Caring for and Cleaning Your Leather Furniture

Simple tips to assure you properly care for your Leather Living Room Furniture

When choosing a particular style of furniture for your living room, leather can be an exceptional choice. There are a wide range of leather sofas, leather sectionals, recliners, loveseats, and chairs available in various colors and styles. It is easy to clean, stylish, and quite durable when taken care of properly. Leather furniture is great at handling stains and spills, and typically does not require as much maintenance as other fabrics. This is not to say that leather furniture does not require any maintaining. It is "low maintenance", but certainly not "no maintenance."

Here are some great ways to care for your leather furniture:

Clean Stains Immediately

• Make sure you take care of a spill immediately. If the stain is given time to sink into the fabric, it can be much more stubborn to cleaning. Additionally, it has a higher chance of reappearing months later.
• Blot the stain lightly with a soft cloth or towel. Avoid rubbing and smearing the spill, as this will spread the stain.
• It is best to clean spills on your leather furniture with warm water and mild soap.
• It is advised to avoid harsh cleaning chemicals that may contain solvents, bleach, or acids.
• Avoiding commercially available furniture cleaners is recommended as they tend to foster rapid resoiling.
  

Avoid Direct Sunlight

• Placing your leather furniture in direct and constant sunlight can cause it to fade over time.
• It is best to place your leather furniture in a more shaded area of the room, or keep curtains closed when the sun is casting on the furniture.
  

Keep Away From Heat

• Make sure your leather furniture is kept away from strong heat sources such as furnace vents.
• Exposure to heat causes your leather furniture to dry out, making it vulnerable to cracks and splits.
• It is recommended that you keep your leather furniture at least two feet away from potentially harmful heat sources.
  

Avoid Air Pollutants

• It is best to not expose your leather furniture to potentially harmful air pollutants such as cigarette smoke and excessive cleaning fumes.
• Air pollutants can fade or change the color of your leather furniture, and sometimes even distort the fabric in other ways.
  

Dust Regularly

• Keep your leather furniture debris free by dusting at least once per week.
• You can do this by wiping your furniture with a soft, dry cloth or gently vaccuming it.
• Make sure you dust in between crevices and under cushions where dirt and dust may hide.
• Dusting regularly will prevent your furniture from long-term damage from dirt and debris, and assure your leather furniture remains as fresh and new as possible.
  

Avoid Potentially Harmful Objects

• Avoid sharp objects that may scratch or puncture your leather furniture including pens, needles, and animal claws. Although small scratches are fairly simple to repair, large rips and tears cause lifelong damage to the furniture
• It is also wise to avoid leaving magazines and newspapers on your leather furniture as the ink tends to bleed and may leave ink marks on the leather.
  

Following these simple steps for caring for your leather furniture will affect the life and condition of your investment. With proper care, your leather furniture can last for many years to come and look just like it did the day you purchased it. Leather furniture is easy to maintain and clean, but taking simple steps to care for it properly is often overlooked. Following the simple tips above will assure that your furniture will remain looking, feeling, and smelling new.