The leather furniture craze began in the 1960s. Leather couches, in particular, were en vogue for both homes and offices at the time. The trend, in the same decade, also reached Pakistan. This was besides the fact that leather isn’t considered to be a viable option for warmer climates, experienced by most regions of the country. What particularly piqued people’s interest in leather furniture was its durability, easy-to-clean features, and the multitude of colors it comes in that can quickly transform the room. While leather furniture is pretty common now, and most people have transitioned towards fabric and food in furniture, we look at the various methods of cleaning leather furniture in this blog. These tips and tricks will help you maintain the luster and shine of your leather furniture for years to come.
Cleaning Leather Furniture
It is a good practice to clean out your furniture on a regular basis. This allows for infection-causing germs to be removed from all surfaces, while at the same time ensuring that your leather doesn’t fade or requires more thorough cleaning later. It’s best if you incorporate the following tricks into your daily or weekly cleaning routine.
There are numerous ways through which you can carry out cleaning your leather furniture. Some of the best tricks are:
Start Simple With Washcloth & Water
As leather furniture is known for its easy-to-clean features, a bowl of clean water and washcloth can easily clean the surface and spots you want to get rid of. However, do not under any circumstances use anything like a hair dryer to dry the surface as this might cause discoloration. Let the air dry the furniture on its own.
While water and washcloth help clean most of the stains, some could be too stubborn to be cleaned through this simple technique. For this reason, there are some other home remedies that you can easily try.
Cleaning Out Stubborn Stains
While it sounds tempting, do not use cleaning solvents, furniture polish, oils, varnish, abrasive cleaners, or ammonia water to clean out stubborn stains. At least not yet.
Before tackling the situation, first try to absorb the excess moisture from the surface where a spot has occurred, from a food or beverage spillage. You can use a paper towel or washcloth. Be sure that the washcloth you’re using doesn’t have any fake coloring so as to leave out color on the surface. After drying, start with a soap solution and washcloth. Dampen your cloth with the soap solution and run it on the surface in circular motion. If you see the spot disappearing, you can rub the surface with another damp washcloth to remove the excess soap. When done, leave the surface to dry on its own.
If the stain has a bit too much grease that won’t easily come off, you can add cornstarch or baking soda to your soap solution, and repeat the same procedure. It’s best to leave the surface for a few hours to dry off. However, if you notice that the stain still hasn’t come off, you can add a bit of alcohol to water and repeat the procedure.
While you clean your leather furniture, ensure that you dry it with a dry washcloth as well. Some kinds of leather develop water stains that are even harder to remove. In such a case, it’s best to remove the stains, dry your leather off using a dry cloth, and then put it in an airy room.
Finish With Conditioner
Conditioning leather is the perfect ending to a rigorous cleaning job. You should ensure at all costs that you condition your leather furniture after a deep cleaning job. Leather conditioners are easily available at most home stores and can also be bought online. If you don’t want to buy a leather conditioner, a leather cream is also a good option. Another option is to make it at home using water, baby soap and vinegar.
In two cups of warm water, add one tablespoon of baby soap and a splash of vinegar and mix well. Using a microfiber cloth, rub the conditioner onto your leather furniture in a circular motion. Be careful not to dampen the furniture, but merely to condition and soften it. Instead of baby soap, you can also use linseed oil.
While it is essential to clean your furniture, there are a couple of tips that will ensure your leather furniture lasts even longer.
Caring For Leather Furniture
These are some of the easiest and routine tasks which will ensure your leather furniture lasts a lifetime:
Clean Regularly
As cleaning leather surfaces is much easier than the fabric ones, it’s good practice to do it regularly. However, while cleaning, ensure you don’t use chemical solvents or brushes. If you live in a place where there is a lot of dust, you can even vacuum your furniture to clean it.
Keep Away From Pets
Leather is long-lasting but can be easily scratched off by pets such as cats and dogs. If you have pets at home, it’s best to keep them out of reach of your leather furniture or invest in other kinds of furniture altogether.
Maintain Your Furniture
Keep your leather furniture properly maintained by following the above-mentioned cleaning techniques, as well as following conditioning protocols. Conditioning also helps smooth out scratches from the surface. For scratches, instead of using a washcloth, you can also choose a chamois cloth.
These are some of our best tricks for cleaning and maintaining leather furniture. Let us know about your top picks in the comments below or by writing to us at blog@zameen.com. Also, keep checking Pakistan’s largest property blog, Zameen Blog for the latest on Pakistan and Home Maintenance.
