It is important not only to handle it carefully and wipe the dust daily, but also to clean it as quickly as possible when stains appear.
In this article we will tell you how and with what you can clean a leather sofa at home.
We take care of furniture
Even the most pleasant and durable leather is at the same time the most finicky to care for. You should not eat fruit, drink wine or coffee on leather furniture: it will be difficult to remove stains from fallen drops. If the leather upholstery is light-colored (beige or white), you should not sit on it wearing jeans: poorly dyed fabric can leave dark stains. The same applies to bright pillows, blankets, coloring magazines and toys. It is also not recommended to place a sofa or chair near a window if the room is on the sunny side: under the influence of rays, the skin will quickly lose its elasticity.
Cleaning from dust
To care for the leather of the sofa, a vacuum cleaner is used, which rids it of its main enemy - dust. If you don't clean the upholstery once every two weeks, dust will clog the pores of the leather, making it even more difficult to get rid of dirt. The abundance of dirt significantly reduces the service life of leather products. When cleaning, use a soft brush to remove dust from folds and crevices. Suitable for both home and car vacuum cleaners. If you don’t have any equipment, you can use a special broom or a damp cloth. To add shine, you can soak a rag in a weak lemon solution and wipe the leather sofa with it.
We take care regularly
Immediately after purchasing furniture, you should purchase a leather sofa care product. Once a month it is necessary to wet clean the surface, but the use of aggressive detergents is prohibited! Do not rub the upholstery with brushes - it will leave scratches. For skin care, a special composition is selected, which depends on the type of material. Detailed instructions for caring for the product should be issued by the store along with the purchased furniture. You should not skimp on cleaning compounds that can damage the material: it is much more profitable to purchase an expensive product and keep the leather in its original form than to watch the upholstery age day after day despite constant care. It is recommended to first try an unfamiliar composition on an inconspicuous area.
Prevention is better and cheaper than cure. In order for natural leather furniture to look presentable longer and not become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria, it must be provided with regular care throughout its entire lifespan.
Once a year, leather furniture needs to be impregnated with a special fat composition so that the material does not dry out and remains soft longer. If you do not follow this rule, the upholstery will quickly “grow old” and crack. Do not treat your leather sofa with shoe creams or impregnations.
Caring for new suede shoes
After purchase, shoes only require preventive maintenance - they have not yet had time to suffer from dirt or dust. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to adjust the toe truss of a shoe (for example, for a protruding “bone”) or stretch the boot, increasing the fullness of the leg coverage - and this is also done at home, if we are talking about natural material.
The first measure for the care and preliminary protection of new suede shoes is deep impregnation of the product with an aerosol water-repellent agent, which is best purchased in the same company store where the pair was purchased. After the first layer has dried, the operation is repeated twice more.
Very important! You cannot go outside until the third layer of impregnation has completely absorbed and dried! The same can be said about products made of nubuck or velor. Subsequently, the impregnation must be periodically renewed, on average - once every 3-4 days with constant wearing of shoes
For further operation, it is enough to apply one layer of a protective substance
Subsequently, the impregnation must be periodically renewed, on average once every 3-4 days with constant wearing of shoes. For further operation, it is enough to apply one layer of a protective substance.
Folk remedies
The biggest problem is caused by shoes that don't fit well on the foot - wearing them is painful and unsafe, since due to improper compression in the shoe frame, the foot can become deformed. The following tips will help correct the situation:
- Moisten a cloth napkin in a 50% alcohol solution or pure undiluted vodka and blot the inside area of the “bone”, instep or sides of the bottom of the boots well (socks are not advisable). Light beer varieties can be used for the same purposes;
- A 30% vinegar-water solution is suitable for stretching the boot. Wet the inside of the boot with this mixture, then soak a cloth in the solution. Place the boot on the ironing board so that the inside of the boot is straightened, cover it with a damp cloth and iron it.
After using any of the methods for stretching shoes, you need to put on the tight product and walk around the house for 1-3 hours.
Professional products
When you just bought shoes and don’t know how to properly care for them, consult a specialist in a store or find the best deal on the Internet. Below are the best recommendations from the web for a new pair of suede updates:
- A special multi-component set from Saphir, which includes the most necessary equipment for home care of expensive suede: an eraser, Saphir Omni daim - a means for cleaning dirt, paint for deep penetration into pile leather, a rubber brush. The kit can be ordered on the official Saphir website, indicating what color paint you would like to receive. By default, the set includes black;
- Spray for instant protection Nano Protector not only cares for and gives the product a margin of safety, but also fixes the color of the shoes, preventing fading or the appearance of unsightly stains.
In order for new shoes to last longer, do not skip the most important, primary stage of processing.
We maintain the correct microclimate
When caring for leather furniture, it is important to consider two indicators to which the material reacts: temperature and humidity. You should not place furniture near radiators and heaters: the upholstery may become deformed. A leather item that is constantly exposed to hot appliances wears out faster and takes on an unkempt appearance.
In addition, genuine leather takes moisture from the air, which means that in a room where “capricious” furniture is located, humidity levels should not exceed 70%. Dry air makes the leather less wear-resistant: the fat layer is damaged, cracks appear on the material, and even the most expensive pieces of furniture begin to look cheap.
During a long absence, you should not cover the sofa with plastic film, which will create a greenhouse effect.
