Leather protection for a leather suite from New

Why can’t I clean my leather sofa?

One of the main factors in the deterioration of Leather is the natural oil that we all secrete from our skin. This also comes from our pets if we allow them on our furniture.

From this everyday wear, soiling can eventually be hard to clean off as these contaminants can break down the leather’s protective finish.

Pet damage to leather

Dogs are particularly detrimental to the wearability of leather, transferring these natural oils within their fur into and onto the leather.

Leather is a breathable natural material which will absorb contaminants from everyday use.

On so many occasions over the years, the biggest problem is when Leather becomes contaminated. In many cases the majority of the furniture and leather structure is sound. But areas such as where your head is positioned when using the furniture or where a dog would lie are prone to absorb contaminants which will compromise the integrity of the Leather over time if attention to leather care isn’t considered.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and is usually obtained with experience so mistakes are not repeated. We also love our dogs and pets as they are part of the family. Many of us like to have them next to us on the leather sofa in the evening when we relax.

How to care for your leather sofa & save your money

The knowledge I have gained over the decades regarding the wear of leather and the habits of many customers confirms that if a leather item (sofa/car interior) was to be protected from new, and the correct cleaning and protecting protocol of the Leather was to be carried out, this would most certainly extend the life of your leather (sofa/car interior).

When everyday wear occurs on a leather sofa caused by friction (and not grease contaminated) the leather can be restored and the restoration if carried out correctly will give you many more years of enjoyment from your Leather sofa. Extending the life of the furniture and saving your money.

In effect, you could say this is insurance. We protect personal objects but don’t pay much attention to our leather furniture (car interiors). So this information which I have come to understand through my work I am now sharing with you.

Prevent wear and prolong the life of your leather sofa

Consider this a prevention and not a cure.

A tacky-to-touch surface is apparent on these areas of the furniture contaminated with natural oils from the skin and our pets.

This is where the topcoat/protective finish has broken down. These natural oils have passed through this layer of protection and sit on the pigment (The colouring of the sofa). Eventually, these oils will pass through this layer of pigment and the entire area of leather will be considered contaminated (as mentioned above). This typical pattern of leather wear is something that happens over time with use and the levels of contamination vary.

In the early stages, these greasy oily properties can be stripped back with a strong degreasing agent (which is a product I have formulated and used within my restorations). First, the leather would be cleaned and then this degreasing agent would be applied. This would be considered the prepping stage before the colour restoration is carried out.

As with all restorations regardless of the material, the prepping element is extremely important and Imperative to the result.

As a leather restorer, I have working methods that enable me to provide the customer with not just an aesthetically good repair but a strong foundation for this repair to be carried out on.

How do I choose the correct product to clean my leather sofa?

Product selection would also be important to the leather restorer, selecting the products which work and those which don’t, gaining knowledge with tried and tested products over the years and also new products developed within the industry.

Any repairs which were to be carried out where this grease/oily property has penetrated beyond the point of being able to remove with a prepping decrease application, could not be guaranteed regarding the longevity of the restoration work.

Part reupholstery of a leather sofa

The most common area affected by this pattern of contamination is where the head is positioned when seated. When such areas on our leather furniture are soiled beyond cosmetic repair the other option to consider would be to replace the single panel of leather which is contaminated (this would then be an exact colour match to that of the original upholstery).

With modern furniture in these times the panels are not removable (the reason for is to this cut costs in the manufacturing stage).

Entire sections of leather would need to be dismantled (in the opposite fashion to when they were upholstered). The leather panel can then be worked on a replaced but this is a very costly way to deal with the issue. Usually costing four times the cost of a cosmetic repair. So the reason for leather care makes so much sense.

Leather sofa protection

In some regards not adding this protection to your leather sofa is not so different to living in a hot country and applying sun factor.
You would not be preserving your skin, this neglect would be apparent in later years.

With so many products on the market and the entire area of Leather care appearing quite complicated, there are a few golden rules.

Don’t over-clean your leather item, also don’t use the incorrect products being a couple of the guidelines.

What I have most commonly noticed with customer patterns of furniture use is that the furniture is purchased and used for a year or two with little attention being paid to the leather care required. The furniture then begins to show signs of wear. The leather will not clean up as it used to.

At this stage, some customers do get in touch with wear or leather cleaning issues and these problems can be easily remedied.

However, in many cases, it goes beyond this point and the wear has become more concerning. We all have busy lives and this is understandable, things get left and furniture care isn’t at the top of the list!

In these cases though, if leather panels are contaminated they need to be replaced to carry out a strong restoration. The other existing leather panels which have not been compromised can be cleaned decreased and recoloured, lacquered and if left for 48 hours. After the restoration has cured a specially formulated coating can be applied (Stain guardian). Protecting against perspiration – natural body oils from us and our beloved pets. The leather protection also cuts down on transfer from clothes.

These types of restorations requiring leather panels to be replaced can cost well over £1000. If caught in the middle stages and the problem is resolved this will be under £1000 (For a standard three-piece suite).

Leather protection and saving money

If however this protection process was regularly carried out (not in excess) this would be the prevention and not the cure and also save you a lot of money!

Please enquire about how we can help and advise you to extend the life of your leather furniture.