How To Properly Care For Your Leather

Leather is a beautiful natural material that’s surprisingly easy to keep clean and looking new. Well... if you know what products to use anyway. Different types of leather require different products. As long as you’re careful to follow these tips, you can keep your leather looking great.

Different Types Of Leather

To know what kind of clean you need, you’re going to need to know exactly what kind of leather you’re dealing with.

Protected Leather- This makes up the majority of leather upholstery. Protected leather may also be labeled finished, semianiline, or pigmented leather. Protected leather, as the name suggests, is topped with a protective coating and is more durable than other leathers.

Unprotected Leather- Also called aniline, pure aniline, or unfinished leather, this leather has a more soft and luxurious feel. This type of leather is more sensitive to staining and is also more expensive than protected leather.

Leather Cleaning

When cleaning unprotected leather, you may use an approved leather cleaner, a slightly dampened cloth with distilled water, or a dry cloth and vacuum with small brush attachment. We suggest seeing the manufacturer's instructions before choosing your method. But no matter what the method is, clean very gently with unprotected leather, as it is much more susceptible to staining.

Protected leather can handle a lot more, but you should still be careful to not use certain products. Clean with a vacuum and damp cloth, but only use approved leather cleaners.

Leather Conditioning

Conditioning is what will keep your leather’s natural beauty alive. An approved leather conditioner should be applied every six to twelve months according to experts. To properly condition, add a small dollop of conditioner onto a small cloth and gently rub the conditioner all over the leather. This will keep your leather looking shiny and moisturized.

Professional Leather Help

Don’t forget that The Steam Team’s leather technicians can bring your leather back to its original condition without you having to deal with any of the hassle yourself. Feel free to call any time!