Cleaning a Leather Sofa

Cleaning a Leather Sofa

How can I clean my light color leather sofa without damaging it? I was told to dissolve a few drops of dishwashing liquid in water and use a sponge to wash it and then just dry it. But I am worried that water will dry the leather. I appreciate any suggestions.

Mitra from Maryland

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RE: Cleaning a Leather Sofa

My niece worked at a furniture store for a while and she told me that they used Pledge to clean their leather furniture. I have been using it on my leather furniture for over 3 years now and I love it. It cleans and conditions the furniture and it is a lot less inexpensive than the leather cleaners. (10/11/2007)

By

RE: Cleaning a Leather Sofa

Try baby wipes for cleaning leather followed by a thinly applied lanolin type hand cream to condition the leather and prevent cracking of the leather (10/12/2007)

By mumsy

RE: Cleaning a Leather Sofa

My brother in law used saddle soap on his, sure you can get it at any farm supply store or saddle shop. Don't know what is in it, but doesn't dry out the leather. (10/13/2007)

ByMartha in TN

RE: Cleaning a Leather Sofa

As soon as you buy a new leather, you should put leather protector on it. This acts like a Scotchgard and helps inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed into the finish. It also makes it easier to keep clean. This process is important whatever the colour or leather type but is crucial on pale leathers and aniline style (absorbent) leathers.

A good leather protector also contains UV protector so there is no need to worry about your windows although most leathers will fade over time.

Modern leathers are finished and perform in a very different way these days to those made 30 years ago so do need different care processes.

Then you should use a maintenance product regularly to keep the surface of the leather free from dirt and body oils (these are the 2 main things that can lead to damage of the leather finish and deterioration of the leather)

If you do these 2 things (very quick and simple to do) you will keep your leather looking good and performing well.

The only conditioning that leather needs is moisture, it does not need creams and waxes or feeds and in some cases these can be detrimental to the leather finish. Household cleaners can also be detrimental and baby wipes should not be used under any circumstances. We have seen and fixed many problems caused by these. It is not advisable to use saddle soap as this is not an appropriate cleaner for upholstery leather. Source: http://www.LTTsolutions.net (11/20/2007)

By Leather Agony Aunt

RE: Cleaning a Leather Sofa

I know that cleaning a leather sofa can be hard. To help, take silk cloth, preferably a tie, to clean. This will do a brilliant job. (06/27/2008)

By Sara