Cleaning Leather Furniture: How Hard Is It?

Leather is classy, stylish -- and easy to take care of. Does that surprise you? In fact, when it comes to cleaning leather furniture, it's not something you have to lose sleep over. In fact, leather can be a lot easier to clean than other materials can.

We spend a lot of time sitting on our furniture, but we probably don't think a lot about cleaning it. However, furniture can most certainly pick up dirt over the years, especially if it's of a material that's particularly absorbent, or one that holds onto dirt easily. Not so with leather. Leather is certainly special and "classic," but while it requires some special cleaning techniques, it's much easier to clean than most other types of materials.

For most spills and spots, as long as you wipe them off right away, you're not going to have a problem. The key for most spills and other types of spots is that you simply wipe the spot off QUICKLY. A damp or moist cloth should do the trick, but don't use one that's overly wet.

Some things to consider:

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to leather furniture. First of all, is it finished or unfinished? If it finished (and chances are, yours is), you should just need a soft, damp rag, and a bit of leather cleaner. Saddle soap is a good choice, but leather cleaner is less harsh and should do a better job. Simply wipe the cleaner into the leather and then wipe off with a clean, damp cloth. Let it dry, and then if you wish work some leather conditioner into the spot.

Don't use just any old cleaning supply with your leather furniture, though. If used incorrectly, you could change the color and/or the surface of the leather, and you don't want that.

Grease stains, again, are relatively easy to clean. Use a clean, dry cloth to blot the grease, and then put cornstarch or talcum powder on the grease. Don't rub it into the spot and simply let it sit on top and soak up the grease for several hours. Then, gently wipe it away with another damp cloth.

Be careful of water stains

You do have to be careful not to get water stains when you're cleaning leather furniture, though. It's important that you never soak a spot or stain with water when you're cleaning it. Instead, use a damp cloth to gently wipe stains off and then apply a leather conditioner after the spot has dried to restore it to its previous appearance.

Keep some leather cleaner around

There are some leather cleaners on the market today that do a good job of cleaning and applying a finish all at once when it comes to cleaning leather furniture. Spot test these before you use them, because some work better on some colors of leather than others. They're also a good way to simply "maintain" your leather furniture once it is clean simply by giving your leather furniture a once over with leather cleaner every now and again.

If you do it properly, cleaning leather furniture doesn't have to be hard, and you don't have to risk damage to your leather furniture. Instead, your furniture will only get better with years of use.