Koch-Chemie × COLOURLOCK COLOURLOCK "Leather Wash Set"

Machine Washing Removable Leather Parts Without Color Bleeding

What is the COLOURLOCK Leather Wash Set? A two-component leather detergent consisting of wash concentrate and separate color fixative for machine or hand deep cleaning of washable genuine leather at a maximum of 35 degrees Celsius. Not suitable for permanently installed car seats, exotic aniline leather, and furs with washable tanning.

The COLOURLOCK Leather Wash Set is a leather detergent set from Koch-Chemie consisting of a mild wash concentrate and an acidic color fixative. The concentrate follows a tanner's recipe and returns fats to the leather during washing, instead of rinsing them out. The fixative applies a protective layer to the pigments before washing, preventing dark colors from bleeding into light inlays during the 35-degree rinse.

Regular heavy-duty detergents are alkaline and strip the leather of its natural softeners. The result is a rock-hard piece that can no longer be worn or upholstered. The COLOURLOCK set is the counter-logic to this: slightly acidic, re-greasing, with a separate color lock. The brand has been part of Koch-Chemie since the end of 2023; the formulation has remained unchanged after the takeover, and the containers now feature the white KCX design.

• Two-bath workflow to prevent color bleeding. The included 100 ml fixative is prepared in a separate tub with 5 to 10 liters of lukewarm water before washing. A 60-minute soaking time anchors the pigments in the leather fibers before the concentrate cleans at 35 degrees in the machine. Pure all-in-one leather detergents do not have this pigment lock. For you, this means dark stitching lines on a white motorcycle suit won't bleed, the set keeps the colors where the tanner put them.
• Re-greasing with lanolin according to a tanner's recipe. The concentrate contains mild surfactants and lanolin derivatives that return to the open pores, while sweat, sebum, and road dust are dissolved. 80 to 125 ml of concentrate (about one-third to half a bottle) is sufficient per machine wash. The leather is supple after drying, not stiff. In everyday life: you put the suit back on without having to break it in for two weeks.
• Freely available, no private customer restriction. The set is not B2B-only and can be ordered without professional proof. Nevertheless, the concentrate is chemically potent, eye protection and nitrile gloves are mandatory when mixing, safety instructions are in the data sheet. Practical: you don't need a business license, but respect for a strong product.

Practical tip from Detailing1: We often see users pouring the fixative into the washing machine's detergent drawer. It doesn't work there. The fixative needs standing water and 60 minutes to anchor itself in the leather fibers. Prepare 50 ml in a tub with 5 to 10 liters of lukewarm water, place the leather parts in it, and then transfer them moist into the drum without rinsing.

From our experience: throwing two to three clean tennis balls into the cold air dryer breaks up bonded fibers faster. The leather is supple after 30 minutes instead of two days of air drying. No manufacturer writes this trick into the official instructions.

Four phases from pre-treatment to milled leather

The set only works if the four phases of pre-wash, fixative bath, machine wash, and milling are consistently followed sequentially. Shortcutting will either ruin the color or the structure of the leather.

Heavily soiled areas such as collars, cuffs, and linings are first pre-treated undiluted with the concentrate and a soft leather brush. Without this pre-wash, coarse dirt will simply remain during the machine wash.

Then comes the fixative bath in a tub: 50 ml in 5 to 10 liters of lukewarm water, 60 minutes soaking time, move briefly every 15 minutes. The moist parts are then transferred directly into the drum without rinsing, along with 80 to 125 ml of concentrate on a wool wash cycle at a maximum of 35 degrees.

Higher temperatures cause the leather proteins to curdle and the material shrinks irreversibly. We regularly hear of covers that came out of the drum several clothing sizes smaller because the water was too warm or drying was done on a heater. This is not a marketing note, it's a physical limit.

After spinning, the critical phase follows: milling. The semi-dry leather is stretched and kneaded in all directions until the fibers are flexible again. Completely dry pieces can alternatively be tumbled soft for 15 to 30 minutes in a dryer with cold air, turned inside out, never with heat. Air drying takes one to two days, lying flat on towels or hanging shape-stable at room temperature, no heater, no sun.

If you want to add aftercare to the workflow, the COLOURLOCK Care & Waterproofing Oil is the right impregnation for smooth leather. Without impregnation, the fiber remains supple but loses the water repellency that protects the leather from subsequent soiling in everyday use.

Structural wash dissolves dirt, not migrated pigments

The Leather Wash Set removes sweat, sebum, and road dust from the leather structure. Chemical pigment migrations such as denim dye transfer on light nappa are beyond its reach.

