This week a customer called us because there was a stain on her leather sofa and she wanted us to come to clean it. This is our most common leather inquiry.
Our answer, unfortunately, is that at the point when you have stains penetrating your leather upholstery it is too late for cleaning and conditioning. Restoration becomes your only option.
Why Does This Happen
Because people are ignorant of the ways to maintain their leather furniture. People assume that leather furniture is just such great quality that it will last the test of time. It’s such a common misconception that you buy leather and it will always be the way you bought it. Leather is an organic material. It is in fact, preserved skin (Eww) so it does decay slowly over time. Like your skin, you can slow the aging process down with the proper treatments :)
Body oil, moisture loss and wear from friction compromises the integrity of the leather over time.
Once leather has been stained (has absorbed a spill) the result is permanent. It is like a tattoo. The substance impregnates the leather and is impossible to remove. Meaning it can’t be removed by any means.
Restoration of the entire set is usually the only option. And restoration folks, does not remove the stain, it covers it up. In many cases, it changes the final look of the leather as you are replacing a manufacturer finish with an aftermarket finish.
How do you avoid this unfortunate and very expensive circumstance?
Maintain Your Leather Regularly
Depending on where your furniture sits in your home, whether it’s under a window, near an air vent, or in a particularly dry room in your house - as well as how much it is used - will determine how often you need to clean and condition your upholstered leather furniture.
- Under typical indoor conditions, you will need to clean and condition once a year.
- If your sofa gets daily use, you live in an area that’s particularly dry, or your sofa sits under a sunny window, then you will need to do this more often - perhaps every six months.
Cleaning and conditioning when done on a regular basis will actually restore lost moisture, and will add light layers of protection with each cleaning, ensuring that the protective manufacturer layer is not compromised. This means that water will bead off as well as any substances that could cause stains. It also means that oil from your skin will not be absorbed into the sofa which causes premature decay.
Now, if you purchased a piece that is unfinished, all bets are off in terms of maintenance when it comes to stains. You just can’t allow any water or food near the furniture and make sure people are wearing pants when they sit on it. This is the only way to avoid stains on an unfinished piece of leather. You do, however, have to maintain the moisture level. This is critical on unfinished leather as it has no protective coating.
How do you maintain your leather?
It’s quite easy.
- Use an exfoliating glove with a recommended leather cleaner for your particular type of leather. Scrub in a circular motion, rinsing or replacing the glove as it gets dirty. (Skip this step if you have an unfinished piece of leather.)
- Once you are finished, use a microfiber cloth to apply your appropriate conditioner. Some conditioners have a protective additive and some do not so make sure you are using the right product for your piece. (Choose a conditioner without additive for unfinished leathers.)
- And that’s it!
So yes it’s that easy!
It’s a little bit of elbow grease because it’s a lot of “wax on wax off”, and you have to be disciplined enough to do it twice a year. This is why most people call the professionals. It can take a couple of hours to do a good job on a leather sectional.
But don’t worry, we are here for that! Give us a call for an assessment or cleaning today!
Happy Cleaning !
