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Cleaning/Conditioning leather sectional that has never been done

15 years ago

I've been reading up on leather furniture care recently - we have a 6 year old, beige Natuzzi sectional that has never been conditioned (except for a couple times with Leather CPR). The seat cushions are beginning to show scratches and faded, worn areas. Other than that, the sectional is in excellent shape -the frame and shape of the cushions are still like new. You actually don't notice the wear and tear until you are actually sitting on the sectional and can see it up close.

Would I just go ahead and clean and condition (following Duane's instructions I found on another post) or is there something special I need to do to restore the finish or something?

We went furniture shopping yesterday, but I would much rather try to salvage this sectional since it's the perfect size, color and is SO COMFY!!!

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

duanerc
15 years ago
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duanerc
15 years ago
With leather, you can pretty much recondition/clean/restore most any part of it as long as the hide is not cracked and peeling. Oils and dirt from your hands and head attack the tannins in the hide and if not cleaned periodically will cause the hide topcoat to fail. When that happens, it is not repairable and needs to be recovered.

You do not need anything fancy to clean your leather. You can use Club Soda on a white washcloth, or for a a bar of plain Ivory soap lathered (but not sopping wet) on a white washcloth as well. That works!

If you need to restore the color from sun fade, Mutlimaster makes a Color kit for about $ 90. You send them a sample of the hide, they custom blend you a dye kit. It works remarkably well. Follow up with their Leather Conditioning kit and the results are noticeable. I use these products myself on the pieces in my home.

Don't ever buy that leather protection warranty from a retailer. That's a sham, and the coating that is put on top of your new sofa can do more harm than good. For certain once that is applied none of the upholstery makers will warranty the hide if it de-laminates, etc.

All you need is a cleaning schedule and using simple soap and water and your leather will stay nice looking for years and years.

Duane

Here is a link that might be useful: Pro Leather Repair Products
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cassma
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Duane!

If I am understanding correctly - as long as there is no cracking or peeling of the leather - that leather is still completely intact (which I think it is), then I can go ahead and clean and use the Leather Master protection cream as I would if I had been doing this from the start? I also plan to use the Leather Master Vital to add moisture/softness back into the seat cushions that are very dry/faded.

I would like to try this first and see what happens - but, then can I use the dye-kit if I think I need to? It is a light couch - beige in color - and the fading/scratches are noticable once sitting on the couch, but not from a distance.

I almost think that if I were to clean/condition it, those areas would look almost like they're supposed to be distressed...
duanerc
15 years ago
Yes, that should work. Give it a try, it certainly won't hurt anything. Be sure to use the cleaner in the kit prior to the protection cream application.

Let us know how it works out!

Duane

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