Standard applications include sweaty motorcycle suits and pilot jackets, classic leather cases, removable vintage car covers, leather gloves with ingrained sweat marks, historical saddle straps, and equestrian equipment. Lambskin with firm tanning is also suitable. Forums such as autopflegeforum.eu and fahrzeugpflegeforum.de refer to the concentrate as a reference for machine leather washing. Users consistently report that the leather does not harden with correct drying.

Unwashable remain open-pore aniline leathers in strong composite, very porous old leathers, exotic leather types, and furs with washable tanning. In these substrates, the water also dissolves the tanning, and the piece loses its structure. If dark pigment spots are not superficial but have migrated into the leather color, even intensive washing will not help. Then re-pigmentation with COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh is the next step.

A second honest limitation: deeply ingrained mold or mildew odor in foam padding cannot be removed by washing alone, because the spores do not even reach the leather; they are under the cover. Here, the padding must be disassembled, otherwise the odor will return after three days.

If, on the other hand, only a quick wipe-down cleaning of the car interior without disassembly is required, then the COLOURLOCK Leather Cleaner Mild is the right choice, as it works on permanently installed car seats. If you need to wash dark and light leather parts separately and only need the fixative lock individually, choose the COLOURLOCK Leather Fixative in a single bottle.

For saddlers and restorers, not for wipe-down care

The set is aimed at users who machine wash removable leather parts and invest three hours plus drying time. For everything else, it is too elaborate.

The main target group includes saddleries, trained leather reconditioners, restorers of classic convertibles and vintage cars, and motorcycle suit cleaners. The assortment of 250 ml concentrate plus 100 ml fixative is sufficient for three to five machine washes or a larger saddler order. In regular wash-and-wax detailing on permanently installed car seats, the set plays no role. Seats cannot be put in the machine; here, the Leather Cleaner Mild is already ready in the wiping tray.

Hobby enthusiasts who clean a motorcycle suit once a year also benefit, provided they take the afternoon for it. Three hours of active time plus one to two days of drying is the honest effort estimate; less is not realistic.

An important consequence that reconditioners should discuss with the end customer before each job: scratches, fading, and patina concealed by dirt will become prominently visible after deep washing. A leather wash often necessitates subsequent color refreshment with Leather Fresh, otherwise the customer will be more disappointed after cleaning than before. A photo log of the prior condition, reviewed with the customer, prevents the expectation gap between "five hours of work" and "looks like new."

The one Detailing1 insight that no marketing brochure writes: after every leather wash cycle, the machine itself must be degreased. The concentrate contains a lot of lanolin, and at 35 degrees, a sticky grease film inevitably remains in the drum and hoses. Without post-cleaning, it will ruin the next textile wash, often only two washes later, when shirts suddenly come out of the drum greasy. A blank run at 60 to 90 degrees with a strong degreasing heavy-duty detergent is sufficient.

This is the hour of effort between a satisfied saddler customer and a family with greasy shirts. Exactly where most people shorten the workflow. Whoever buys the leather detergent set buys not only the two bottles, but the commitment to consistently complete the workflow, from the fixative bath to the 35-degree limit to the subsequent machine cleaning cycle.

Application of the COLOURLOCK Leather Wash Set

From Fixative Bath to Finished Tumbler-Tumbled Leather Suit

Heavily soiled areas should first be pre-treated undiluted with the concentrate and a soft leather brush, especially collars, cuffs, and lining. This is the pre-wash; without it, coarse dirt will remain during the machine wash.

Add 50 ml of fixative to a separate tub with 5 to 10 liters of lukewarm water, soak the leather parts for 60 minutes, and move them briefly every 15 minutes. The acidic bath anchors the pigments and prevents dark colors from bleeding into light inlays during the wash cycle.

Transfer the damp parts directly into the washing machine without rinsing. Add 80 to 125 ml of concentrate and wash on a wool cycle at a maximum of 35 degrees. Higher temperatures will cause the leather proteins to coagulate, shrinking the material by several clothing sizes and making it board-hard.

After spinning, the semi-dry leather is stretched and kneaded in all directions; this tumbling breaks up bonded fibers. Alternatively, tumble dry for 15 to 30 minutes with cold air, turned inside out. Never use heat. Air drying takes one to two days, laid flat at room temperature. For final waterproofing, we recommend COLOURLOCK Care & Waterproofing Oil.

Notes: Open-pored aniline leathers in a composite, very porous old leathers, exotic leather types, and furs with washable tanning are not washable. For black and white combinations, the fixative bath is mandatory; otherwise, the dark color will bleed into the light. After each leather wash cycle, the machine itself must be degreased; an empty cycle at 60 to 90 degrees with a fat-dissolving heavy-duty detergent is sufficient. Wear nitrile gloves and eye protection when mixing. Store frost-free between 5 and 30 degrees; shelf life after opening is 24 months.