Singapore homeowners prefer leather sofa because it is low maintenance, durable and it looks great. However, it is important to clean the leather sofa to maintain its look. Although homeowners can do DIY cleaning, they can engage in sofa cleaning services from various cleaning services in Singapore.
Before cleaning your sofa, it is important to identify the kind of leather that is used for the sofa. Here are some cleaning tips for protected leather and unprotected leather:
Kinds Of Leather Upholstery
The first step to maintain your upholstery sofa is to understand what type of leather is used for the sofa. To do this, you have you can go through the written materials that come with your sofa or check the label on the furniture itself. You may even look up your sofa on the manufacturer or retailer’s website and learn more about it. Knowing what kind of leather is used in your sofa will also help you avoid the common misconceptions regarding sofa cleaning. However, if you cannot find the care instructions and are not still sure about the kind of leather sofa you have, then below are some ways on how to identify the leather used on your sofa:
Protected Leather
Most leather sofas are made of finished or protected leather. Leather can be labeled as pigmented, semi-aniline, or aniline plus pigmented leather. Protected leather is stain-resistant, lasts longer, and more uniform in appearance compared to pure aniline. Semi-aniline leather has an aniline dye and is topped with a pigment color layer. There are also protected leather that has a coating of thick polymer and pigment layer. They feel stiffer and can withstand more wear and tear.
Unprotected Leather
Aniline leather, also known as unfinished, unprotected, full aniline, or pure aniline leather, has a luxurious and soft feel. This leather is dyed by using aniline dye, though any surface pigment color is not added. It has little to no protective coating, and it can be treated to make it dirt resistant. On this leather, natural surface markings and grains create a patina. Compared to protected leather, the aniline type has a higher chance of being stained, and it is more expensive. Pull-up leather is yet another kind of aniline leather, and it is injected with waxes and oils. There is also nubuck leather, which is buffed or distressed to create a velvety, soft feel.
Cleaning Your Leather Sofa
After knowing the kinds of leathers used for the sofa, you can now proceed on the cleaning tips on how to maintain your leather sofa. If you decide to let a professional to do the cleaning instead, you should be aware of the things to note of when hiring a professional sofa cleaning company to make sure that your leather will get proper care and maintenance.
Cleaning Steps For Protected Leather
1. First, vacuum your sofa to eliminate any dirt with the help of the brush attachment.
2.Now, create a leather sofa cleaner solution by combing some drops of any mild non-detergent and a little distilled water. Dip a microfiber cloth in this solution.
3.Test this leather sofa cleaner solution on some inconspicuous spot of your sofa and check for any discoloration.
4.If the leather sofa cleaner solution works fine then you can wipe the furniture using it, starting from the top and then going down.
5.Take another clean cloth, dip it in plain distilled water, and wipe your sofa again.
6.Dry your furniture using a clean towel and you are done.
Cleaning Steps For Unprotected Leather
1.Dust your unprotected leather sofa using a dry, clean cloth.
2.Next, vacuum clean it with the help of the soft brush attachment.
3.Though the two steps suggested above should be enough in most cases, if need be, you can also wipe the surface of your sofa with a cloth that you need to dampen using distilled water. Or, you may use an approved leather sofa cleaner solution as well.
4.If you choose to use the store-bought leather sofa cleaner solution, first try it on some inconspicuous spot to make sure there is no reaction. And, if the leather sofa cleaner works fine, you can go ahead complete your entire leather sofa cleaning.
Managing Spills And Stains
Removing Stains For Protected Leather
The same with cleaning a fabric sofa, you just need to wipe spills like juice or soda with a cloth soaked in distilled water before letting it air dry. For stubborn stains, you can dip a sponge or soft cloth in lukewarm water and a non-detergent soap solution then gently wipe it on the area of the protected leather sofa. Next, wipe it off using a damp clean cloth and then, blot it dry using another soft cloth. For oil-based stains, you can blot it using a dry clean white cloth and make sure not to use any water. If you are not sure about these steps, it is advisable to hire a professional for sofa cleaning instead of DIY cleaning.
Removing Stains For Unprotected Leather
Gently brushing with a cleaning solution is usually required to remove stains on a fabric sofa. For unprotected leather, you just need to blot the spilled area with a clean dry cloth. However, if the leather is pure aniline, it is better to contact your retailer or engage with professional upholstery cleaning services first before doing anything else. Unprotected leather can be delicate sometimes, and it requires proper care and attention.
