Across many households all over the world, leather has carried a reputation for being a material that requires high maintenance and frequent treatment. And the last thing you want after you just splurged on the most comfortable leather stressless recliner in the world is watch it fade, crack, and turn to dust. However, leather is simple to care for and can be maintained with a little elbow grease. Here are five helpful tips for you to maintain your leather furniture.
Clean Spills Quickly
Leaving any kind of stain or spill on leather furniture for an extended period of time will provide a stain that will be extremely difficult to remove. You will want to use a soft cloth and allow the leather to air dry afterward.
Sometimes, however, you may not catch a spill on time and you will have a localized blemish that won’t be removed so easily. If that were to happen, then continue to wipe in the area, but spread the spill to the edges or section of the leather. That way, you will be eliminating the line that surrounds the watermark, which is the clearest sign that a stain is there. It is ideal, however, that you wipe a spill the second that you see it.
Cleaning Up Scratches
Aside from spills, something that never seems to escape leather furniture – scratches. However, you can take solace in the fact that leather scratches are very easy to clean. If you first notice a scratch, you will want to take advantage of the natural oils on your fingertips and rub at the scratch so it can blend in with the oils on the furniture. This effectively fills the scratch and makes it look as if a scratch never existed.
However, the scratch may end up being too deep for this fix. In those situations, you will want to use a can of shoe polish that matches the leather and blends it with the sofa. Neatsfoot Oil is a common solution for many, and not only does it help with leather scratches, but it makes the furniture nice and soft.
Avoid Putting Leather In Direct Sunlight
Think of this as moisturizing your leather and always keeping it fresh. If you expose the leather furniture to direct sunlight for extended periods of time, this will predispose the leather to not only crack but become discolored.
You can save yourself a lot of trouble my merely placing the leather furniture in question to an area where sunlight will not be able to reach it. Many people like putting them onto a sun porch. It is your prerogative, but understand that your leather will not feel nearly as premium when it stays out in sunlight for too long.
Utilize Homemade Solutions
If you do not want to shell out a lot of money for a specific cleaner, you can find some helpful products in the convenience of your own kitchen. A solution of 2 parts cornstarch and 1 parts lemon juice can be used to help with protein-based stains. In addition, you can utilize a cotton swab dipped in olive oil for mild stains and rubbing alcohol for an ink-related stain.
Regularly Apply Conditioner
In addition to keeping it out of direct sunlight, regularly applying leather conditioner will help preserve its strength and prevent the leather from drying out. The best part is that you do not even have to conditioner the leather on a regular basis as you would your hair. This can be done no more than twice a year with a microfiber cloth. Of course, you will want to contact the manufacturer and get recommendations as to what conditioner should be used. Be sure to get a quality brand.
