If you just purchased a leather sofa. Great!
You might be thinking how do I care for my new purchase? What can I do to maintain the longevity of my new leather sofa?
If proper maintenance has been done regularity, a genuine leather sofa can last you for a very long time. Here are some tips on how to care and maintain your leather sofa.
Some Quick Tips
1. Clean spills Immediately
To prevent the spill from discoloring one's leather, clean it up immediately with a soft dry cloth. One should use the blotting method when cleaning to prevent the liquid from spreading out on the leather. Use another cloth to dry the area afterwards.
2. Only use cleaners specifically for leather sofas
Commercial grade cleaners should be used to clean the leathers instead of using their own DIY methods. While it may be tempting to use DIY methods to clean one's leather sofa, those methods may damage one's leather sofa. Hence it is recommended to purchase cleaners specifically for cleaning leather instead.
There are polishing cloths available that are made to remove mold and stains on sofas. If there are stains on one's leather sofa, gently apply the cleaner onto the stain, with a soft cloth, in a circular motion before wiping it off with another damp cloth.
3. Read care label carefully
Some care labels advice to wipe down the sofa often with a dry and clean cloth and vacuum with a soft brush. While others recommend using damp cloth. One should always read the care label to see what is recommended by the manufacturer on how to care for the leather sofa one just bought.
One should also test out the cleaning instructions on hidden spots of the sofa to ensure that there is no discolouration from one's cleaning method. As leather is sensitive to scratches, one should take extra care while cleaning.
4. Location of sofa
The location of the sofa is important, one should position your sofa away from direct sunlight, source of heat or under an air-conditioner. Extended periods of exposure to such conditions can affect how one's sofa looks and the condition of it. As these exposure will dry out the leather.
Positioning the sofa carefully can preserve the look and condition of it. While it may be impossible to avoid heat and light completely, minimizing the exposure will prolong the lifespan of one's leather sofa.
5. Use leather conditioner
To help your leather sofa maintain its natural oils, ideally it is advised to apply a good leather conditioner every six to twelve months. This way, the leather can be kept soft and supple. Without regular conditioning, the leather may dry out and crack over time.
Apply the conditioner to a clean soft cloth and buff it into the leather. Wipe off any excess conditioner as one goes about cleaning their sofa.
6. Prevent hard objects
One could scratch the leather sofa unintentionally while standing and sitting as hard objects like clothing with hard stubs may scratch the surface of your leather sofa. Such hard objects include keys, keychain, pen, knife, food peeler, pen knife and so on and so forth.
It is also advisable to train pets to use scratching poles and stay off leather sofas to prevent scratches.
Extra Tip: If your Leather Sofa have been stained by a ball point pen, please do not attempt at cleaning it off. Trying multiple cleaners of different grade will spoil the protective layer of the leather causing peeling months later.
Overall, keeping your leather sofas clean and maintaining it requires some care but it is all worth it since a leather sofa can last you a long time.
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