Tips for Leather Care

Years ago, I bought a leather sectional that didn't acclimate well to my house.  It dried out, and lost color, and didn't last nearly as long as it should have.  Let's prevent that from happening to your leather.

Quick Tips:

·         Minimize direct sunlight

·         Keep away from sources of heat, including heating vents.

·         Keep leather moist, using a high-quality leather conditioner.

·         Vacuum or dust frequently.

·         Clean spills quickly and lightly, and then use leather cleaner.

Leather is a terrific upholstery fabric.  This is a thumbnail sketch about the leathers, and how to take care of 

them.  There are various grades of leather, and each manufacturer tends to use their own grading system.  

Overall, where a leather comes from, how much it's corrected, how it's dyed and protected dictate the grade

and quality of the leather.  

Southern hemisphere leathers tend to be thin-skinned and require a lot of correction.  Cattle are penned in

with barbed wire, which produces scars that must be buffed out and filled in.  

North American leathers tend to be healthier, and some require moderate correction.  Those from colder

climates tend to be thicker skinned.  Free ranging cattle tend to be less scarred, and their leathers require

less correction.  Northern Europe and Scandinavian cattle tend to be the healthiest and to produce the

highest grades of hides.  

In the process of tanning and preparing a hide, lower grades are allocated for belts and other leather 

products - even for automobile upholstery, where they receive an extreme amount of treatment so they can

weather the temperature extremes of a confined vehicle.  

Better grades are prepared for furniture use, and the highest grades are prepared for more expensive, 

higher-quality pieces.  Higher grade leathers may be described as:

·         Full Aniline

·         Wax Pull-Up

·         Non-Corrected

·         Lightly Corrected

·         Full Grain

Terms like "Top Grain" do not connote quality; it is merely the top- or outer- cut of the leather.  

"Split Grain" is an inner cut that is less tough than a top grain leather.  At RC Willey, all leather seating

is Top Grain.  To reduce cost, some pieces are made with a Split Grain on the sides and back.  To reduce

cost even more, some pieces use a vinyl match on the sides and back.  It is entirely possible to get a very 

luxurious feel on a nice leather seat that has a vinyl match.  At RC Willey, we sometimes call these pieces, 

"Leather match" - that is, top grain leather seating, and vinyl match on sides and back.  

At RC Willey, we carry a range of quality, some pieces providing for the most discriminating of tastes,

while other pieces make the luxury of leather more affordable.  We carry pieces that match all the 

"luxury" descriptions bulleted above.  Nearly all of our leathers are Semi-Aniline, and most are corrected 

leathers.  Note that a higher quality leather is not necessarily the longest-lasting or most durable.  It is more about "hand" or feel.  Semi Aniline leathers are a sensible grade, very practical, and usually the most durable for home use.  

CARING FOR YOUR LEATHER

On a daily basis, leather is the easiest to maintain; merely vacuum or dust it off.  However, leather does require periodic care, especially in our dry mountain climate.  It's critical that it acclimates well to your home, so the first year or two I recommend more frequent cleaning and conditioning.  Use the leather care kit provided by RC Willey; it's excellent for our climate.  

Years One and Two:  I recommend 4 to 6 treatments/ year

From then on, I recommend 2 to 3 treatments per year. 

More treatments may be necessary, depending on how heavily it is used, and how much direct sun it gets.  Consider also whether a heat vent is blowing on it directly every day.  These are factors to minimize, where possible, and to be aware of in planning your leather care.  

SPILLS

The conditioner helps leathers resist stains.  If you spill on your leather, wipe it up lightly (don't wait), and soak it up from the outer edges of the spill toward the center.  This will keep the spill from spreading.  After lightly soaking up the spill, perhaps with a paper towel, use your leather cleaner to finish the job.  Then reapply the conditioner, and let it soak in for a few hours before sitting on that spot.  

Do all this, and you will enjoy your leather for many years.  When traditional fabrics might be wearing out, your leather will be wearing in - taking on that wrinkly lived-in patina that makes leather that much more beautiful.

Keep Smilin'!