Useful Tips and Home Remedies for Leather Cleaning

If you own a beautiful leather sofa, you know it is luxury. To keep it intact, you need to take conscious steps to ensure that it stays clean. Of course, the day-to-day wear and tear are inevitable, and there is not much that you can do about it. Also, who are we to tell you to stop doing your Netflix and Chill on the couch, right? Well, all of it is fine, as long as you are aware of the right way to clean your leather furniture. Believe us when we say this, the material will only get better with the proper care, just like a fine wine. 

Understand leather as your skin. Any good quality and real leather is a breathable and natural material, which metamorphoses over time. Like your skin, even leather requires regular care, and only then will it continue to look its best. So, be it the leather sofa or any other leather furniture in your house, you should dust it regularly with a dry cloth. Further, use a leather cream now and then to ensure that the material stays moisturized and soft. Here, in this article, we will discuss some general tips and specific home remedies that can help you keep your leather furniture neat and tidy.

General Tips to Protect Your Leather Furniture

Understand your leather

Laurel, an educator who offers online jewelry making classes, says that the leather’s cleaning mechanism depends on the kind of leather you own. For instance, if your furniture is made of finished leather, which is a treated leather, it already has a protective coating. On the other hand, in the unfinished, untreated, or suede leather case, there is no such coating. You cannot use soap for cleaning treated leather because, for them, even a mild soap might be too harsh. In case you are not sure how your furniture will react to the cleaning mix, always try it on the unobtrusive area, and see how it reacts. 

DIY cleaning solutions? Be cautious

Please understand that if it comes to cleaning genuine leather, you should stick to using the cleaning products designed specifically to clean the leather, advises Donna, who works with MyPlumbersChoice. Of course, there are some home remedies, which work, such as water and vinegar, but even for them, we would recommend you to try them in the obscure area before treating the spots. Please spot test the remedy before applying directly on the stain. 

Attend to the spots as soon as they appear

The perfect way to get rid of the liquid stains is to treat them as soon as they happen, comments Sherry, an associate with FineGrades. We cannot agree more. See, liquid stains can be dealt with using a soft cloth and blotting the stains. It would be best if you tried to absorb as much moisture as possible with the cloth. Following this, you need to dab the area using a damp and soft cloth. Please do not use soap, and always opt for warm water while cleaning. If required, dampen the cloth with any prevalent leather cleaner. However, if you are using a leather cleaner, which comes in a spray bottle, you should spray a small portion of the cleaner on the cloth and clean the leather with your cloth. Never, we repeat, never should you directly spray the cleaner on your furniture. Also, do not rub the cloth on the leather, as that may leave a water stain. If the area looks damp after cleaning, blot with a dry cloth. 

Moisturize

Once you are done cleaning your leather furniture with a leather cleaner or water, you need to condition it to ensure that it retains its moisture. For this, take a leather conditioner and rub it in a circular motion with a microfiber cloth, sponge, or a brush. 

Dry-clean any tough stains

If despite using the home-remedies, the tough stains, such as makeup stains, ink stains, or grease stains, do not come off, you need to seek professional help.

Give it time

Though costly, leather is incredibly durable, comments Nora, an EmbraceGardening employee. Yes, at times, you should let time heal, and it is true also because good leather tends to absorb a lot of stains over time. Of course, it will not happen overnight, it may take months or weeks, but it will be worth it. 

Guard your leather

The best way to increase the life of your leather is by shielding it. You can do so by regularly wiping off the grime and the dirt. 

Some Home Remedies for Leather Cleaning

Disinfecting the leather sofa

If there is a general mess or a spill on your leather sofa, here are some tips that can be helpful. 

1. Firstly, take a bowl, and make a cleaning solution by adding vinegar and water in equal ratio. 
2. Use the vacuum cleaner and remove all the loose particles, dirt, and dust from the sofa’s surface. 
3. For separation, take the same solution a couple of times, and dip a soft cloth in it. 
4. Make sure the cloth is damp but not soaking with the solution, and start wiping off all the leather’s dirty areas. 
5. After all the problem spots have been cleaned, take a dry cloth, and rub it over any remaining damp areas. 

Removing the ink stains

Unfortunately, ink accidents are also common, and they look hideous. To reduce the impact, you can follow these steps. 

1. Take a cotton ball, and dab it in alcohol.
2. Please be gentle, and only dab, and not rub the cotton ball. In a few dabs, it will start fading. 
3. Now, take a fresh alcohol-infused cotton ball, and repeat step 2. 
4. Once done, wipe the dampness with a dry cloth. 

Removing grease stains

Grease stains are also a common occurrence and usually occur when you eat on your sofa. Here are a few things that you can do to remove them. 

1. Take a pinch of baking soda, and sprinkle it over the stain. 
2. Let it sit for a few hours till the oil is absorbed. 
3. Now, you can wipe the remains using a soft cloth.
4. Make sure the cloth is damp but not soaking with the solution, and start wiping off all the leather’s dirty areas. 

Conditioning a sofa

Conditioning is just the first step. You can keep your sofa looking new and fresh with deep-conditioning and cleaning every once in a while. For this, follow the steps: 

1. Take a bowl, and in it mix natural oil, such as flaxseed oil or lemon oil, and vinegar in equal ratio. 
2. Now, take a soft cloth to start cleaning. Make sure the cloth is damp but not soaking with the solution, and start wiping off all the leather’s dirty areas. 
3. On the following day, you can wipe your sofa with a dry and clean cloth.

Hopefully, these tips and tricks will come in handy for all you lovely women out there struggling to keep your leather looking new and fresh.

Image by Ulrike Mai from Pixabay 

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