Tips to Clean Leather Furniture Using DIY Recipes

Leather furniture not only adds glamour to your living room but are relatively easy to maintain as well. They can be pretty much called a onetime investment because they have extraordinary durability. But for the longevity of your precious furniture items, you need to keep a few things in mind for their maintenance, and it starts with the leather processing techniques.

What are the Different Types of Leather

To efficiently clean your leather upholstery, you need to find out the kind of leather that has been used in your furniture items. You can find out the leather type by reading the labels on your furniture. Here are the two major types of leather available.

1. Protected leather

This is also known as pigmented leather or semi-aniline leather. Protected leather is chemically treated with a surface coat layer that gives pigment to it and makes it resistant to external damage and pests. Semi-aniline leather is also more stain resistant and now you don’t have to worry about spilling that mayonnaise dip on your sofa set. Semi-aniline leather items are easier to clean. They also feel stiffer and aren’t easily dented even on rough, continuous use. For this reason, protected leather is also used in car seats. The only cons of using protected leather are that it doesn’t have the unique aesthetic appeal of the unprotected leather, which has typical markings on it. So, if you are not a great fan of processed finished products, unprotected leather is more likely to be your preference over this.

2. Unprotected leather

Also called pure aniline leather, it is not processed like the semi-aniline leather items. It is also called unfinished leather and has a soft, luxurious texture to it. It is treated chemically with aniline, but no surface pigment is added to it. It has the antique, sophisticated look of leather items with the typical grainy surface markings. The only cons of using this leather in your furniture items are that it is more prone to staining and external damage. It can easily develop a patina, a type of surface layer that is acquired on high-quality leather items on continuous exposure. They are also priced higher due to their aesthetic finish.

How to Clean Leather Furniture?

It’s not enough to just wipe your leather furniture items with a wet cloth in order to clean them. You need to invest in both time and patience to clean your leather upholstery. While harsh chemicals like ammonia-based cleaners will damage your expensive upholstery, a soap and water mixture will not suffice either.

1. Cleaning Dust Particles

A. Hand Vaccum

Use a hand vacuum cleaner on your leather sofa. Move it over the surface of your sofa and make sure that you cover all the crevices on it, front and back. The vacuum cleaner sucks out all the dust particles, leaving your sofa dust free. Leaving dirt on your sofa is likely going to add to your troubles because when you wipe your sofa, you are only going to spread the dirt and grime on it. Also, since dust particles are abrasive in nature, wiping your sofa without completely cleaning it of the dust particles will abrade the surface of your precious furniture.

B. Clean Sofa using Vinegar

To make a leather sofa cleaner, create a solution using white vinegar and water in equal parts. Dip a soft cloth into this solution, damping it enough, but not wetting it completely. Move this cloth over the entire surface of your sofa and when this cloth gets dry, dip it into the solution as and when required. Start cleaning from the top and work your way downwards.

After you are done wiping it with the damp cloth, use a dry cloth to wipe it again. This is important as a damp leather item attracts fungal growth. Also, don’t blow dry it or use a heat treatment to dry it as it will dehydrate the product.

Check here to know about Vinegar usage in cleaning.

2. Cleaning Daily

1. Protect your leather furniture from direct sunlight as it will fade the colour of your upholstery. Don’t use cleaning solvents like ammonia, regular furniture wash, varnish or abrasive detergent cleaners. These products will only erode the surface of your precious leather goods.
2. If you have pets like cats or pups who are allowed on your sofa sets, it’s common for them to scratch it. Also, due to long fingernails, one can accidentally scratch expensive upholstery. To fade away the scratches, simply moisten the surface of the sofa just a little and even out the scratches gently using your fingertips.
3. It is always preferable to clean your leather furniture on a regular basis than just waiting for it to get damaged beyond repair. Leather furniture products are pricey investments and you should make the most of it. Use a leather sofa cleaning liquid with a neutral pH to remove dirt, perspiration and grease. A pH balanced liquid will not be harsh on the soft texture of your couch and not erode its surface.
4. Natural aniline-based leather items should not be cleaned with soaps as the alkalis present in the soap will fade the colour of your couch. Perform a spot test on your couch. For this, choose a small area on the couch, which isn’t easily visible, preferably the backside of it. Take a white piece of cloth, dampened with the liquid cleaner and wipe this spot. If you see the colour of the sofa on this white cloth, it means that the liquid cleaner is running the colour of your sofa. Discontinue using it if that happens.