General Tips for Preventing Stains
Clean stain immediately – Do not wait for the stain to get tougher, and rather clean it immediately for better chances of completely getting rid of it. Yellow stains from pee and oil residue from food can be hard to remove if left for a long time, that is why these should be cleaned immediately using a clean cloth and liquid solution.
Clean regularly – Most of the stains that you can see on your leather sofa are a result of the long-term setting of dirt. To avoid the problem of cleaning stains later, start cleaning your sofa using a soft cloth on a regular basis. You can also clean the sofa with a steamer, but you have to modify it to the prescribed setting for cleaning leather.
Condition after cleaning – When you clean your sofa using a water-based leather sofa cleaner, then it can dry the natural oils present in leather, and pave the way to cracking and shine loss. Make sure you condition your sofa after you clean it to prevent these from happening.
Limit water usage – Even if you are using an organic, homemade leather sofa cleaner solution, combining water and few natural ingredients, you still need to be careful. Make sure you use only a limited amount of the solution to get rid of stains or else your sofa will have to experience water damage.
Check cleaning codes on leather sofa – Just like in rug cleaning, it is very important for you to check the cleaning codes on your sofa or check the care manual that comes along with your leather furniture. If you do not have the manual, you can contact the manufacturer and learn about the best leather seat cleaner products.
Fixing Minor Scratches
Unlike mattress cleaning, maintaining a leather sofa follows a meticulous process right after the cleaning. Since leather is prone to tears and scratches, professional cleaning services uses these steps to remove minor scratches on the leather’s surface:
1. Use olive oil, baby oil, saddle oil with a cotton swab
You need a cotton-swab applicator for this procedure. Simply dip the cotton swab in the oil of your choice, and directly apply it to the scratch. Next, rub it in a circular motion covering the surrounding leather. Let the oil dry for about an hour and then wipe it using a clean cloth. Professional sofa cleaning services usually do this after cleaning the sofa to remove light scratches and protect it from any liquid that can stain the leather.
2. Apply lanolin oil
Take a cotton rag and dip it in the lanolin oil. Rub this cloth over the area that is scratched, moving it perpendicular to the direction of the scratch. This will repair the scratch by smoothing it out. However, you may need to repeat the procedure at least a few times before the scratch is no longer visible.
3. Use heat source and damp cloth to remove leather oil
This method works only if you have an aniline leather sofa. So, make sure you are aware of what type you have before trying this method. Now, place a damp cloth over the scratch, apply heat using your hairdryer, and make sure you keep it really close to the cloth. You can even press a warm iron against the damp cloth and hold it for about 10 seconds. Remove it and check. If the scratch has disappeared then you can dry off your leather sofa and use it as normal. But, if the scratch is still there, you may need to repeat the step once again. You can also ask your trusted upholstery cleaning service to do this because they have the proper skills and equipment in removing scratches.
4. Apply shoe polish to the scratched area
Select a shoe polish, the shade of which matches the color of your sofa. Apply the polish to the affected area using a cotton-swab applicator or a clean cloth. Next, rub the polish into your leather sofa and then quickly rub the scratch to buff it with the help of a clean cloth.
Hire Professional Sofa Cleaning For Regular Maintenance
You can follow the steps suggested above and use a leather sofa cleaner of your choice to clean your sofa. However, you need to understand that your leather piece still needs professional sofa cleaning if you want it to last you for a long time. You should also know how often you should hire professional sofa cleaning services to make sure that your leather sofa is getting the care it deserves regularly.
Conclusion
Most Singapore homeowners planning to clean their leather sofa can try DIY cleaning although seeking a professional like DW Carpet Cleaning is still preferable. Hiring them can save you the trouble from meticulous cleaning and they also know the proper way on how to take care of leather sofas. To book their services, you can visit their website and choose from their portfolios the service that you want for your sofa.
DW Carpet Cleaning Singapore offers you a one-stop solution for your carpet cleaning needs. Our professional and reliable services include carpet cleaning, rug cleaning, sofa cleaning, upholstery cleaning, as well as mattress cleaning services. Our team of experienced cleaning specialists has served both residential and commercial clients. We are a highly recommended carpet cleaning company, with many positive reviews on Google. Feel free to read through our articles to learn some cleaning hacks. Do not hesitate to WhatsApp our friendly and responsive customer service team at +65 8768 8768 to solve your carpet cleaning needs!