Leather Cleaning & Stain Removal Tips

Maintaining Your Leather Furniture

Modern leather furniture is tanned and finished in many different ways.  To determine what you have, do a simple test by rubbing the hide in a hidden area with a damp cloth. 

1.  If the moisture does not soak in you have a finished leather that should hold out most stains.  You can usually use a very mild soap, but avoid detergents and saddle soap like the plague.  They will dry out and stiffen the leather.  For best results, have Total Leather Care clean and protect your furniture.  We have the skill and products to deeply clean the leather.  Then get a bottle of Hidey's Beauty Treatment  for continued maintenence. See "leather products" above.

2.  If the surface darkens, you have an unfinished or semi-sealed leather.  This kind is softer, but spills and soil can penetrate and stain the leather, making it hard or impossible to clean out.  Try a cloth damp with water only.  If the stain does not budge, TLC can clean and then recolor the area to match.

3. For ink marks, try a soft eraser, or a mild soap on a cue tip as soon as possible.  Ink is a dye, so it usually will not come off without using a product that will also remove the color coat.  It may fade away in time.  Again, TLC can easily do a spot repair at your home.

4. For oil stains, apply a little corn starch.  After this dries, brush it off and repeat as necessary.  The idea is to absorb the oil into the powder.  Often, the oil will just migrate through the hide and diminish over time.  Head and body oils that accumulate over time will not clean out, since they saturate the hide. 

Never use oils and silicone.  Leather is oiled in the tanning process and cannot be re-oiled. 

Limit exposure to sun and heat as much as possible.  These will dry out the leather, just like our skin, and cause the color to fade.