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Overview
A simple and effective solution to all of your leather care needs is here!
Leather Mate (Urad) is the world's number one selling leather care product of its kind.
With 5 international awards to its name and avalanches of customer endorsements and testimonials, the product has enjoyed enormous success.
Its success lies in several key factors:
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It works! It lives up to its claims and usually far exceeds expectations.
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It is easy to use. It is not messy, is fast and gives a better result than other messy, time-consuming products.
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It has an extensive range of applications.
History
Urad was created by the DARU family nearly 40 years ago in Milan, Italy, for the leather furniture industry. The original name of the product, "URAD", is simply the family name, "DARU", spelled backwards. It was so popular in Europe that it made its way across the Atlantic, to Canada, where it became a bestseller almost overnight.
When the U.S. market was entered the need for a more identifiable name was realized. Hence the name "Leather Mate".
Throughout this website you will see the names "Urad" and "Leather Mate" used interchangeably. They are the same high-quality product from the same manufacturer. They simply have different packaging.
Urad does have one advantage in that it comes in a larger range of colors, but in most cases the basic "neutral" and "black" are more than sufficient. (click here for more info on colors)
Urad and Leather Mate are only for use with smooth finished leathers.
Ingredients
The principal ingredients of Leather Mate are carnauba wax and lanolin.
CARNAUBA WAX
Carnauba wax is produced by the leaves of the Carnauba Palm to protect the plant against the intense heat, harsh sunlight, humidity and constant moisture characteristic of the harsh equatorial climate of South America.
Carnauba has a very strong grain structure and is the hardest wax known to man (pure carnauba in its natural state is harder than concrete). When exposed to water, carnauba wax swells and closes its pores. Any surface coated with carnauba wax will be similarly protected.
It is this property that gives Leather Mate its "breathable" water protection. In dry weather it allows the leather to breathe normally. But when it rains, or the leather gets wet, the carnauba wax swells and blocks out the water. Carnauba is incredibly durable and dries to a deep, natural shine (in contrast to bees wax, paraffin and many synthetic waxes which tend to cloud and occlude). Furthermore, whilst beeswax melts at a relatively low 62 degrees Celsius, carnauba wax has a softening range of 83-84 degrees Celsius making it especially suitable for use in very hot climates.
Due to its many desirable qualities, carnauba wax is typically found in products such as: cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals, floor waxes, shoe and furniture polishes, leather goods and treatments, dental waxes, rubber goods and many other diverse applications.
LANOLIN
Lanolin is the oily secretion that sheep release from their skin as a defence against environmental extremes. It is extracted from shorn wool and is manufactured entirely without harm to animals.
Lanolin is white and odourless, has excellent emulsifying properties and is unlikely to turn rancid. Due to its powers of penetration, its favourable softening range, and its ability to supply body to the dressing, lanolin provides an ideal base for leather treatments.
Through centuries of use, lanolin has proven to be a wonderful emollient with highly desirable qualities in replacing oils leached through environmental harshness. Just as lanolin acts as a waterproof raincoat to the animal it imparts some of this benefit to leather goods.
Why does leather need to be cared for?
Although leather is easy to care for, it is not indestructible. Factors such as age, sunlight, perspiration, environmental conditions and everyday wear and tear cause leather to dry out. To maintain its appearance and other desirable qualities, leather requires regular care. This is best accomplished by treating the leather as we would our own skin; taking care to keep it clean and moisturised.
Leather Mate is a four-in-one product which cleans, nourishes, protects and shines all smooth leathers with no restriction on colour in a single, fast and easy application. Leather Mate dries quickly without leaving any sticky or greasy residue and will not mark your clothing or fabrics.
Ideally, apply Leather Mate to newly purchased items before you begin using them and at regular intervals thereafter.
Leather Mate is suitable for an extremely wide range of applications including most finished leathers, vinyl, rubber, plastic and even unfinished woods. Due to the wide range of modern materials, manufacturing methods and chemicals used in producing leather and imitation leather goods, it always wise to test Leather Mate on a small inconspicuous area.
Value for money
A little Leather Mate goes a long way. The fact that you use so little on the sponge means a single tub can last for years.
One jar of Leather Mate can give you 150-200 shoe shines. If that’s all you use it for, that can last for 2-3 years.
If you use it on furniture, leather clothing or other leather products, it will treat approximately 200 square feet of leather when used correctly.
Leather Mate has an extremely long shelf life and will not harden or dry out like a regular polish, allowing you to use the entire contents without wastage. When Leather Mate is shaken its consistency becomes liquid. If left to sit for a few minutes it reverts to its original paste form. If Leather Mate has been left unused for a long while its components may separate. This is easily remedied with a quick shake.
Leather Mate will accommodate most leather care requirements without the need for different colour polishes, creams or brushes.
Leather Mate will greatly extend the life of your expensive leathers thereby saving you money.
Leather Mate is not a Polish! Unlike many smelly shoe polishes that harden, coat only the surface of your leathers and pile up in your closet, Leather Mate is clean, fast and easy to use. In just 30 seconds this liquid cream goes deep down into the leather and restores its original qualities, removes most stains (including grass stains), protects and shines all colors of smooth leather and vinyl. By the time you've treated the second shoe the first one is dry.
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