Cleaning Leather Furniture

Types of Leather Upholstery

There are basically three types of leather upholstery:

• Pigmented leather is designed for heavy use and dyed to increase its resistance. It is very easy to clean, as well as being resistant to fading.
• Aniline leather is tanned and coloured with transparent aniline dyes. It looks very good, allowing you to see the original colour hues of the leather, and feels great to the hand. However, it is not as easy to clean as pigmented leather and is less resistant to fading.
• Bomber or chaps is the finest looking leather. It is aniline dyed with no protection applied to it. It is very difficult to clean and, in time, it develops a character of its own, taking a bit of the owner's personality.

How to Clean Leather Furniture

Leather furniture needs less care than fabric covered furniture. However, it needs some cleaning and caring to keep its stylish appearance. There are three types of cleaning that leather upholstered furniture needs.

Weekly cleaning

In order to maintain your leather furniture you've got to dust it on a weekly basis, using a soft cloth. To make it more shiny, mix one part white vinegar and two parts linseed oil and apply it to the furniture. Work in a circular motion and make sure you're covering the whole surface. After you've finished rubbing, let it sit for about ten minutes and then repeat with a soft cloth.

Stain cleaning

For food spots and spills, use a soft cloth or sponge to absorb the excessive liquid and then clean the spot with some mild soap and warm water.

For more stubborn stains, such as ink, dip a cotton cloth in rubbing alcohol and use it to rub over the spot. After you've finished, let it air dry or use a blow dryer. If the stain is still there, try using some no-gel and non-oily cuticle remover. Leave it on the spot until the next day and then wipe it off with a soft cloth. For butter, oil or grease spots, use only a soft cloth to remove the stain and don't apply water. The stain should disappear by itself in a short period of time.

Quarterly cleaning

You have to clean your leather furniture thoroughly four times a year. Use a quality leather cleaner and pay special attention to surfaces such as arms, backs and seats. After you've finished with the cleaning, apply some high quality leather conditioner to make sure you will keep your furniture looking good for many years.

Precautions

There's a couple of special precautions that you should keep in mind to ensure you won't ruin your leather upholstered furniture:

• Never use abrasive cleansers, saddle soap, varnish, furniture polish oil or ammonia water on your leather furniture.
• Wipe liquid spills immediately - otherwise, the leather might absorb the liquid and you may never be able to remove the spot.

The unique style of leather upholstery along with its low maintenance needs is what has made it so popular in recent years. With a bit of cleaning and caring, your leather furniture will develop a lustre which will enhance its beauty over the years.