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How To Make Your Leather Sofas Last Forever Explained

It is a fact that leather sofas will last as long as you want them to if you look after them. The question then inevitably arises ‘How do you look after them properly?’ It’s a good question and an important one, so I thought it would be a good idea to address that topic in detail.

Firstly, leather sofas are defined by the kind of leather they are made with.  Many people have the wrong impression that a marked sofa is of poorer quality... but this certainly isn’t the case. Considering the fact that real leather comes from animal hides, the purest leather will undoubtedly have marks from the various insects (mosquitoes and such) and creatures that choose to bite and scratch the animal. 

Some leather sofas made from less expensive leather. The less expensive leather has the under hide cut and separated from the outer hide (where the marks will be found) and then stamped with that well known leather pattern to give it a texture, and then coloured. This allows for the leather to be uniform in appearance and is generally treated to be protected from the elements. This does make it more suited to homes with children or pets and can still be of quite a high quality in some cases.

On the other hand, we have unprotected leather sofas made from purer leather. It is comparatively less processed and so does not always appear in a uniform fashion. There will occasionally be marks and scratches and the material will be more delicate, but it’s important to distinguish between markings and defects.

For example, the Italian furniture designer Cierre, uses a range of the highest quality leathers and many appear with markings from the natural, authentic hides. These are purely cosmetic and add uniqueness to your sofa, but are unfortunately mistaken on occasion as defects. Defects on leather sofas are something different altogether and actually negatively affect the sofa’s function. Think tears and rips, rather than scratches and healed scars.

So now you know a little more about the intricacies of quality leather, let’s talk about how to keep your chosen leather sofas clean and long-lasting. It’s quite a simple operation really, but for the best results you should pick up a couple of cloths, a saddle soap or leather dew and the appropriate leather conditioner.

Since the leather on most leather sofas is obviously a natural material, you only want to use a damp cloth, not a wet one, so wring it out thoroughly. Otherwise you risk creating watermarks, which are unsightly at best and can be damaging at worst. Apply your leather dew / saddle soap as instructed on the container and work it gently into a lather.

Wipe the lather away with your damp cloth and polish with a dry one. Once the sofa is fully dry, then you can treat it with the appropriate conditioner. Working this into your weekly housekeeping regime will ensure that your leather sofas will stay with you for a lifetime.

To find the most spectacular leather sofas to work your cleaning magic on (including those by Cierre), take a look at http://www.gomodern.co.uk.

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