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Appl3FTW

macrumors 603
Original poster
Nov 15, 2012
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how do you protect the bottom stainless steel? I hate thinking it’s unprotected down there.
 
how do you protect the bottom stainless steel? I hate thinking it’s unprotected down there.
I've used the Apple leather cases for my last 2 phones (6Plus, 6SPlus) preceding this one. I never got any scratches on the bottom edge, and I have dropped the 6SPlus multiple times on hard surfaces, face up, face down, from about 4 feet height. Fortunately, though the surfaces were hard, they were even/smooth. So no scratches, dents or cracks. I'm not really hard on my devices...so these leather cases are enough for me. I did consider getting a super-case, like the RhinoShield (which gets excellent reviews all around), but I don't want to bulk up the slim beauty of this latest phone. I'm so enjoying the fact that it fits with room to spare in all of my jacket pockets and pants as well. The 6SPlus would fit in pants pockets, but was like a giant block, and uncomfortable. The new form factor is perfect.
 
One more question for leather Case users. I just picked up the saddle brown and ran into my first issue...how do you guys sanitize this Case? What methods if any keep the germs off the case
 
One more question for leather Case users. I just picked up the saddle brown and ran into my first issue...how do you guys sanitize this Case? What methods if any keep the germs off the case

A lot of saddle brown users specifically don't try to clean their leather cases. We like the nasty, dirty patina that appears after a few months of use. It looks more like a saddle at that point. :)

I realize that you want to clean it, but I thought I'd share an alternative point of view.

AA1LUMw.jpg
 
One more question for leather Case users. I just picked up the saddle brown and ran into my first issue...how do you guys sanitize this Case? What methods if any keep the germs off the case
You can’t really clean genuine leather. The more it ages the better it looks. I think of my Louis Vuitton purses. Looks great as it ages.
I guess you can use non alcholoc baby wipes. And use leather protectant for your case.
 
I'll echo what the others have said, let the leather age - this particular color will look beautiful. This is the color I got this year (saddle brown), I have had Navy for the last 2 years (and Product Red before that).

In terms of cleaning, I wipe mine down with a damp cloth (the back). I do the same with the screen, just a warm damp sponge/cloth regularly. At some point I may lightly oil the case with a leather cleaner/conditioner.
 
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One more question for leather Case users. I just picked up the saddle brown and ran into my first issue...how do you guys sanitize this Case? What methods if any keep the germs off the case
I bought a box of alcohol prep pads from the drug store, the type they use to clean your skin before giving you a shot. It was only a couple bucks for 200 and they have enough abrasion to them to do a decent job of cleaning as well as disinfecting. Some may say its not the ideal solution to treat leather, but I like that it leaves the case feeling "clean" and oil free, and I've seen no damage result after using them long term. I also use them to disinfect/clean my AirPods and might be useful to clean any other object you handle routinely.
 
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Mild solution of soap and water on a slightly damp cloth.

“Use a clean cloth with warm water and mild hand soap to gently clean the iPhone case. You can also use a mild cleaner along with a dry clean cloth. Leather cleaners and conditioners can change the color of leather. Keep your iPhone case away from prolonged intense sunlight, heat, and humidity.”

Source:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172
 
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I've used the Apple leather cases for my last 2 phones (6Plus, 6SPlus) preceding this one. I never got any scratches on the bottom edge, and I have dropped the 6SPlus multiple times on hard surfaces, face up, face down, from about 4 feet height. Fortunately, though the surfaces were hard, they were even/smooth. So no scratches, dents or cracks. I'm not really hard on my devices...so these leather cases are enough for me. I did consider getting a super-case, like the RhinoShield (which gets excellent reviews all around), but I don't want to bulk up the slim beauty of this latest phone. I'm so enjoying the fact that it fits with room to spare in all of my jacket pockets and pants as well. The 6SPlus would fit in pants pockets, but was like a giant block, and uncomfortable. The new form factor is perfect.

Did the leather chip or peel revealing the hard plastic when dropped?
 
I’ve used the leather Apple case for years and the iPhone X was no different. For some reason, though, the leather feels a lot slicker with not much tack. I shelved it for now for the Caudabe Veil XT. Minimal size but just enough grip to make it comfortable in my hand.
 
One more question for leather Case users. I just picked up the saddle brown and ran into my first issue...how do you guys sanitize this Case? What methods if any keep the germs off the case

Once every few months, I might pour isopropyl on the leather. It dries the leather out, and opens it up for any new oils or treatment you might want to use on it. I don't care too much, so I spray some of my cologne on it, and it smells nice for a few weeks.

After 4 years of this sort of treatment.

iP6-2.jpg
 
Once every few months, I might pour isopropyl on the leather. It dries the leather out, and opens it up for any new oils or treatment you might want to use on it. I don't care too much, so I spray some of my cologne on it, and it smells nice for a few weeks.

After 4 years of this sort of treatment.

View attachment 735126

Now that is a sweet looking case.
 
If you really care, use Lexol Leather Cleaner or Saddle Soap, and then condition with coconut oil. Alcohol is a bad idea.
 
If you really care, use Lexol Leather Cleaner or Saddle Soap, and then condition with coconut oil. Alcohol is a bad idea.

Yes, alcohol is generally bad for leather. I'm only using it because this case won't be something I'm keeping for more than a few years. This would not be for something more long-term like watch bands or shoes.
 
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Once every few months, I might pour isopropyl on the leather. It dries the leather out, and opens it up for any new oils or treatment you might want to use on it. I don't care too much, so I spray some of my cologne on it, and it smells nice for a few weeks.

After 4 years of this sort of treatment.

View attachment 735126
I do have to say I really like what you've done with the case! Also - the scent/cologne is a nice touch, I would imagine that after a few months of regular scent application it will keep a faint echo of the cologne. Which makes me wonder...what would a nice mixture of essential oils do to the endurance of a scent in the leather? I'm thinking Atlas Cedar, Clary Sage, and/or Rosewood (or whatever your favorite scent flavors are). Any of those solo, or mixed and rubbed in with a conditioner might be interesting.
 
A lot of saddle brown users specifically don't try to clean their leather cases. We like the nasty, dirty patina that appears after a few months of use. It looks more like a saddle at that point. :)

I realize that you want to clean it, but I thought I'd share an alternative point of view.

View attachment 734843


This looks great! Picking up my saddle brown tomorrow and not a fan of what it looks like out of the box. Hoping mine looks close to yours after a few months.
 
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Once every few months, I might pour isopropyl on the leather. It dries the leather out, and opens it up for any new oils or treatment you might want to use on it. I don't care too much, so I spray some of my cologne on it, and it smells nice for a few weeks.

After 4 years of this sort of treatment.

View attachment 735126

One of the best used saddle brown case I’ve seen around! It’s true that as long as the phone is protected what the case looks like doesn’t really matter
 
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