Clean It Up
UK General Cleaning Forum => General Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AJCleaningServices on April 03, 2006, 01:51:51 pm
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Does anybody clean leather furniture, if yes what do you use for the job?
Regards,
Arthur
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SADDLE SOAP, IT CLEANS AND NOURSIHES IT AS WELL, ONE A MONTH OR SO WILL DO THE TRICK!
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I use the complete extracta leather cleaning kit with good results, there are loads of different kits/products on the market for protected pigmented and semi aniline cleaning (always test to make sure you know what your cleaning as some leather types, i.e nubuck, suede and aniline arent suitable for wet cleaning),most for some reason provide a nourisher,there is no need to "nourish" the leather as any moisture lost from within it will be replaced during the cleaning process, hopes this helps, Andy
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Ca.t believe someone uses Saddle Soap on leather furniture !!!
rob m
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well what do you think saddles are made of, have you tried it, if you have then you should know it fantastic, if you haven't tried it then don't judge before you have tried it!!!!
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well what do you think saddles are made of, have you tried it, if you have then you should know it fantastic, if you haven't tried it then don't judge before you have tried it!!!!
Hi dustees, what type of leather are saddles normally made of? Andy
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Not used it too often, but have used the Prochem range of Leather cleaner and Leather Conditioner with no problems......However, have not used any other product to compare it too......
Tim
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Hello
The crucial thing in cleaning leather is to identify the type of leather you are cleaning. Results can differ dramatically between the different types.
Products to clean leather should be water based and used as a foam. Foam is an active agent and does a lot of the work for you, it is also far safer than using a liquid.
Water based cleaners will rehydrate your leather which is the 'nourishment' that it needs. Under normal circumstances leather does not lose its natural oils so therefore does not need these replacing.
Saddle soap will actually do considerable damage to todays finishes on leather and therefore should not be used. Some products will make the leather look fantastically clean but are actually stripping off finish and in some cases pigment so therefore will get dirty more quickly and in the long term destroy the leather.
After cleaning leather needs protecting not conditioning. Please see our article below on this subject.
TO FEED OR PROTECT
There is still a huge body of consumers out there (and a good percentage of cleaners/technicians/retailers) who are desperate to ‘feed’ and/or ‘condition’ their leather. Usually this would consist of spreading some sort of oil or grease containing product onto their leather (milk, Vaseline, baby oil, musk oil being some of the more bizarre we have come across).
What we ask is why?
When leather is manufactured a certain amount of oil and fat is introduced into the hide and, (with the exception of one or two complex situations) this is where it stays. It does not evaporate or migrate or leave the leather by any other means.
What does leave the leather is moisture (water), and it is this that needs replacing. Dry leather is more susceptible to a whole range of problems. The most obvious is cracking, both of finish and fibres. Next is raised absorbency levels which means body oils containing fats and acids will more readily soak into the leather (ever seen those dark areas on head rests and arm ends) eventually destroying finishes and the leather itself. Dry leather will be a sponge for spills, tea, coffee, red wine, ink, any product with colouring once soaked inside leather will leave a permanent stain, which depending on leather type may or may not be fixable—at a price.
Some hide foods and conditioners if properly formulated and used correctly with leather type taken into account will not damage the leather, others particularly if they contain waxes and silicones are likely to do more harm than good. The basis of a good type would be an emulsion of lanoline and water. The water re-hydrates and the lanoline helps the leather to hold the moisture for a little longer, but it does not address the issue of protecting the leather. But it is cheap to manufacture and therefore can be sold at a low price.
Leather Protectors on the other hand are a complex formulation and the ingredients are expensive, therefore the end product is more costly, often 2-3 times the price of a conditioner. BUT THEY DO WORK.. We always use the ‘Scotchgard’ analogy to explain how, without getting technical it is the easiest way. Its effectiveness can also be demonstrated. Leather Protector performs all the good functions of a ‘conditioner’ or ‘food’ product but will leave a virtually invisible, breathable, non greasy coating on the surface. This will be effective at helping to resist stains via spillages, dye transfer and day to day soiling, including body oils… It is not bullet proof and the leather still needs cleaning, but the dirt will be sitting in or on the protector and will clean off more effectively. During the cleaning process the protective element will also be reduced and need replacing.
How often is the next question and a tricky one to answer. Some leathers I recommend a light clean and protect once a month, others a good clean and protect 1-2 times per year. There are so many finishes on the market at present that it is not wise to generalize. Experience and knowledge is the best guide.
Bottom line– to treat furniture with a good quality Leather Protector will probably cost £2-£3 more per average suite than a ‘conditioner’ or ‘food’ product but the benefits far out way this cost and the effects can be demonstrated for your customer to see.
©Andy Alcock LTT2003
Regards
Judy
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Very comprehensive answer Judy, good of you to take the time supplying all this excellent information.
Paul
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...The crucial thing in cleaning leather is to identify the type of leather you are cleaning. Results can differ dramatically between the different types...
Judy,
Is proper on site training with hands on essential to learn how to identify the types of the leather or is it possible to learn it from a "book"?
Thank you,
Kind regards,
Arthur
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Yup a very good read Judy, thanks very much for the info ;D
Im with Tim on this one, I have only used Prochem and have found them to be good, but likewise I also do not have anything to compare them too..
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Identification of leather cannot really be done other than by hands on experience. We use microscopes to show how the leather has been finished in the various basic forms and then this can be used to identify what has been done to the leather to make it look the way it does. It is difficult to explain these things without showing you 1 to 1. We also show you 5 ways of testing leather to make it easier to identify. The identification part forms the bulk of the first day of our training course and then all the techniques and product use follow from there. The actual techniques are not difficult as anyone who has done our course will tell you but the first part is the all important.
it is difficult if you have no products to compare but we do have tsets on all our products which we use to establish that our products are more effective than many others. We deal with many technicians who come back time after time as they get such good results from them particularly our maxi cleaner which is very effective on dye transfer and of course the Leather Protector which really does what it says on the bottle!!!!!!
Hope this helps
Judy