How Can I Maintain Leather Upholstery?

Once you have added leather furniture in your home, you will want to keep it looking as beautiful as it did the day you bought it. Leather furniture pieces are a pricey acquisition compared to other pieces of furniture, so you definitely want them to last as long as possible and be worth the money you spend. The factors that determine how long leather furniture will last depend on the quality of the craftsmanship of the furniture and how well you take care of your new piece of furniture.

Leather Sofa

A lot of people think all leather is the same, so if you clean the leather in your car or on a saddle, it would work on your furniture as well. It’s not true. Saddle soap and other similar items are oil-based cleaners. This means the cleaner can encourage your leather to stretch and eventually pull away from the seams making it no longer have the original look. Oil-based cleaners can also affect the dyes used in the leather by altering the colors.

You should take a more simple approach to cleaning your leather. Dust it down regularly, and if you need to clean it, wipe it with a damp cloth. After every third month, you should also use a leather conditioner to treat the leather.

Leather Recliner

If you do get a stain in your leather furniture, don't panic. There are plenty of ways to get stains out of leather. If it's a liquid spill, you may not have to do anything other than use a cloth to carefully absorb the spill. Much like stains in your carpet you keep using dry areas of the cloth to absorb the spill until it's gone. Then let the furniture air dry. If the spill doesn’t come out, you can use a leather cleaner.

Some parts of your leather furniture, including the head rests and arm rests on sofas and recliners, need more attention. These are areas that are regularly in contact with human skin and the oils and sprays we put in our hair. Those oils can sink into the leather and alter its color. You will need to keep a closer eye on those areas of your leather furniture and clean them more frequently to ensure longer lasting quality.