Archives

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

How to clean and care for leather sofas?

The sofa always takes pride of place in the house. It can not only accommodate guests, but also be used as an additional place to sleep. Today, manufacturers produce sofas with a variety of upholstery types, but genuine leather remains the most popular material. Leather sofas have a noble appearance and are always a decoration of the house. In order for leather furniture to serve you for a long time and not lose its attractive appearance, proper care is necessary, which we will discuss in this article.

Skin type

The upholstery of the sofa is made of cattle leather. During the production process, the leather is divided into several layers: the upper and the lower. The upper layer has a distinct pattern and is more durable than the lower one. It is the one most often used to make sofas. In order to properly care for a leather sofa, you need to find out whether the furniture has a natural color or the leather was tinted during production. Natural leather can have several shades: black, brown, beige (milky) and white. All other colors that you will find in the store are obtained using special dyes.

Leather sofa arrangement

After purchasing leather furniture, you need to think about its location. You cannot place a leather sofa near heating devices and gas stoves, since leather products do not tolerate sudden temperature changes. Also, choose a place in the house where the sofa will not be exposed to direct sunlight for a long time. If the room where the sofa will be installed has dry air, then be sure to buy a humidifier, since in a room with dry air, the sofa upholstery will begin to lose moisture and will soon become covered with a network of small cracks.

Caring for leather furniture

A leather sofa requires careful care and compliance with special conditions, only then will the furniture retain its original appearance.

When using, avoid contact of leather with coloring materials: jeans, poorly dyed items, and newspapers. Color pigment in items and ink used for printing newspapers quickly eat into leather upholstery, and removing them becomes a real problem. In addition, make sure that no one climbs onto the leather sofa with dirty feet: difficult-to-remove stains will remain on the material.

The ideal solution to help protect your sofa is a fabric cover. You can use a thin, single-color cover that won't spoil the appearance of the sofa, or lay down a fluffy blanket.

It is worth mentioning such situations separately as: a long absence from home due to a business trip, vacation or moving. In none of these situations is it recommended to use plastic bags to protect a leather sofa from dust and damage. They do not allow air to pass through and create a greenhouse effect, which does not have the best effect on the condition of the leather upholstery and leads to its rapid wear. It is better to use thick blankets: they allow air to circulate, and upon arrival they can be easily washed.

Cleaning a leather sofa

A leather sofa should be washed regularly, once every 1-2 weeks - this will help you avoid dust and dirt accumulation on the surface of the furniture. There are basic rules for leather couch cleaning that should be followed, even if your upholstery does not have a natural color and was tinted at the factory:

• Pre-cleaning: Before you start washing your sofa, vacuum it. The pores of the leather and the seams quickly collect dust, so take the softest nozzle for the vacuum cleaner and go over the problem areas.
• Prepare water and napkins. You can find many tips on the Internet on how to clean a leather sofa with a solution of water and soap. However, you should not do this - soap washes away the protective layer of leather, which will not be restored over time. Use regular water for washing. Wipe the surface of the sofa with a napkin soaked in water, and then dry it with a soft microfiber cloth.
• If desired, you can use special napkins for leather furniture or conditioner to soften the upholstery.

These basic care rules will help your sofa maintain its original appearance for a long time.

The basic rules are clear and simple, but what to do if stains do appear on the sofa, for example from a ballpoint pen, wine, juice or darkening in places of contact with clothing? In such cases, you need to act carefully and use methods suitable for the color of your furniture.

White leather sofa

White furniture items are most susceptible to dirt. To remove various stains on a white leather sofa, you can use the following methods:

• Acetone-free nail polish remover. This product is suitable for removing marker or felt-tip pen marks. After use, wipe the contaminated area with glycerin.
• Scotch tape. This method works great on fresh ballpoint pen marks. Just stick a small piece of tape on the stain and quickly tear it off. After removing the stain, treat the surface with glycerin.
• Will help get rid of fresh grease stains on the surface of the sofa. Mix ammonia with water and wipe the dirty area.
• Dishwashing gel and vinegar. If your sofa has stains from strong tea or coffee, apply dishwashing gel to the stain, leave for 5 to 15 minutes, rinse with warm water and wipe the stain with a small amount of vinegar.
• Will help get rid of freshly formed juice and wine stains. Sprinkle salt on a fresh stain and wait until it dries completely. Then wipe the area with an alcohol wipe.

Dark leather sofa

The methods for removing stains from dark and colored sofas are similar. The main rule: avoid products containing vinegar, chlorine, and acetone, as they can corrode the dye on a colored sofa and leave white marks on natural furniture.

To care for dark leather furniture, it is recommended to use a solution of water and alcohol. To make sure that your furniture will not be damaged, test this solution on an inconspicuous area.

To remove stains from dark furniture, it is better to use dry foams and chlorine-free stain removers. They will definitely not damage the upholstery of the sofa.

It is important to treat the stained area with glycerin after each removed stain to avoid changes in the color and elasticity of the skin.

By following these rules, you can extend the life of your leather sofa and it will please your eyes for a long time.

by Andrea Wilkinson on 2024-08-10 12:03:21