The Importance of Conditioning Leather Furniture
/Leather furniture may cost a pretty penny, but it sure is worth the investment! The material itself has an abundance of quality characteristics - including lasting exponentially longer than upholstered furniture. Treating it like the good investment that it is, and taking care of your leather furniture will increasingly elongate its lifetime.
Cleaning Your Leather Furniture
Regular maintenance is a good idea for all of your furniture - regardless of the material. Although, while you may know several ways to clean, fluff, and take care of your upholstered furniture, leather furniture is completely different.
When it comes to cleaning leather, you want to stay away from any and all soaps on leather material. While steam cleaning is advised with upholstered furniture, using any kind of soap (whether it’s mild or harsh) can damage leather furniture as it contains natural oils. In fact, its oils typically dissipate over the course of a year due to the buildup of dirt and grime. So, using a mixture that contains oils, instead, will both clean the material, and replenish the natural oils that have dissipated over time.
Applying Conditioner
While it shouldn’t be used regularly, applying conditioner to your leather furniture will help to keep its material moisturized, flexible, and soft. You may realize that original shine and luster of your leather has diminished over time, maybe it’s looking dull now. Regularly using leather conditioner can bring back that “new” shine and overall appearance to your furniture - even as it gets older! However, because it does soften the material, you shouldn’t use it too often. Applying condition is often recommended after each cleaning - which should occur once per year.
Consider hiring a professional to clean and maintain your leather material for you. Thanks to their experience and familiarity with the process, professionals will be able to optimize your investment by using the right cleaning techniques and materials.
Is your furniture starting to look dull? It may be time for an annual cleaning. Call us at The Steam Team and one of our licensed technicians will be happy to help refresh your leather furniture!