How to Clean a Leather Couch
While purchasing a lovely, shiny leather couch from the showroom, nobody feels these gorgeous looking beauties can be a challenge to maintain. Leather couches make ultimate living room furniture, however, people are of the misconception that they will continue to remain in their mint condition for a long period of time. These couches involve substantial amount of investment and have to be maintained well if their utility life is to be prolonged. Since a lot of time is spent relaxing on the couch, as time progresses these couches become reservoirs of all kinds of junk. Oft leather couch owner wonder as to how to clean leather couches. Leather is a special kind of material and cleaning a leather couch involves use of certain special techniques. Moreover, there are different types of leather resulting to different types of stains. However, the cleaning techniques can be generalized for all leather couches.
Vacuuming: It is best to vacuum the couch crevices in order to get rid of dust, dirt and crumbs. Application of cleaning agents to a dirty couch causes the dirt particles to adhere to it and even get rubbed in, making things worse. Thus, one should always start the cleaning process by first vacuuming away all the loose dirt and dust.
Soap and Water: Moisturizing soaps or body wash (Dove) along with little water serves well in the overall cleaning method. By gently rubbing the diluted soap solution onto the couch using a soft cloth, one can take care of the grime adhering to it. After gently rubbing the soap, one should use a dry, clean cloth to wipe it dry. Do not use water to rinse off the soap, as too much water can damage the leather.
Leather Conditioning: The cleaning step can be followed by application of a deep leather conditioning formula (found easily in the store) to work on the leather. For the best results, one should rub the conditioner in circular motion, covering entire couch area. Let it settle for the next 10-15 minutes and then gently rub it with a soft, dry cloth for a lustrous look. One should apply this leather conditioner about 2-3 times a year for them to look bright and new.
Baking Soda: To brighten dirty leather couches, one should resort to baking soda treatment. Make one cup of salt water, by adding cup sea salt into cup tap water. To this salt water, add 2 tbsp baking soda and 1 tsp of flour. Mix well and wipe it down the couches using a wet cloth. Then use a dry cloth to wipe off the mixture. The leather couch will regain its lost shine!
Cleaning Grease Stains: Grease stains should not be cleaned with water. One should dab the spill till the rag comes back dry. Once the dabbing has been done, one should allow the stain to settle for about two days. What happens is the oil from the stain settles down, leaving little or no mark on the leather couch surface. If the stain is still visible, one should use a leather soft cleaner to remove the stain.
Cleaning Pen Ink Stains: To remove pen ink stains from the leather couch, one should dip a cotton bud in some vinegar (some alcohol will also do), and rub it on the stained spot. After this, dry the spot with a blow dryer. If the stain persists, one should try using rub some acetone free nail polish remover onto the stain using a soft cloth. However, one should avoid cleaning a leather couch with nail polish remover during routine maintenance. It will cause discoloration.
In case of spillage, one should dab as much as one can using a cloth. Rubbing can cause spread of spillage to other areas, which is why it is necessary to keep dabbing till the cloth comes back dry. Using cleaning agents on leather couches to remove stains is always a risk. One can never be sure which product will cause discoloration of the couch leather. This is why it is advisable to first experiment the cleaning agent on one small test region (the rear end) of the couch. Wait and watch the reaction. If there are no adverse reactions, then one can go ahead and use it for the entire couch. Better than fretting about cleaning a leather couch, one should try to avoid couch staining. This can be done by covering the couch with lightweight sheets, as oft as possible. Hope this article on how to clean leather couch has been helpful.
