Leather Upholstery: Clean It Right!
The sofa in front of me looked like too much hair gel on a bad haircut
. Clearly, it
had been cleaned incorrectly. When I told the owner that the damage probably
wouldn't be covered by his warranty, I thought he was going to cry.
"But I used a leather cleaner!" he pleaded. In fact, he did use leather cleaner; he
bought it at an automotive supply store, and it said "Leather Cleaner" right on the
bottle The sofa in question was made with Nubuck leather, and requires special
cleaning. Like most other unholstered furniture products, cleaning and care
instructions are written on a tag under the seat cushions. The customer had not
taken the time to read the instructions, and it was going to cost him.
Leather is a handsome and stylish upholstery fabric. Properly cared for, it will
last for decades. The secrets to properly caring for your leather are to
understand what kind of leather you have, and know what the appropriate
cleaning and conditioning proceedures are. Those keys will be covered in this
article.
All Upholstered Furniture Comes With a Cleaning Code Attached
The American Furniture Manufacturers Association suggests that upholstered
furniture manufacturers place a tag specifying the items cleaning code on their
products . The tag is almost always stitched to the decking material under the
seat cushion or underneath the chair/sofa attached to the dust cover. Although
all types of fabrics will have a cleaning code, I will discuss only leather upholstery
in this article. The cleaning codes and characteristics for leather upholstery are:
A code for Aniline Leather; also known as Naked, Natural, and Unprotected
leather
Analine leathers are colored with transparent aniline dyes. The transparency of
the dye enables you to see the natural marks on the leather, which may include
scars, insect bites, and skin pores. You have Analine leather if it is very easy to
scratch; water drops will darken the color and then dry back to its natural color.
These leathers have very little or no protective treatments applied to them.
Aniline leather is especially sensitive to sunlight and should not be placed in front
of windows or under skylights.
P code for Protected Leather; also known as Finished, Pigmented, or Painted
leather.
Protected leathers are "protected" by colored pigments which are applied
directly to the surface of the leather. A clear coating is applied over the colored
leather, providing a little scratch-resistance to the product. Protected leather is
fairly uniform in color and in grain pattern. It does not scratch easily, and it's
color will not change when water drops are applied. Protected leathers are the
most common leather; they are found on over 90% of upholstered furniture and
all automotive upholstery.
N code for Nubuck Leather; also known as Bomber, Brushed, Buffed, Split
Grain, or Suede
Nubuck leathers are actually Aniline leathers whose surface has been brushed to
create a velvet-like texture. Nubuck can be identified in the same fashion as
Aniline: it is very soft to the touch, it will scratch or scuff very easily, and water
drops will darken the leather but return to its original color upon drying. You will
pay a premium price for Nubuck upholstery, but it is not as durable as top grain
protected leather.
How to Properly Clean Leather Upholstery
This may be obvious, but a reminder is warranted: upholstered furniture should
never be cleaned with automotive leather cleaner or saddle soap. Each type of
leather requires a different cleaner and cleaning method. When in doubt about
your cleaner, test it on an inconspicuous spot before using it anywhere else.
When it comes to cleaning any type of leather, liquid is the enemy. Turn your
cleaner into foam before putting it on the leather . Foamers can be purchased
online or at bed & bath stores. Pour the cleaner into the foamer, and then pump
the trigger; it will dispense foam similar to shaving cream. Alternatively, pour the
cleaner onto a sponge and rapidly squeeze the sponge until foam is produced.
Apply the foam with a sponge or a cloth in a gentle circular motion. After a few
minutes blot with a soft, clean white lint-free cloth and reapply if area is very dirty.
If your leather extremely dry and the leather cleaner absorbs quickly, then add
20% distilled water to the leather cleaner to slow down absorption. When the
leather has dried, rub a cream leather conditioner into the leather to keep it soft
and supple. These instructions apply to both auto and furniture upholstery.
Special Instructions for Nubuck
Body oils and dirt will mat down the nap of Nubuck leather, so it's important to
clean against the grain to remove the dirt from under the nap. After cleaning, use
a hair dryer and rub a soft bristle brush or Nubuck Cloth against the grain to
raise the nap. If the Leather is not very dirty, use the Nubuck Cleaning Cloth only.
With proper care, your leather upholstery will stay supple and durable for years.
by: Wayne Jordan
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