When you purchase nice leather furniture, you want to make sure that you keep it in great condition. Quality furniture is expensive and you want it to stay in great condition, so it makes sense to learn some simple tips to keep that leather sofa or recliner looking great. With proper care of the leather, it can do more than simply keep looking good - the look and the condition can even improve over time! With the following tips and a little bit of time, you can start protecting your furniture.
The Basics
If you've never had leather furniture before, you have to consider the basics. Even some simple things that you might take for granted with other types of furniture might require more care with your leather Moran recliner or La-Z-Boy recliner. Make sure that you keep sharp objects away from the leather. Even though leather is very durable, a puncture is something to avoid at all costs.
You also want to make sure that you keep your leather away from heat sources, as you should do with all of your other furniture as well. With leather, when it is too close to heat, has a tendency to dry out and crack, and this is going to shorten the life of your furniture quite a bit. This includes direct sunlight.
Another thing that many people do not know about leather is that it can absorb dyes with relative ease. This means that if you leave any type of printed material that uses dyes on the leather, it has a change of absorbing that dye, so you have to be careful.
Cleaning the Leather
You should use a soft cloth at least once a week to dust your leather sofa or recliner. This should be able to remove the dust, oils, and bits of accumulated dirt. Every few weeks, you might want to use a cloth that has just a bit of water on it. Before using water on your leather, you may want to check in an inconspicuous spot to make sure that the furniture is not absorbing the water. If it does, you will want to stick with a dry cloth for cleaning.
Every few months or so, you can use a professional leather cleaning product to clean the furniture. This will ensure proper leaning, and it can help to ensure that the leather has enough moisture that it will not crack. Using a leather conditioner on your furniture once or twice per year is also a good idea.
Never use regular cleaners on your leather furniture. If you do, you run the risk of damaging the furniture to the point that it is going to be difficult - if not impossible - to repair.
In Case of Spills
You should clean up any spills that you have immediately. Rather than wiping a spill, you are going to want to blot it with a dry cloth. Blotting is going to ensure that you are removing as much moisture as possible and that you are not spreading the spill around to a larger surface area. Though it can repel liquids at first, if you do not remove the spill immediately, there is a chance that it could start to soak into the furniture.
Extra Protection
When you buy your leather furniture, you might want to see if the seller or manufacturer offers any type of additional protection. A protection plan is going to be able to help you in case something happens to your furniture down the line.
Whether you have beautiful Moran furniture or some items that you picked up at a Goodwill location for your first apartment, you always want to take good care of it, especially your leather!
Raul Aiello is the owner of AUS-Furniture.com.au, the new online store of R&J Discounts. The Australian owned furniture company has been providing high quality Sealy mattresses, Moran furniture and LazBoy recliners since 1994.
