Furniture and leather care

Tips for looking after your furniture

Taking care of your furniture is essential if you are to ensure it stands the test of time. Thus, here are some tips to help care for your furniture for years to come:

• Avoid prolonged exposure to light, temperature fluctuations and humidity.
• Vacuum regularly to remove dust from the surface.
• Place felt or leather discs on the feet of the furniture to prevent it from marking the floor.
• For furniture with visible wooden sections, polish with a silicon-free cream polish every six months. On the other hand, polishing excessively frequently can result in the build-up of polish residue.
• For more regular cleaning, use a cloth with a furniture cleaning spray.
• To clean stains use a furniture cleaner or a cloth soaked in soapy water.

Removing a stain from leather furniture

If your sofa or furniture has not been treated with an anti-stain product, removing a stain from a leather covering can prove a delicate process. Here are some basic principles that should enable you to get rid of stains quickly and effectively.

Tips before getting started

• Act quickly The majority of non-grease stains disappear when wiped with a clean cloth dampened with water or a damp chamois cloth on smooth leather.
• If necessary, try getting rid of the mark by wiping over it with a cotton cloth dampened with cleansing milk or baby lotion.
• Never scrub leather! A leather sofa is delicate and you risk causing irreparable dammage. The use of a dust-repellent aerosol is not advised on a leather armchair or sofa.
• If the stain persists in spite of all this, use a stain remover:
  • Pour the stain remover onto a cloth, to be applied onto the leather. Never pour the product directly onto the leather and always test the product first on a non-visible area of the furniture to ensure that it will not alter the appearance. If the colour of the leather bleeds onto the cloth, cease cleaning immediately.
  • If this happens, try diluting the product.??
  • Do not get the leather too wet with water or stain remover.

A different process for each type of stain
Not all stains on your leather furniture can be removed using the same method. Each requires a specific approach to ensure that your furniture is restored to its original shine.

Candle wax:

• Gently scrape off the wax with a wooden spatula or spoon.
• Dab the remaining stain with a cloth dampened with a few drops of benzene.

Coffee or tea:

• Clean the stains using a cotton cloth dampened with body or face cream.??
• If necessary add a few drops of white vinegar.

Oil:

• Cover the stain with vaseline.
• Leave the product to act and then run over it with a cloth.??
• If there is still a trace of the grease on the leather sofa,
• Leave it to act
• Rub the leather with a cloth.

Chewing gum:

• Scrape as much of the chewing gum off with your fingernail.
• Harden the gum by applying a plastic bag filled with ice cubes, so that it can be scraped off more easily.
• If a grease stain persists on the leather,
Sprinkle with talc
• Leave to act for at least 2 hours.
• Brush gently.

Polish (on a leather sofa):

• Gently scrape off the stain with a wooden spatula or spoon.
• Dab the stained area of the leather with a cloth dampened with a little body or face cream (or even a cream bronzer if it is white) with a few drops of turpentine oil.

Glue:

• Run a cloth dampened with warm water over the stains.
• Wipe dry.
• Apply non-fat milk for washing babies to the stained area using a cloth.

Coloured marks from dyed clothing:

• Spray with hairspray
• Wipe the ink with a clean cloth as soon as it dilutes.
• Repeat until the stain disappears completely.
• Nourish the leather with a cloth dipped in cleansing milk.??
• A cloth dampened with clay stone mixed with 90° alcohol is also very effective on these stains. Work into the stain for a while using circular motions, without scrubbing the leather excessively.

Ink:

• Clean the stain with a cloth dampened with cleansing face cream, with a few added drops of white vinegar, using circular motions.
• If necessary, blot the ink stain with a cloth dampened with 90 degrees proof alcohol.
• Nourish the leather after stain removal.??
• If the stains still persist:
  Spray with hairspray
• Wipe the ink with a clean cloth as soon as it dilutes.
• Repeat until the stain disappears completely.
• Nourish the leather with a cloth dipped in cleansing milk for babies.

Water

• Get rid of water marks using a cloth dampened with cold water, with a touch of mild detergent.
• Run another damp cloth over the leather to rinse.
• Dry.
• Polish with a colourless poolish.??
• Alternative method:
• Remove water stains by running a cloth dampened with vaseline over them.
• Allow the vaseline to soak in before polishing. ??
• On a light leather, dab water marks with a cloth dampened with milk with a squeeze of lemon juice.
• Dry.
• Polish.

Smoke or soot:

• Remove smoke stains with a cloth dampened with soapy water (wrung out).
• Nourish the leather after stain removal with a cloth dampened with a little body or face cream (you can even use cream with bronzer if the leather is white).

Grease marks:

Do not try to get rid of grease stains with water and soap!

• Sprinkle the stains with talc or baby powder.
• Wait several hours and then brush the leather.
• Repeat the process if necessary.??
• If the grease stains are old:
  • Heat them for a few seconds using a hair dryer. Work on small sections, taking care not to hold the hair dryer any closer than 10 cm.
  • Sprinkle the grease stains with talc or baby powder; or rub the leather while it is still hot using a clean cloth dampened with a few drops of benzine.??
• Alternative method:
• Apply a paste of methylated spirits and crushed chalk to the stain.
• Once the paste has dried gently brush it off.

Milk:

• Wipe the stain with a cloth dampened with a little body or face cream (or even a cream bronzer if it is white) with a few drops of 28% ammonia water.
• Nourish the leather after stain removal.

Mould:

• Get rid of mould stains by dabbing them with a cloth dampened with glycerine.
??
• Alternative method:
• Rub the mouldy leather with a cloth dampened with a little body or face cream (or even a cream bronzer if it is white) with a few drops of turpentine oil.

Paint:

• Blot the paint stains with a cloth dampened with turpentine oil.
• Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
• Nourish the leather with cleansing milk for babies.
• Run a cloth dampened with a little body or face cream (or even a cream bronzer if it is white) with a few drops of white vinegar over the stain.
• Wipe clean with a damp cloth after stain removal.
• Nourish the leather with polish or cleansing milk for babies.

Sebum on seat backs and armrests:

• Sprinkle them with talc or baby powder.
• Leave to act for several hours.
• Brush the leather.
• Repeat the process if necessary.

Ballpoint pen

• Rub the pen line with a cotton bud dampened with a mixture of 1/4 water and 3/4 90° proof alcohol.
• Nourish the leather with polish or cleansing milk for babies.

Dye (very difficult to remove):

• Spray hairspray on the stains.
• Wipe the ink with a clean cloth as soon as the stain begins to dilute.
• Repeat until the stain disappears completely.
• Nourish the leather with a cloth dipped in cleansing milk.??
• If the stain persists:
  • Run a cloth dampened with clay stone mixed with 90° alcohol over the stains.
  • Work into the stain for a while using circular motions, without scrubbing the leather excessively.

Nail polish:

• Only acetone is effective, but it will lighten the colour of the leather.
• First conduct a test using a cotton bud on a concealed section. If the colour comes off onto the cotton bud, and if there is any change in the appearance of the leather, dilute the acetone with a little water.

Wine:

• Run a cloth dampened with a little cleansing milk for the face with a few drops of water mixed in equal parts with 90° proof alcohol over the stain.?
• If the stain persists:
  • Spray with hairspray
  • Wipe the ink with a clean cloth as soon as the stain begins to dilute.
  • Repeat until the stain disappears completely.
  • Nourish the leather with a cloth dampened with cleansing milk.

Help

In case of doubt contact us on 01 83 62 07 91 for specialist advice.