Tips on How to Protect Leather Furniture

If you are thinking about bringing a piece of furniture made of leather into your home, make sure you are brining that piece into an environment where it will thrive and remain as beautiful as the first time you saw the furniture.

Keep it Out of the Sun – Leather furniture is not a fan of sitting in direct sunlight. While you may want to make sure it's well-lit so everyone can see it, make sure it's artificial lighting that's shining onto your leather or else you may soon find you have a piece of furniture you don't like. Sunlight can lighten the color of your leather or make it dry out and start to crack.

Is Your Leather a Little Chilly? – Remember, leather is skin, even if it is on a piece of furniture, and may well act accordingly. If the temperature in a room is too hot or cold for your skin, it's also too hot or cold for the leather and may adversely affect it. You should also keep leather away from places where the temperatures may shift quickly, such as in front of the heater or air conditioner.

Maintaining Proper Oil Levels – Leather has oil in it. The trick is maintaining the oil level in leather. When it comes to leather furniture, the best way to do that is to not mess with it. If you alter the oils in leather, you won’t fix it. Leather can’t regenerate natural oils. You should not use oil based soaps and cleaners that may leave too much oil in the piece. You should also not use soap or detergent cleaners, as they could take the oils out of the leather. Losing the oils it needs can speed up the drying and cracking process.

Protect Instead of Trying to Clean – When you first get your leather furniture it's advisable to use a leather protector that will keep spills from seeping into the piece and causing stains. It's much easier to prevent the stains upfront, than to try and clean them up afterwards.