How can i clean a leather suite / sofa

lally666young

We got a guardsman kit with ours, £24 sounds a lot, but it does last ages, most major furniture retailers sell them and they are good value. It isnt worth damaging it.

System

Ive wrecked mine by using too much detergent and not feeding it enough.

Absinthe_2

I use either baby wipes, or leather wipes. The latter are a £1 from my local Co-op at the moment.

Pink.

Hi Hardupandfedup,

There is more advice on these threads:

How can i clean a leather suite / sofa

Cleaning / treating of leather sofa's

I'll add your thread to the first link later.

Pink

lally666young

Ohh I also forgot to mention that the guardsman kit contains the feeding stuff to keep it nice and pretty.

Piquant_2

Saddle soap is very good, it is very gentle as it is used on very expensive saddles. It isn't cheap, about £6.00 but will bring your sofa up like new. If you follow up with a bit of leather balm it will keep the leather soft and supple.

Hope this helps.

elliesmemory1

Thanks for advice

acl2009

Ive looked through the big index but either can't see for looking or there isn't anything there so hopefully someone can help me with this.

We have a quite expensive tan leather sofa but dye from denim has rubbed off into it and there is now a quite obvious patch where DH tends to sit. How can I clean the dye off the sofa without harming the leather?

Thank you in advance!

[Deleted User]

I got ballpont off a cream leather chair and I used hairspray sprayed on a soft cloth and lightly wiped. Then I put a bit of leather polish on and you cannot see where the mark was

judyb

You have what is known as dye transfer.
Dye Transfer is the dyestuff transferred to leather from clothing, newsprint or from hair dyes and fake tans. It is more usually seen on light coloured, protected, leathers but it can occur on any leather, though not as noticeably. Basically the jean dye has redyed the leather. It is a very common problem.
It is crucial to check the type of leather you have before attempting any remedies.
If you have an aniline style leather (one that absorbs moisture) the dye is likely to be permanent as it will have been absorbed inti the leather itself.
If you have a protected(pigment coated, finished) leather (one that does not absorb moisture) theres much more chance of removal.

If noticed early enough dye on pigment coated leather can be successfully removed from most pigment coated leather with a Jean and Dye Transfer Removal Kit. This contains specifically formulated (by leather technologists) products for this problem. If this cleaning process does not resolve the problem it will be necessary to call in an experienced technician as early as possible. The longer the dye sits in/on the leather the harder it will be to remove.

Using a good quality protector and cleaning on a regular basis will help to inhibit dye transfer as the dye will sit on the protector and not on the finish of the leather. This also makes it much easier to clean off.
Owners of pale and off-white leather are recommended to adopt a gentle regular cleaning and protecting regime using good quality maintenance and protection products (not conditioners as these
actually attract more dirt) Please do not use anything containing waxes or oils on your leather as these will not help and polishes may seal the surface and prevent further cleaning.

Never use Magic Erasers to clean leather as these are a very fine sand paper and will damage the finish on the leather causing long term problems.
Saddle soap, vinegar and old wives tales such as hairspray should also be avoided as these can damage the finish on the leather which will be expensive to fix

Products sold in furniture stores and supermarkets are not generally strong enough products resolve this problem.

Always take expert advice when dealing with leather as they will help you avoid expensive problems.

Please do not use saddle soap which is meant for saddles and not the type of leather you have. It is too harsh for modern leather finishes and could damage the leather.

Hope this helps
Judyb
Professional leather care consultant to the cleaning, furntiure and automotive industries