Leather
Cleaning
Is you leather looking less than lustrous?
Most people buy leather chairs seeming to believe they are indestructible.
Perhaps you believe that leather cleaning need only involve a quick wipe down. Or, maybe you have learnt from your own enlightened experience that dirt builds up within leather to such a degree that professional leather cleaning is much more necessary than you once thought.
It’s certainly true that leather is a fabulous feature for any room. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that it supersedes all other upholstery fabrics when it comes to ease of maintenance.
Why is leather cleaning as important as fabric upholstery cleaning?
Leather is a skin. When peering at it under a microscope, you can see pores and hair follicles. It is pitted, allowing for dirt to become easily lodged within it.
It isn’t the case that fabric upholstery is absorbent whilst leather is not. Solvent-based substances in particular, such as inks, are very quickly absorbed into leather. It is in no way bulletproof, and anti-stain protection plays a key role in taking the best care possible of your leather post-clean (which is why we involve it as part and parcel of the cleaning process for you).
Step 1
ASSESS
To begin, we determine which of the four main leather-related families your upholstery belongs to; pigmented leather, faux leather, analine or suede/nubuck.
We also assess the level of soiling or staining we are dealing with, and look for any damage in need of repair.
Step 2
PRE-CLEAN
Next, we rid the material of loose dirt with a thorough vacuum. We then apply a preliminary cleaning solution, serving to remove any remaining dry substances and loose soiling. It is important for us to be diligent here so that when the time comes to carry out the deep clean, we are not persistently tackling any on-the-surface particles. The more gentle and progressive the approach is from the start, the lesser the risk of requiring a more ‘aggressive’ clean later on.
Step 3
DEEP CLEAN
Now we massage a powerful foaming agent into the leather, paying particular attention to body contact areas where hair and skin oils are prevalent. Depending on how severely the dirt is engrained, we work our way up the scale to stronger agents. When absolutely necessary – usually when dealing with stubborn stains – we adopt our most ‘aggressive’ methods of cleaning. The art here is to clean as intensely as possible without stripping the pigment out of the leather.
Step 4
cOLOUR REPAIR
In instances where inks and dyes have soaked into the leather beyond the reaches of the cleaning agent, it is necessary for us to deliberately strip back the pigments and subsequently re-build them.
This procedure is also required when scratches (often from pesky pets!), ‘cracking’ and wear occurs as a result of the material being poorly maintained.
Step 5
PROTECT
Finally, we apply a professional protective treatment serving to guard the surface of the leather post-clean.
This builds a resilient barrier upon the skin and creates a first line of defence against potential spills and general dirt, resulting in a leather that’s harder-wearing and altogether more durable.
Are you sitting comfortably? Sit back, relax and enjoy the therapeutic viewing of our professional leather cleaning in action…
Just one final note…
Do
Try your best to maintain the cleanliness of your leather in-between our visits. If you tend to use your leather daily, wipe the material down with a clean damp cloth every couple of months and invest in a rejuvenating professional deep clean every one to two years.
Don’t
Use baby wipes. You may get away with using them a handful of times, but they will eventually strip the lacquer coating from the leather.
