a zone where dyes can migrate during washing. For intensive single colors like red or cognac, the cloth test decides; when in doubt, choose fixation. Solid dark items with a color-matched lining usually survive the wash with the concentrate alone.

The classic case is the motorcycle suit: almost always multicolored, sweaty on the inside, road-dirty on the outside — and too expensive to experiment with. For them, the full procedure applies with double the fixative amount in a tub bath, followed by the machine wash with the concentrate. Lambskins and leather accessories follow the same pattern, just with smaller baths.

The world of application goes far beyond the car. Leather jackets and pants, riding gear and gloves, bags, and lambskin items all follow the same principle: what is dyed and allowed to be washed benefits from the fixative beforehand. Anyone who maintains their car leather and happens to have a motorcycle suit in the closet covers both with this category.

With container sizes, the choice is easy: the 100 ml bottle is enough for an individual garment that goes into the wash every few years. Those who regularly wash leather clothing, pelts, or customer items should reach for the 1000 ml / 1 liter size and thus have the fixative bath permanently on the shelf. All components of leather washing are bundled under Leather Wash & Color Fixative from COLOURLOCK.

The most important rule of the entire category costs nothing: 30 seconds with a white cloth before every leather wash. If it stains, the hour in the fixative bath is not exaggerated caution, but the difference between freshly washed leather and a lining the color of the jacket.