[sarahj]

What's the best way to clean leather? What sorts of products do you use, and how often do you clean? It's often hard to tell when to clean leather as it's usually dark so it's hard to see the dirt.

[Pristine Clean]

It varies on the type of leather / stain that you have, we do this,

Step 1 Place a small amount of a gentle, moisturizing soap such as Dove on a damp cloth and bring it to a light lather.

Step 2 Rub the damp cloth on the leather without putting too much water on the leather.

Step 3 Wipe away lather with a fresh damp cloth. Don't rinse the leather in water.

Step 4 Polish leather with a dry towel.

Step 5 Treat leather with a leather conditioner after it has dried completely.

Unfinished Leather

Step 1 Use a damp cloth or sponge to rub saddle soap into the leather; work soap into a light lather.

Step 2 Wipe away lather and allow to air dry.

Step 3 Oil leather with a leather preservative such as mink oil

Hope it helps

Dave

[Mike Halliday]

I would'nt clean leather with any of Pristines methods,

I'd recommend as a DIY product called 'Lazy leather' by LTT of harrogate, if you search google you'l find it.

Or use LTT'S cleaner and protection cream

[Pristine Clean]

I think Mike means this

Here is a link

http://leathercleaningproducts.co.uk/about.html

Or here is a short video by LTT

Oh the technique is very different to mine as you can see
http://www.lazyleather.co.uk/how_to_clean_leather.html

But if you find leather cleaning products and read what is in them - you might find its not much different from Dove soap.

But dont use a damp clothe or follow my instructions as mike says! As that is what most instruction read and the land of leather will say the same!


Oh and I have only cleaned around 300 leather sofas

But I know nothing!

Dave

[Mike Halliday]

only 300!!! you're just a beginner then

Dove & saddlesoap might be OK be why not just use products that are specifically designed for the job, and when you use a companies product they are always at the end of the phone to give advice.

[Pristine Clean]

What's the best way to clean leather? What sorts of products do you use,

only 300!!! you're just a beginner then

Dove & saddlesoap might be OK be why not just use products that are specifically designed for the job, and when you use a companies product they are always at the end of the phone to give advice.

Hi Mike,

as her question asked what product do you use. We use Dove, watered down. Plus many many other products. Including Lazy Leather.

Dove soap would be the cheapest for them if its for themselves. Which it sounds as though it is!

another method

To keep your leather couches looking nice, mix one cup of salt water (you can make this with one 3/4 cup tap water and 1/4 cup sea salt), two tablespoons of baking soda, and one teaspoon of flour in a large bowl.

Dip wet rag into the mixture and wipe down the couches. Then dry with a dry rag. It will brighten and clean even the dirtiest leather couches

try it before you knock it!

And yes I agree if you are not 100% confident then go and purchase the correct chemical which should be obtainable at the place where you got the soffa"Providing it was new when purchased at a shop" and they can recomend the product and how to clean. However I have found these to be expensive and over priced.

Dave

[LTT Leathercare]

Lazy Leather is designed as a consumer product or as a precleaner for a professional clean.  It is an ideal product to resell to your customer for regular maintenance cleaning.  The video is on our consumer site and the method is not what we consider a 'professional' clean.
However if sarahj has not cleaned leather before it is an ideal product for assessing dirt levels on dark leathers, use a white cloth and you will be able to see how much dirt there is on the surface, this is also a good demonstration to do for your customers who do not believe that their dark leather is dirty.

Leather should be kept clean, it is dirt that does the damage to the finish on the leather so allowing dirt levels to build will do long term damage.

The ideal way of looking after leather is to protect it from new with Leather Protect (or Ultra Protect on pale coloured leathers and aniline style leathers) use a maintenance product (like Lazy Leather) on an ongoing basis and then deep (professional) clean once or twice a year (depending on colour, usage etc.)

For professional cleaning it is crucial to identify the leather finish that you are dealing with so that you can use the correct method for cleaning.

Protected leather (pigment coated, finished etc.) will not absorb moisture and will clean very well.
Use a foam detergent cleaner - Strong Cleaner (soaps leave a scum).  
Maxi Cleaner can be used on heavily soiled areas and dye transfer on light colours.
Follow this with Leather Protect. (This will make cleaning easier and inhibit dye transfer and body oils)

'Conditioners' generally contain oils and waxes which should not be used on finished leathers as they do no good to the leather and may cause a build up of soiling due to residues left on the surface.  What is used to 'condition' leather is water (moisture) as it is this that dries out of the leather and needs replacing.  This is done by using water based products and water should definitely not be avoided.

