Leather Furniture Care
Leather Furniture
Leather is renowned for providing much greater longevity than other upholstery options, and there's also no question that it looks great... but there are still certain things that you can do in the maintenance of your leather furniture to ensure that this remains the case for a long time to come.
Keep it clean!
One of the most obvious steps that you can take in protecting your furniture is to keep it clean, and indeed, leather furniture that has attracted a bit too much dirt is perhaps especially obvious to many people, as the accumulated dust comes at the expense of this type of furniture's natural shine. That's why it's a good idea, just every couple of weeks, to give your furniture the once-over with a clean, white cloth, in addition to vacuuming the corners.
Be careful with your use of water - and no solvents!
This, however, bring us neatly onto one of the big no-nos as far as the care of leather furniture is concerned: using lots of water and soap. Fair enough, so if you have a stain to tackle, it helps to wipe the surface with a slightly damp, soft cloth, but even then, you should only use the minimum amount of water that is required, always ensuring that the water is never left stagnant on the surface. The reason for this advice is that water can lead to the disintegration of the surface of the furniture, in the process causing cracking and breaking.
For much the same reasons, you should never use soaps, cleaning solvents or ammonia on your leather furniture, as this bleaches the furniture, in the process causing even more damage than the initial stain.
Protect your leather from direct sunlight or heat
When you consider that the leather of your furniture used to be the skin of an animal, it's easy to see why you should avoid exposing it to a great amount of sunlight or heat, as doing so can lead to the leather becoming stiff, faded and cracked. That means that you should position your leather furniture well away from the fireplace or window.
Speaking of signs of wear and tear, if you have a 'favourite spot' on your leather sofa, it pays to keep a close eye on it so that it can receive extra pampering, should signs of damage occur.
Consider the use of leather conditioner
Finally, it is certainly advisable to use leather conditioner on your furniture - but yet again, that advice comes with a warning or two. Many people, for example, mistakenly believe that they should use leather conditioner as often as every month, when the reality is that using it every 6 to 12 months is perfectly sufficient. Also make sure that the exact conditioner that you choose is mild, as many of those that are available to buy are simply too strong.
