How To Take Care Of A Leather Bible?

If you have a leather-bound Bible, here’s how you can best take care of it.

Leather Bibles

I have a leather Bible that has outlasted every other Bible I have. My leather-bound Bible takes a lot of rough treatment (not purposely), but since I try to take care of it, it seems to have lasted me very well. I know many people who have leather Bible’s that are personalized with their names on it and this makes them even more valuable to them so naturally, they want to take care of their leather-bound Bible so that they can pass it on to their child or another family member or friend after they’re gone. Leather-bound Bibles not only last longer, if properly cared for, but they’re also easier to read because once the leather cover is broken in a bit, the Bible tends to stay open where you’re reading at and much better than conventional hardcover Bibles. That makes it much easier to study your Bible and to keep your place in Scripture.

Treatment of your Bible

Some people have taken good care of their leather Bibles over the years and haven’t used any special techniques or leather care products on them. The reason their Bible’s in good shape is because they do things like this; they keep their Bibles out of the heat and out of direct sunlight; they don’t toss it in the backseat after church, on the floorboard, or anywhere else for that matter; and they don’t let it sit on the shelf and let it gather dust. The way you treat your Bible is somewhat of a reflection on how you regard the Word of God itself. If you put it and leave it on a shelf, then that’s the way you may see God because you don’t value God enough in your life to read His Word on a daily basis. God wants full custody…and not just weekends (or Sunday morning). That applies to me as well. A leather-bound Bible that’s never opened and never used will last a lot longer, but the owner’s life may sit on the shelf, collecting dust too. The same care you’d use with an old family photo album should be the same care you use for the Bible, to say the least. That is, if you want to preserve it in good condition for as long as possible.

Maintenance

The natural oils that are in our fingers are actually absorbed into leather Bibles and they are no the worse for it, because the natural oil is in such trace amounts that it cannot be detected on the leather surface, however this oil will take its toll over the decades. The natural acid in our fingers, even in the smallest of amounts, can damage the cover over time, even though it takes years for the cumulative evidence to show. Aside from that, are there products out there that can preserve and extend the life of a leather Bible? Some claim great success in using products that have neat’s-foot oil and lanolin in about a 60/40 mix. It’s even been successful in restoring old dried up leather -covered Bibles. If you want to clean the leather cover with a safe-for-leather product, I have read good reports from those using Lexol. I have not tried this product but I didn’t read any negative reports about its use. Some recommend Dr. Martens Wonder Balsam shoe polish. In conclusion, anything with (the right kind of) oil can protect your leather Bible against moisture, it can preserve the leather’s natural oil, and it can better protect your Bible cover from food or drink spills.

A Carrying Case

I remember getting a box of bubble gum cigars after having our daughter but before I was about to toss it in the trash, I saw that my Bible fit inside of it perfectly. It had never occurred to me to provide a protective cover for my Bible. That would keep it out of direct sunlight, heat, rain, dirt, and protect it from spills. It would protect the outer cover too from wearing out as quickly. I later found a Bible cover where you can put your entire Bible inside and then zip it up inside. Its water proof, up to a point, but it’s also padded on the outside so that the padding takes the wear and tear and not the Bible. I don’t even have to take it out of its cover because my Bible still stays open where I opened it. When the Bible’s open, the zipper is long enough so that when I lay my Bible open, it stays open where I left it.

Conclusion

I favor my leather Bible over the others during Bible study, Sunday school, during sermons, or when I’m in the pew and hearing someone else preach for a change. I love it because it stays open where I left it. Maybe you’ve found some other things that work better for preserving your leather-cover Bible. If so, please leave us a comment so that we can help one another in taking care of our leather Bibles. For many of us, these Bibles are important to us because all of our notes and highlights and favorites Scriptures are marked. They show us our history from what we’ve learned, what we’ve value, and what we’ve treasured in the Word of God over our lives, so naturally we want to take care of our Bibles as best we can.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.