Leather Furniture Care
If cared for and maintained properly, leather will last much longer than other upholstery. Because leather is a natural product that has already been permanently preserved during the tanning process, caring and maintaining your leather furniture requires little effort on your part as long as you understand what to do. There are a few steps you can take to avoid permanent damage to your leather furniture and to keep it looking its best.
Preventing Leather Furniture Damage
Like wood and other upholstery fabrics, leather can fade, stiffen and crack when placed to close to heat sources, excessive exposure to sunlight, and high or low humidity levels. While you
should always follow your leather furniture manufacturer’s specific care
instructions, here are a few tips to help protect leather furniture from
damage:
- To prevent fading try to place your leather furniture in locations where it will not be exposed to excessive sunlight levels. Use shades, blinds, draperies or window tinting to help block UV rays.
- Maintain a safe distance between your leather furniture and heat sources in your home. Prolonged exposure to heat can damage both your leather furniture’s upholstery and the framing used in the furniture.
- Prevent cracking and mold formation by maintaining proper climate levels in your home. Excessively low relative humidity levels and high heat can lead to cracking in leather upholstery; excessively high humidity levels can promote mold growth. All of these conditions are also harmful for the wood frame of your furniture.
- Sharp objects, including pets with sharp claws, can create tears and scratches in the leather upholstery. While small tears and scratches are not usually difficult to repair, it’s best to avoid them in the first place.
- Be aware that printers’ inks from newspapers or glossy magazine covers can leach into the leather under prolonged contact.
- Avoid using harmful household products near your leather furniture. Avoid spills and damage that may occur from ink pens, nail polish, nail polish remover and other caustic substances.
Tips for Cleaning and Maintaining Leather Furniture
Here are a few tips for
cleaning and maintaining the beauty of your leather furniture.
- Dust leather furniture weekly using a white soft cloth to dust and clean your leather furniture. You can also use the soft brush attachment on your vacuum. The crack and crevice attachment on your vacuum works great for hard-to-reach areas. To clean accumulated dirt especially in high usage areas like arm or headrests, a slightly damp cloth may also be used.
- Fluff and turn detached cushions regularly for even wear and for helping to minimize any "comfort wrinkles" that may develop in the leather.
- For spills, immediately use a dry cloth to blot and let it air-dry. It is important to blot instead of wiping as you want to get all the moisture out instead of spreading it.
- If you must use a cleaner on a stubborn spot, use one that’s chemical free. First check your manufacturer’s care instructions for suggestions. Cleaning products specifically made for leather furniture are available commercially, although not all of them work. Ivory soap often works well. Do NOT use furniture polish, any ammonia-based cleaning products or any abrasives on leather. Always pretest on an inconspicuous area first.
- Do not apply water to oil or grease spots. Clean up excess oil, butter or grease with a clean, dry cloth. Given time, oils and grease often dissipate into leather on their own.
- If spots or stains persist, consult a professional leather cleaning service. Better safe than sorry, since additional attempts may cause permanent damage or discoloration.
- Small scratches and scuffs in leather furniture often heal over time and become less noticeable. You can use a chamois or clean fingers to gently buff scratches and scuffs. Scuffs can also often be buffed out with leather cleaner/conditioner. Any noticeable deep scratches in leather upholstery can be touched up with a commercial leather dye touch up kit.
- Apply a good leather conditioner every 6-12 months. Leather conditioners help keep leather furniture supple while also helping to seal the leather for protection against spills and stains.
