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What’s the proper method for caring for leather sofa and love seat ?
By admin | August 12, 2008
Topics: Cleaning & Laundry |
Phade3 asked:
Looking for a non-abrasive cleaner and non-toxic good protectant and solution for leather sofa and love seat.
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For my leather sofa i find that baby wipes are the best and wont damage the leather you can buy special stuff but they work a treat
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I cannot remember the name of the product off hand, but most stores carry leather wipes that work wonders.
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You need to use a good quality water based foam leather cleaner. Strong cleaner or Maxi Cleaner if it ivery dirty. With light coloured furniture dye transfer from clothing can be a problem although using a good quality leather protector will help inhibit this.
DO NOT use anything containing oils, waxes or silicones. (Most ‘conditioners’ contain waxes or oils) and furniture polish contains silicones
BABY WIPES are the worst thing you can use as they will destroy the finish on your leather. They are very strong alkiline cleaners to neutralise urine (acid) on babys skin so they are not the right thing to use on leather.
Saddle soap is too harsh to use on todays furniture.
A lot of leather wipes contain chemicals which will also destroy the finish or leave residues on the leather which will damage it. They are not cheap in the long run as you would need a lot to clean a whole leather sofa. A bottle of foam cleaner should do your furniture 1-2 times.
Fairy liquid contains more salt these days to get dishes clean and this will break the finish down on your leather. This has been verified by the manufacturers (as with the baby wipes).
You should also follow cleaning with a good water based leather protector which will act like a ’scotchgard’ and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed and make cleaning easier the next time.
Dry leather needs rehydrating with water and oils and waxes should not be used as the natural oils do not dry out of leather. Wiping over with a damp cloth regularly will help to do this.
It is important to maintain a regular cleaning regime cleaning dirt off the surface regularly and inhibiting the absorption of body oils into the leather with a protector is the best way of doing this.
The alternative is a brand new product on the market called Lazy Leather. This is the latest technology in cleaning and combines an effective cleaner with a protector. It is quick and easy to use and should be used as a maintenance product once your suite has been cleaned or from new if you have just bought it.
If you want any further advice you can telephone 01423 881027 and I will be glad to help.
Source(s):
Leather care consultants to the furniture and cleaning industries