Why use a toothbrush when applying cream to textured leather?
Leather goods are often wiped with a soft cloth, so an explanation mentioning using a toothbrush as a care tool may seem puzzling.
POSTALCO uses a toothbrush when applying cream to textured leather so that it can be spread evenly without stains into the fine crevices.
Wiping with a cloth only grazes the surface, but bristles reach inside the recessed grooves. Leather with a bumpy texture on the surface, such as cross-grain leather, has a different grain compared to flat leather. In general, textured leather has raised and recessed areas, so if you rub it only with a cloth, the cream easily fails to reach into the recessed gaps or clumps in one spot, leaving stains.
When caring for such leather, POSTALCO uses a toothbrush as a tool to apply cream[1]. This is because the dense bristles reach into the fine grain, helping to spread it evenly across the entire surface without stains[2][3]. It is a method of evenly replenishing oils into corners that are difficult to reach with hands or a cloth[4].
Generally, when using a toothbrush for leather care, it is best to choose soft micro-bristles instead of stiff bristles, and apply in circular motions without applying pressure so as not to scratch the surface.
The type of cream suitable for caring for textured leather and the specific application frequency have not yet been confirmed.