Find out which products are harmful to the skin
All skin needs moisturizing and cleansing. Folk remedies and professional preparations are suitable for this. But there are forbidden products that will only harm upholstered leather furniture:
| Alcohol-containing substances They dry out the skin. It may crack later |
| Bleaches and stain removers The use of such products will lead to a change in the color of leather furniture |
| Solvents They will ruin the appearance of the skin. It cracks and loses its elasticity |
| Abrasives Baking soda or powdered detergents scratch the skin. This leads to further cracks. |
Getting rid of stains
If a stain appears on the upholstery of a leather sofa or chair, do not apply chemical solvents, polishes, stain removers, abrasive pastes and powders to it: this will not only disrupt the structure of the material, but will also deprive it of its original color. The stain must be blotted immediately with a napkin. If you can’t deal with it with water, apply a special composition to clean the skin. Drying the stained area with a hairdryer is strictly prohibited! Experts also do not recommend using soapy water too often: it washes away protective oils from the skin.
If something goes wrong with your leather sofa and stubborn stains appear on its surface, it is best to contact a dry cleaner. This must be done as quickly as possible, because the longer the stain remains on the skin, the more difficult it is to remove it later.
To get rid of simple stains at home, use the tips of professionals:
- Traces of ink or felt-tip pen are carefully removed with cotton wool soaked in alcohol.
- Wine stains can be easily removed with a damp sponge or rag. Pink stains will come off if you wipe them with lemon juice.
- Fresh blood is quickly cleaned with a weak soap solution. Dried stains will heal if you gently clean your leather sofa with vinegar or lemon.
- Fresh chewing gum can be easily removed with a spoon, but dried gum will come off if you first apply ice to it.
- If a greasy stain appears on a leather sofa, you need to cover it with talcum powder, and after a couple of hours wipe it with a dry absorbent cloth.
Features of cleaning a light leather sofa
It is especially difficult to keep a white or light leather sofa clean. The light upholstery clearly shows all the dirt. You can use one of the methods for cleaning light-colored upholstery made of natural or artificial leather.
- Soap solution. Prepare a solution at the rate of 100 g of soap shavings (grated laundry soap) per liter of warm water, add 50 ml of ammonia. This solution is used for general cleaning of the sofa and removing simple stains. After cleaning, wipe the sofa with a cloth moistened with clean water, then with a dry cloth. The last step is to apply a small amount of glycerin or castor oil to soften the skin. You need to use very little glycerin and oil, otherwise the upholstery will become greasy.
- Milk with protein . A mixture of these two products is used for local cleaning of particularly dirty areas, such as armrests. For two parts of egg white whipped into a strong foam, take 1 part of milk. The products are mixed and the resulting mass is used to clean dirt. After completion of the treatment, the cleaned surface is treated with a damp and then a dry cloth.
Protect from scratches
Caring for leather furniture involves not only regular cleaning, but also protection from all kinds of damage. If you have pets in your home, the surest way to protect leather furniture from claws is to keep pets out of the room. If this is not possible, you should consider a different type of upholstery.
You should not sit on a leather sofa with your feet on without first taking off your shoes. Furniture should also be protected during renovations.
It is impossible to restore a sofa without getting rid of severe damage on your own - you will have to turn to specialists for reupholstery and restoration. Minor defects on leather furniture can be eliminated using professional means, for example, “liquid leather”. They are sold in auto repair shops and also on the Internet. In order for the scratch to become invisible, it is necessary to select a shade as close as possible to the material. And you can completely restore the color of the product using a special spray paint.
Caring for a leather sofa or chair is a task that requires organization and accuracy. But the result is worth it: upholstery made from natural material, even after 10 years, will look as if the furniture was purchased just yesterday.
How and with what to clean white upholstery at home
You can choose one of three options for caring for your white leather sofa: using special commercial products at hand and a steam cleaner.
Folk remedies
You can make them at home yourself, using inexpensive and accessible materials. For greater clarity, we accompanied the text with photos and videos of the process of making sofa cleaning products.
Soap
You can use children's, antibacterial, liquid. The most effective is economic. The main thing is that it is colorless. The soap must be grated and filled with water at room temperature. Whip up some foam and use it to clean your sofa. This way you can get rid of food, wine, blood, grease and other stains. The procedure is recommended to be carried out once every 14 days. This will remove yellowness and fat.
Alcohol
Markers, ink, paint, gouache, blood and wine can be cleaned with alcohol. To do this, simply moisten a sponge with it and gently wash the stain. Do not press or rub too hard as the surface of the leather may absorb dirt.
Ammonia and acetone
These are effective and dangerous products, they are used only in the most extreme cases, as they can damage the upholstery. Particular care should be taken with delicate fabrics, such as velor.
Before use, it is better to test the effect of these substances in inconspicuous places on the sofa.
Important: you should work with ammonia and acetone only with gloves so as not to injure your hands.
Lemon
This is an effective method. The product helps remove many stains, including spilled tea, iodine and coffee. To cleanse your leather, simply sprinkle a sponge with lemon juice and wipe it over your white sofa.
In addition, citrus juice, diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio, allows you to whiten the upholstery to give it an aesthetic appearance.
Soda
The powder, found in any kitchen, helps remove animal marks and removes stains, streaks and streaks. To do this, you need to prepare a solution: 2 teaspoons of soda per 1 liter of water. Apply the composition to the sofa. When everything is dry, the residue can be removed with a vacuum cleaner.
Vinegar
You need to prepare a solution. To do this, just combine the acid with water in a 1:1 ratio. This homemade product will cope with almost all types of contaminants: blood, ketchup, ink, wine and others. Vinegar also removes unpleasant odors.
Purchased funds
The most popular and effective is Vanish. This is a unique composition for cleaning a sofa, but you need to read the instructions carefully so as not to get confused with the dosage of the substance.
In addition, there are other means, for example, “Flat”, “Clean”, “Kärcher” (“Kärcher”). It is important to proceed with caution when applying. You also need to carefully read the composition so that it does not contain dyes.
Cleaning with a steam cleaner
This device must be filled with a certain concentration of detergent (depending on the type of stain). It is important to use a small amount of solution as puddles can damage the skin. To clean stains, simply move the steamer up and down to slow down the buildup.
