Learn how to clean a leather sofa and keep it looking new.
Learn how to clean a leather sofa and keep your sofa looking new.
Leather is a luxury lent to lovers of lavish lifestyles. While that alliteration may sound a little too over the top, maintaining one of the most expensive upholstery materials is not really as complicated as it sounds. One thing to remember about cleaners sold on commercialized shelves is that their main ingredients are actually those that an average person can find in an average home. It pays to be aware of this fact as it will save you extra costs than if you opted to spend on something you thought you couldn’t easily gather.
Before anything else, it is helpful to consider that most manufactured leather sofas have a protective layer or coating over them, making it easy for owners to clean and maintain this piece of their beloved furniture. However, also be aware that some do not, which will demand for more delicate care. A prime example would be suede. That said, you can now move on to the process of cleaning your leather sofa.
Identify Type of Leather
Identify what kind of leather material your sofa is made of. It would be best to look for your sofa’s recommended care instructions first and follow them, as no one would better know how to care for your sofa other than the manufacturers themselves.
Gather the Materials
Once you have established that yours is made of finished leather, you may now proceed to gathering your materials:
- Soft broom or vacuum cleaner
- Moisturizing soap (I would recommend Jergen’s Anti-bacterial Liquid Soap, Dove, or Neutrogena)
- Cleaning cloths/towels
- Buckets, for water
- Water, preferably with no chlorine
For specific stains, gather the following:
- Cotton balls
- Rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover (with NO acetone)
- Olive oil-based soap or Castile soap
- Lemon juice
- Cream of Tartar
- Mayonnaise
Cleaning your Leather Sofa
Now before you start thinking you’ve mistakenly entered a cooking class, let us go through the general cleaning process of your leather sofa.
- Sweep or vacuum your sofa first to remove all loose dirt and debris. You do not want these rubbing and scraping and interfering once you’ve proceeded to wiping its surface area.
- Squirt a small amount of the moisturizing liquid soap onto a moderately wet cleaning cloth and lather it up on the sofa. Wipe the entire surface area clean. It is very important to remember not to get your sofa too wet as this could ruin the leather, as well as make the cleaning more difficult for you because of the mess it would make.
- Then using another cleaning cloth, dampen it enough to wipe away all the soap from the sofa.
- Repeat the process until all soap is gone. Then with a dry cleaning cloth, wipe the sofa dry and polish the surface by buffing.
Stains are not uncommon on leather furniture. If you find yourself dealing with these, simply follow these additional steps:
- For water stains: Apply mayonnaise on the area and leave it on. After a few hours, you may proceed to wipe it off with a dry cloth.
- For ink: Apply rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover (with no acetone) on a cotton ball and rub over afflicted areas until stains are gone. Dry with a hair dryer on low setting.
- For mold: Mix rubbing alcohol and water, one part each, and very lightly spray on the area. Wipe with a dampened cloth, then dry with a fresh, clean one.
- For tougher stains, like blood/mud/heavy food stains: Prepare a paste with lemon juice and cream of tartar (McCormick easily has one), 1 part each. Spread a slab of it on the area and leave it on for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, spread another layer on top of the previous one then wipe with a damp cloth with olive oil-based / Castile soap.
After all stains have been removed, you may put the finishing touches on your leather sofa by conditioning the leather with Castile soap. Simply mix two drops in a quart of warm water. Apply this patiently from part to part onto the surface of the sofa, using a sponge applicator. Because leather is a porous material, this is supposed to be absorbed into the leather. So again, it is advisable NOT to wet the leather too much. After, you may then proceed to buff the leather with a dry cloth for that finished, as-good-as-new shine.
Now know how to clean a leather sofa and yours looking great.
No related posts.
Tagged with: clean • leather • sofa • stain • suede
Filed under: Leather Cleaning Tips
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!