Unfinished leathers are very rare and cannot be cleaned.  What is usually in this category are aniline style leathers (those that absorb moisture) and these are cleaned in a different way to pigment coated leathers.  It is crucial to use a leather protector on this type of leather to inhibit dirt and body oils from penetrating the leather. Saddle soap and mink oil should definitely not be used on modern leathers as they will damage the finish and any absorption of oils into the leather will upset the balance and cause problems.
Saddle soaps and mink oil were not designed for modern upholstery leather

If we believed what was written on labels we would all still think that the 'natural oils' in leather need replacing which we all know to be nonsense.

Using household products is not recommended as they have not been tested in the way that professional products have.  Retailers such as Land of Leather do not have any idea about what they are selling let alone how you care for it.  If you ever have a problem with Dove soap try ringing their customer service department to ask them for advice about what to do to rectify it.

Come on a training course if you want to know all the ins and outs of professional cleaning.

Hope this helps

[LTT Leathercare]

another method

To keep your leather couches looking nice, mix one cup of salt water (you can make this with one 3/4 cup tap water and 1/4 cup sea salt), two tablespoons of baking soda, and one teaspoon of flour in a large bowl.

Dip wet rag into the mixture and wipe down the couches. Then dry with a dry rag. It will brighten and clean even the  dirtiest leather couches

   I can only hope that this is said as a joke?
Cleaning with these ingredients may well make the leather look cleaner but it will do so by removing the finish on the leather.  Salt and baking soda are abrassives and will attack the finish.  The whole mix will simply grind in the dirt and the residues it will leave on the surface will only attract more dirt and oils. 
This really is very strange advice from a 'professional' cleaner and does show a great lack of knowledge of the subject.

[Pristine Clean]

another method

To keep your leather couches looking nice, mix one cup of salt water (you can make this with one 3/4 cup tap water and 1/4 cup sea salt), two tablespoons of baking soda, and one teaspoon of flour in a large bowl.

Dip wet rag into the mixture and wipe down the couches. Then dry with a dry rag. It will brighten and clean even the  dirtiest leather couches

   I can only hope that this is said as a joke?
Cleaning with these ingredients may well make the leather look cleaner but it will do so by removing the finish on the leather.  Salt and baking soda are abrassives and will attack the finish.  The whole mix will simply grind in the dirt and the residues it will leave on the surface will only attract more dirt and oils. 
This really is very strange advice from a 'professional' cleaner and does show a great lack of knowledge of the subject.

First of all, No its not a joke.

Infact if you have actually done the courses yourself and actually studied the the ingredients above in detail and the history of there use you will find that they have been used widely. Infact world wide. For many years.
I will agree that they are slightly abrassive. But only slightly.

The first use of baking soda within the household is for cleaning. Baking soda can clean
almost any surface in your household. Just mixing baking soda with some water and you can clean your stove, sink, counter-top, and so on. When you use baking soda to clean everything looks very shiny and sparkling clean. Baking soda is also good to clean baby bottles it takes out that sour milk formula taste and odor. Baking soda can also be used to remove stains from clothes as well. When washing your clothes just add some baking
soda to remove stains. Baking Soda will deodorize your clothes as well.

Baking soda is a sodium bicarbonate, a normal content that maintains the pH equilibrium

it will Polish leather – To remove scuff marks from shoes and soften leather jackets, make a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Your leather purses, shoes, jackets and belts will be clean and soft.

There are many uses!