3. Treating Stains

Now, this is a major drawback of using leather upholstery, especially if you have kids. They stain easily and if you don’t get rid of the stain immediately, it’s very likely that your precious furniture will lose its sheen. Below are some of the most common stains encountered and their simple remedies.

1. Always start with performing a spot test on a hidden area of your couch, preferably the backside of your sofa. This is to ensure that the colour on your sofa doesn’t spread or run. Doing this will convince you of the results. For minor spots or spills, soak up the excess using an absorbent cloth or sponge. Alternatively, you can slightly dampen a clean cloth with lukewarm water and use it to wipe your couch clean of the stains. Remember to not soak up excess water onto your wiping cloth as this will only spread the stain and in turn cause more damage than the stain itself.
2. For dark coloured stains like chocolate milk or tomato sauce on a light-coloured leather couch, use a paste made from lemon juice and cream of tartar mixed in equal proportions. Apply this paste on the stained area and leave it on for 10mins. After 10mins, reapply the mixture on the affected part and rub it over the stain (keep in mind to not rub it too vigorously as you might spread the stain and erode the surface of your upholstery). Finally, wipe off the paste using a damp sponge.
3. Permanent marker stains seem like a tough bet. But even these stains can be removed. If your kids have made ballpoint scribblings and you are clueless about how to clean your white leather sofa, worry not. You can use eucalyptus oil on this stain. Alternatively, you can use spirit alcohol too. For this, soak up a cotton pad in spirit alcohol and rub it over the ink stain. Spirit alcohol is tough against ink stains and is a foolproof home remedy against these kinds of mishaps.
4. For butter, oil or grease stains, wipe off the excess stain with a clean and dry cloth and leave it as such. It is likely going to get absorbed into the deeper surface of your upholstery. Being translucent in nature, you don’t have to worry about them leaving a dark colour on your light leather sofa seats. Alternatively, for grease stains, you can use baking soda. Sprinkle some baking soda powder on to the grease stain and leave it on for a few hours. The sodium bicarbonate in baking soda has potent adsorbent properties and adsorbs the oil.
5. To remove mould and mildew stain, make leather sofa cleaner using equal parts of vinegar and water. Rub this solution over the affected area using a cotton pad. Alternatively, baby wipes can also be used to clean leather sofa at home as they contain some amount of spirit alcohol as well.

4. Conditioning

Conditioning your expensive leather couches will definitely go a long way. But, the important thing to keep in mind is to not overdo it. With that being said, the right amount of conditioning promises to increase the longevity of your timelessly elegant upholstery. Recipe below.

Now, if you want to get quickly started on cleaning your leather furniture safely, these homemade liquids will solve your problems.

Leather Furniture Cleaning Recipes

1. Make a solution using 10-15 drops of tea-tree or lemon oil to 2cups of white vinegar. Don’t use an excess of the oil. Cautiously use the dropper as excess oil will leave a greasy mark on your couch and compound the problem further. Stir the solution well so that the oils mix with the vinegar. Now take a clean sponge or a rag and slightly dampen it with this homemade liquid. Apply it over the entire surface of your couch evenly. Remember to not completely drench the rag in the liquid solution as the excess liquid will seep in and cause spots to appear on your sofa. Leave the solution to dry on the couch overnight. The next day, use a dry cloth to wipe the sofa. Repeat this process every 6-12months to keep your leather love looking brand new and fabulous!
2. You can use a moisturizing soap like Dove and water to condition your leather seats. For this, make a solution by using a Dove soap bar and water. Let this lather well and then apply it lightly over the surface of your sofa in smooth circular motions. Do not wet the cleaning cloth with this mixture, just dampen it enough to form a lather. Then wipe off the lather using a dry rag. This solution has a detergent-like action without the presence of the abrasives. It will clear your pricey leather seats of grease and scum without leaving any undesirable precipitate.
3. For conditioning, mix 1 part of white vinegar with 2 parts of linseed or flaxseed oil. Use a soft clean rag to dip into the solution and apply it over your sofa in wide circular motions. Leave this atop overnight and the next morning, buff your sofa with a clean rag to restore its shine.

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