[murky]

Seems funny to me that Judy from LTT isnt watching this thread.

Maybe she's had enough and gone elsewhere.

Go on Judy whats your take on this?

Murky

[carpet guy]

All teaching companies advise caution, when presented with any level of doubt. The suite in question is not known to me from it's photo, which goes from dark brown to light tan, depending on the angle of my lap top screen.

The appearance is pigmented, but it might not be. On my screen, it goes from dark brown to light beige, depending on the angle of my laptop.

[LTT Leathercare]

Hi

Just a few comments from those that have been made.

Certainly from the photograph this would appear to be a pigmented leather.  Aniline leather very rarely comes in this sort of colour range (although photos are deceptive as far as this is concerned).  The sort of damage that is obvious from the photo would indicate a pigment.

LTT Maxi Cleaner is very strong and is only recommended for use on dye transfer and very well finished leather (auto leather can come into this range) and should not be used as a general cleaner, we have Strong Cleaner for this.  Using products that are stronger than Maxi Cleaner will potentially cause damage to the finish (any weak finish either new or old will show up with Maxi Cleaner).  The stronger the cleaner the gentler the clean should be and less agitation should be used as a caution.

Prior to doing your pre celan survey you should carry out the 5 Leather ID steps:

1. Visual
2. Feel
3. Scratch
4. Mositure Test
5. Microscope test (NOT a magnifier as these do not give enough information)

These tests will help you make a very clear decision about what type of leather you have but you must do all the tests not just some of them.

When you have done these carry out a pre clean survey and inspection which are crucial:

It will satisfy you of the type of leather you are dealing with

It will highlight any problem areas which you can discuss with your customer PRIOR to cleaning

It will test all areas of the leather so that you can select the correct products and know how they will react on each area.  Doing a pre clean with a maintenance product will also cut your time down as some areas may not need redoing during the full clean.

There are 3 distinct areas of leather when cleaning a suite. 

1.  Leather that has received no flexing and will not have become overly dirty - outside back and arms

2.  Leather that does flex but is not a contact area - Inside arms, front

3.  Contact areas - seats and top arms

These areas will all react differently to your product and the cleaning process may be different for each area.
It is also important to try and ascertain what cleaning products have been used by the customer as these can also determine the problems that you may have.  If you ask them in a positive way they will normally tell you.

If you do encounter finish peeling off (this is fairly common and can be caused by either weak or badly applied finish during manufacture or through use of incorrect cleaning and care products - baby wipes can cause this amongst others) then the affected area needs to be stabilised.  This does not necessarily entail stripping off all the finish if done carefully.  This can then be refinished as necessary (there is not always a need for re-colouring, it depends on the level of damage done).


Hope this helps
Judy