Use warm water (1 cup) with a teason of vinegar. Dampen cloth and wipe clean . Make sure the leather is finished (does not stain with water!) Leather has a pH of 4.5 and most leather cleaners are at 10. This is OK for car leather, but not for handbags. It will alter the chemistry causing pH damage (recognizable by the spongy texture and cracking)
For ink stains: use a white eraser right away.
DO NOT USE ALCOHOL on ink stains. . It dissolves the ink and smears it.
For other spot soiling use the white eraser, it is effective in removing many different types of dirt
For oil stains, use corn starch. Rub in and let the corn starch absorb the oil. A light bulb is helpful to heat the area which decreases the viscosity of the oil, so that it can be absorbed faster. Brush off with a soft tooth brush.
To remove odor from handbags, place a container of baking soda inside the bag. The larger the surface area the better. Heat will help release the odor, so the baking soda can absorb it. You may have to change out the baking soda a couple of times. Then febreeze the interior of the bag, not the leather.
Keep out of DIRECT sunlight
DO NOT use Saddle soap. It will attack the leather finish and affect the pH. It will break down the leather fibers. It's OK for saddles, that leather is a lot harder, thicker and tougher than handbag leather.
Do not use shoe polish. If not top coated it may rub off on your clothes. Designer leathers are more sophisticated and requires a finish that has flexibility.


There are many ways to clean. But it might not be your prefered way! It does not mean it is incorrect!

And as for the training in cleaning Leather I have done training and have certificates. But they do not teach you everything. As for lack of knowledge on the subject I think that is actually very unfair and uncalled for.

And to prove a point I have taken a phot of my sofa,

Also I have been cleaning my own leather sofa for many many years with baking soda/ salt and it has not tarnished the finish! and it still looks like new! Its over 8 years old.



 
kind regards

Dave
 

[jouk45]

this is how you clean leather, no harsh chemicals used,  even  shifts ingrained dirt with no effort, leaves no sticky residue, and will not go beyond the colour barrier, this is a simple eco friendly product i use

[Pristine Clean]

And the Eco product use was?

I am always keen to know of different products.

Dave

[jouk45]

ecover from gardiners simply the best product i have ever used after plaswash

[LTT Leathercare]

Harsh chemicals should not be used for cleaning leather.  Most leather cleaners that have been specifically formulated and tested do not contain any harsh chemicals.

Often leather cleaning is as much about the process as the products used.  The method will depend on the type of leather you have.
On finished leather as the above photos using a water based foam cleaner (this will enable a good dwell time for the product) together with a stiff bristled brush should give good results.  
Use the standard CHAT process
Chemical
Heat
Agitation
Time
where one increases another is decreased.
This process is applicable when dealing with dye transfer.  The cleaners used (Maxi Cleaner) are stronger and so are given more dwell time and agitation is reduced.

Hope this helps

[LTT Leathercare]

The problem with using products designed for laundry purposes is that they are designed to be rinsed out of the fabrics which is not possible when cleaning leather - this is another reason for using a foam which sits on the surface.  Have Ecover tested the products for use on leather as you may not have any come back if you run into a problem and they may not be able to advise you on how to deal with it.

Leather cleaning is a straightforward proccess and simple until something goes wrong!!  We send a lot of technicians out to resolve problems created by household products which customers have seen advised on the internet.  Still it keeps the technicians busy.

[Pristine Clean]

jouk45

Thanks for that! I know of ecover from Gardiniers. Good product.

I am amazed that you managed to post a large pic like that. When I did that with my image of my sofa it said image to large. So I just resized it. Maybe I resized to small.

Anyways thanks

Dave

[jouk45]

its all natural ingrediants from plants ect, theres no harm there, wont even kill a fly lol, trust me i have cleaned thousands of leather suites in my time, this product  tops the lot, but if the user has been trained correctly, they would do the white cloth test somewhere not seen on the leather, and ecover can be diluted down to a weaker dilution if needed, try it and see,

[jouk45]

jouk45

Thanks for that! I know of ecover from Gardiniers. Good product.

I am amazed that you managed to post a large pic like that. When I did that with my image of my sofa it said image to large. So I just resized it. Maybe I resized to small.

Anyways thanks

Dave

i use photobucket and then select direct link, take it from me, i have 36 years under my belt cleaning leather, this will clean any leather without ill effects, it is 100% clean proof, o i forgot to put a nice protectve natural shine back to the leather after cleaning, use ecover dressing, both of these products is all that you need, and if you let customers know you use only use green products, they will be very happy, and willing to pay that lttle bit extra

[ross12345]

im haveing trouble finding the site do u have a link to it please thanks ross

[jouk45]

www.gardinerpolesystems.co.uk  they sell the ecover

[ross12345]

can onley se the truck wash on there mate