Leather is such a gorgeous and supple natural material, but it does require some upkeep to maintain its luster, shine, and integrity. Before you try any kind of leather upkeep, however, you’ll want to determine if your leather furniture is pure leather (or pure aniline leather, if it’s dyed) or protected leather (or protected aniline leather, if it’s dyed). You should be able to look at the product details on your couch, sofa, or armchair to determine this, or you can have one of Florida Leather Gallery’s leather experts assess your furniture to determine what kind of leather you’ll be working with.
How to Care for Pure Leather
If your leather is pure, unprotected leather, you’ll want to make sure to keep it out of excess sunlight, since it will fade more easily over time than protected leather will. You’ll also want to make sure that when you clean and condition it, you’re using products that are safe for pure leather. Avoid home remedies, since there’s no guarantee that the chemicals (even in natural home cleaners) won’t react poorly with the unprotected leather. If you’re worried about damaging the pure leather, you can always hire a professional leather cleaner to come take care of any issues for you, and you might want to set up a recurring appointment for the leather expert to come and condition your pure leather furniture once or twice a year to prevent cracking.
Another good home test for whether your leather furniture is pure or protected is to find a discreet place to test the leather. Test it by lightly scratching the leather with your fingernail. If your fingernail leaves a mark, odds are good that it’s pure, unprotected leather. If there is no mark left, you probably have protected leather furniture that you can clean yourself easily.
How to Care for Protected Leather
Most leather furniture these days is protected. If you have protected leather furniture, it is less likely to crack or fade when left in direct sunlight, but you should probably keep an eye on your furniture and move or rearrange as needed in your space so that the leather is not continually exposed to dry climes and direct sunlight.
To clean and condition protected leather, there are a number of things you can try. Always try out any cleaning or conditioning product on a hidden spot so that if there is a bad reaction to the product, it does not ruin the look of the entire piece. Whatever you do, do not use products containing oils, varnish, ammonia water, or abrasive cleaners like cleaning solvents or furniture polish. Most of the time, you should be able to clean stains with a clean dry cloth, or with a little tiny bit of water. If you do clean with water, make sure to thoroughly dry the area so as to prevent water damage to your leather. If your protected leather starts to crack, you should be able to buff it out with leather conditioner and a chamois cloth.
For any other leather cleaning questions, please do not hesitate to contact our leather experts at Florida Leather Gallery, who can help you decide how to handle stains, cracks, or larger repair jobs.
