[jamesjames]

I am going out to see a customer next week about what I think maybe an Analine Leather sofa, she said she has tried to clean it herself but made it worse.
at the moment I cannot clean Analine so have already decided to stay away! can anyone give me some tips

Regards
James

[Ben Staerck]

Hi,

If you clean an aniline leather then you will most likely darken it as it cleans. This is because the leather is absrobant. However, do not worry, after a while the leather will dry and go back to normal.

It can be very hard to achieve satisfactory results with aniline because it absrobs a lot of dirt, which is then very difficult to remove.

What you can do, and it is very sucessful, is darken the leather using a product that will dye the leather. An easy solution and somthing to use that requires no training is Grison Leather Re-Colouring Balm. Just rub it on, the leather absorbs it, buff the leather over and jobs done!

It may be best to go to the customers house first and do some tests to see if it actually is an aniline leather first.

[LTT Leathercare]

An aniline leather will:

Absorb moisture readily
Scratch easily with finger nail


If your customer has used anything other than a mild water based leather cleaner on her leather and it is an aniline then she will no doubt have made it worse as the leather will have absorbed whatever she has used and it will be impossible to remove this.

Although anilines do not readily show the effects of cleaning it is still important to maintain them as they can begin to look very shabby quite quickly.

We recommend:

Using a good leather protector from the start.  This must be one that will inhibit the absorption of grease and oils.  (Most on the market qre only conditioners and do not do this).

A wipe over with a damp cloth once a week or fortnight.  This will clean anything that is sitting on the surface.

A foam clean and replacement of leather protector every 3 -4 months.

When you go to see the suite if you test and make sure it is an aniline before you start, get a bucket of warm water with some leather cleaner in it and give the suite a thorough wipe down, this will introduce moisture back into the suite and will enable you to do some cleaning.  Using a good water based foam cleaner foam up sections at a time and agitate with a sponge.  Remove any excess with paper towel.

This process may have darkened the suite but as it dries  (either naturally or with a hairdryer) it will return to its original colour.

Apply a light coat of leather protector from a finger tip spray for ease of application and wipe evenly with a cloth.

Aniline leathers fade in sunlight but colour can be easily reintroduced with aniline dyes which are the dyes that were used to originally colour the leather.  They are very easy to apply and give stunning results.

Make sure you advise your customer about ongoing maintenance as this is crucial with this type of suite.

It is important to be able to identify leather yourself and not to depend on what the customer/retailer thinks it is!!!  Learning to use a microscope and doing the 5 basic leather tests is very useful.  Come on a free course and learn more about it.

Hope this helps
Regards
|Judy

[jamesjames]

Thanks Judy, We are one one of your cources in April.

[LTT Leathercare]

Look forward to seeing you  Good luck with the job this week.  Phone us if you have any problems

Regards
Judy