For centuries, leather furniture remains in demand and habitually adorns the interiors of luxurious living rooms and cabinets. Leather sofas still look stylish and respectable. Moreover, they can serve for many years and even live up to the status of "antique furniture". But under one important condition - good care and respect.
How and how to clean a leather sofa
Caring for a leather sofa does not require much effort if done regularly and correctly.
Weekly, it is necessary to collect the accumulated dust with a vacuum cleaner or wipe the sofa first with a soft damp cloth and then dry. This procedure cleanses the pores of the skin and allows it to be enriched with oxygen, which extends the life of the sofa.
Monthly sofa is recommended to clean using special tools. Choosing a good leather furniture care product is an important task. For an expensive thing, you should not use a budget unchecked tool. It is better to purchase products from well-known manufacturers with guaranteed quality and compliance with all the tasks stated by the manufacturer declared by the manufacturer (for example, Boston, Salamander, Softcare).
Reference! In urgent situations, you can use good leather shoe care products.
Once every six months, the skin must be nourished with fat-containing agents that can restore its elasticity. To do this, you can use special products or oils (linseed or coconut).
The oil is applied with a soft cloth, then wiped dry with a flannel, cotton or microfiber cloth.
To restore the shine, you can use products containing wax. Rub the skin carefully so as not to damage the coating.
Attention! When choosing a leather sofa care product, make sure it is suitable for genuine leather.
You can mask scratches and small cuts with a special liquid skin. The difficulty lies in the correct selection of the shade corresponding to the tone of the sofa.
Folk methods
Along with special tools, you can try folk methods that helped to care for leather products long before modern tools appeared.
The most difficult skin care tasks are spots. They can be withdrawn by simple means that are available in every home.
Attention! Stains must be removed immediately, otherwise it is very difficult to remove them yourself, you will have to contact a dry cleaning specialist.
Stains from wine, juice, coffee, tea can be removed with a solution of alcohol. Coffee and tea rooms are first wiped with a soap solution, then with a damp cloth and wiped dry. The coffee stain can also be removed with ammonia.
A grease stain, wiped with a dry cloth, can be sprinkled with corn starch or baby powder. After 2-3 hours, the remaining fat is absorbed into the powder.
Traces of a ballpoint pen, felt-tip pen, lipstick are removed with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol or lemon juice diluted with water. You can use adhesive tape, which is glued to the damaged area. After removing the tape, the remaining glue is wiped with a soap solution.
Attention! Do not use acetone to remove stains. It can damage the color of the skin and destroy the protective layer.
To remove the chewing gum you need to lay out the ice wrapped in polyethylene around it. Chewing gum should be easy to remove, if this does not happen, you will have to use a blunt knife or some other object that will help remove it.
If the skin has become dull, restore its shine with glycerol. Apply it with a sponge, and then rub to a shine with a soft cloth. Gloss lasts for 1-2 weeks.
To restore the luster and softness of the skin, they have long been using natural cow's milk. To do this, you need to warm it up, moisten a soft cloth and rub the sofa.
If the skin appears frayed, you can remove it with olive oil. Wipe the shabby place with oil, put a rag soaked in water on top, a warm iron on it. Under the influence of heat, oil is absorbed into the skin, making it soft.
Important! The iron should be warm, not hot, so as not to damage the skin.
In conclusion, it is necessary to apply a shoe polish selected in color. You can also try to remove scuffs with a peeled orange peel, which contains a sufficient amount of essential oils.
Basic rules for the operation of leather sofas
There are several basic rules regarding the operating conditions of leather sofas:
If possible, respect for leather furniture. If you can, for example, transfer coffee to another place, it is better to take this precaution.
The skin does not like ultraviolet and artificial heat, which lead to drying out and cracking. Therefore, leather furniture must be kept away from windows and heat sources (radiators, fireplaces, stoves). The minimum recommended distance is at least 1 m, but preferably 2-3 m.
In a room with leather furniture, it is recommended to maintain relative humidity within 65%. With low humidity, not only air, but also the skin dries.
Reference! Painted skin does not like drying out, its top layer may crack and crumble.
Very often in films shot on classic works, you can see leather furniture in white covers that are worn with a long absence of home owners. This is not a random directorial trick. Indeed, the skin cannot be covered with colored covers, which can be shedding, which will entail damage to the skin and the appearance of stains that cannot be removed.
Do not allow pets to jump on a leather sofa. Even the strongest skin can not withstand claws and is covered with unsightly scratches.
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