Keeping Leather Longer
One of the few things Oxi Fresh doesn’t clean is leather. We’ll clean your carpet and provide upholstery cleanings with no problem, and some areas even offer tile and grout cleaning. Not leather. Still, with all the carpet cleaning tips and upholstery cleaning tips we offer, it doesn’t feel right to leave those with leather furniture in a lurch. So we’ve put together a guide about how to make your leather last longer. Learning
Learn as much about the pieces as you can, as that directly affects how you care for it. If you’re just buying the piece, talk to the person at the store about the type of leather, how it was treated, and how it was protected. If you already have the piece, check the tag/warranty for that information as well as the manufacturer’s suggested cleaning and conditioning method. Follow the tips, as not doing so can void your warranty.
If there is not a tag and you can’t get any information from the store you bought the piece at, this guide can help you determine what kind of leather you have.
Protecting
Before we get into how to clean your furniture, let’s look at how to best maintain it. There are four big tips you should follow:
1. Avoid Extremes: Keep the leather out of direct sunlight as it clean bleach the color. Keep the piece away from fireplaces, radiators, and heating/AC vents – the high temperatures can dry out the leather.
2. Rotate: One cushion will be used more than another, so swap cushions occasionally so they wear evenly.
3. No Sharp Things: Try to keep pets, toys, keys, or anything with sharp, hard edges off the leather.
4. Vacuum: Vacuum the piece weekly with a soft brush attachment. After that, dust it down with a clean, soft cloth. This will help fight off any dirt and oil buildup.
General Cleaning
When cleaning leather you must be careful. We recommend following the cleaning method listed on the warranty/tag and using a cleaner that furniture store recommends (they usually sell it in the store.) If you buy one of these cleaners, follow the instructions on the bottle.
For a home-remedy, try this:
1. After vacuuming and dusting the piece, get a quart of distilled water and mix in a drop of liquid soap. Mix it thoroughly.
2. Dip a clean, soft rag into the water and wring it out. Wipe the leather down.
3. Dip a clean, soft rag into distilled water (no soap) and wring it out. Wipe the leather down.
4. Gently but thoroughly dry the piece with a clean, soft rag.
5. Condition the piece with a manufacturer/store recommended conditioner.
We hope that this helps you out as you work to keep your leather furniture lovely – and don’t forget Oxi Fresh for your green carpet cleaning needs.
Thanks to Alex Ion of freshome.com, homewokrproject.org, howtocleanstuff.net, diynetwork.com, leathermagic.com, and Gracey for the tips, information, and photo.
