subject: Tips On How To Clean Your Own Antique Leather Chair [print this page] An antique leather chair is a beautiful addition to any traditional decor, and you will want to ensure that you keep it looking as neat and supple as the day you brought it home. Thankfully, it's easier than it might seem to maintain your antique leather chair. Here are some simple tips for maintaining your new-to-you prize.
Antique Leather Chair Cleaning Guidelines
Leather is a very versatile fabric, and has been used since antiquity for a variety of purposes. From clothing to footwear to home furniture, leather is durable, attractive to the eye, and amazing to observe.
It does however, demand some special attention. Leather comes from a variety of places, and as such there are a similar variety of different leather cleaners out there. It's best if you know precisely what your antique leather chair is made from. Is it cow or buffalo? Sheep skin perhaps?
If you plan to use a commercial leather cleaner, then you'll want to be sure that it will work as needed on the kind of antique leather chair you have got.
You can hire professional leather cleaners, and that's admittedly the easiest way to do it... if you don't mind lugging your antique leather chair around town to their premises. Some might be willing to come to your home to clean, then again unless you have a lot of leather furniture it is usually not worth the expense.
Cleaning Your Antique Leather Chair Yourself
You can create your own leather cleaner easily at home. It is not only more cost-effective, but the recipes eliminate the necessity for separate cleaning and conditioning of the antique leather chair.
Leather Cleaner: mix together 1 part regular white vinegar, and 2 parts either raw/food quality linseed oil or neat's foot oil. Neat's foot oil is oil rendered from an animal. Just rub it on with a lint-free material, let it rest for the night, and polish it in the morning.
Mildew Removal: mix identical parts of rubbing alcohol and also water, and just apply directly on any mildew. Let it dry naturally. You can use a fan to hasten the task.
Removing Stains From Your Antique Leather Chair
While not all stains can be taken off, here are a few home cures to try. Most small stains can be treated with toothpaste. Scrub it in and wipe it away. Ink stains go when wiped with non-acetone nail polish remover. For hard stains, apply hair spray right on it and then clean off (use aerosol, never pump sprays). For water staining, try out rubbing mayonnaise in to the stain and allowing it to sit for a few hours prior to cleaning it off.
With these quick tips, your antique leather chair will remain looking as good as new!
