When Good Leather Turns Bad: Leather can be a beautiful (and quite costly) part of your life. From your shoes to your handbag to your couch, leather can leave you feeling like royalty. But leather also has the tendency to stain rather easily, and it can seem like the stains won’t come off no matter what you do. You don’t need to despair – when your good leather turns ugly, there’s still hope! The first step to knowing how to treat the stain on your leather is knowing just what kind of leather it is. If it’s a suede Nubuck, you should only use specialty cleaners labeled specifically for Nubuck leather. Anything else is likely to damage the texture of the leather. For polished leathers, there are usually more options available to you as the leather’s texture isn’t as much of a concern. But using the wrong kind of cleaner for your type of leather can make the initial stain look like child’s play, so please be careful! And since leather is such a temperamental material, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you test any cleaner on a non-visible area prior to using it to remove the stain.

One of the best defenses you have against stains on your leather is a good commercial leather cleaner followed up with a strong leather protector. Most leather manufacturers offer their own version, or you can find a more general option at your local shoe or discount store. Leather that is protected from the elements is much less likely to stain than the alternative. One of the keys to treating a leather stain is what cloth you use and how you rub on any treatment. The only fabric that should be used on leather for treatment is a lint-free soft cloth such as a micro fiber cloth. When it comes time to rub in the treatment, look at the leather carefully and see if you can find the lie of the leather. You should be able to see that the leather “runs” in a certain direction. If you’re able to find the lie, rub any cleaner in the direction of the lie. If you’re unable to find this, rub the cleaner from the outside of the stain towards the center. Never rub the cleaner in a circular fashion.

While we have stated over and over again that a fresh stain is easier to clean than an aged one, this has never been more true than with leather. vacuum cleaner price delhiIn many cases, a stain that is not cleaned within a few hours of its occurrence is likely to make itself a permanent home on your leather. couch cleaning service buffalo nyAgain, it goes back to the previous statement – protect your leather while it’s fresh and clean, and it’ll make your job much easier once something does happen.furnace duct cleaning brush One of the most common spills on leather is grease in some form or fashion. leather car seat cleaning wipes

The first step is to sop the grease up off the leather as quickly as possible. For well-protected leather, this is often all that’s needed. best vacuum cleaner in hyderabadHowever, if you are able to see some remnants of the grease on your polished leather, the absolute best trick is to pour (not lightly dust) some white talcum powder on the grease stain to completely cover the stain, and let it sit overnight. best vacuum cleaners in india 2014The talcum power will work by drawing the oil or grease spot right out of the leather. This works really well and will not damage your item. If you’re doing a general soil removal on your leather, it’s always recommended to use a specific leather soap. However, in a pinch, a mild detergent may work well. Use your lint-free cloth, and wipe in the direction described above.

Make sure not to use too much water – keep your cloth only lightly damp, not wet. If the dirt is ground-in, an old toothbrush can be used to lightly scour the leather grains to remove the dirt. Leather is an exceptionally temperamental material to clean. When it comes to homegrown cleansers, these are often more harmful than good since most are water-based and water is extremely destructive to leather. Instead, read your care labels carefully, and choose the appropriate leather treatment product to ensure that your leather item remains beautiful for years to come.Is there a way to clean and protect new soft leather upholstery?Bonnie Stacy, Kingsport, TNThe best way is to dust often, vacuum seat crevices and wipe up spills ASAP with a cloth. If you use a commercial protectant, check that it's approved for leather. Never use furniture polish, abrasive or alcohol-based cleansers, or saddle soap — they contain solvents that can damage the pigmentation. How to Clean a Dishwasher

How to Clear Dirty Drains The Best Way to Clean Grimy Grout How to Banish Cat Pee Stains and Stink How to Clean the Slots in a Knife Block Make Every Single Spot in Your Home Smell Better 4 Ways to Prep Your Home For Winter How to Know When to Replace Your Pillows 50 Years of Helpful HintsBuying your first real piece of furniture is a true accomplishment.Not that futon you used for both your bed and sofa, but your first actual grown-up piece of furniture. The one that looks pricier and has that touch of adult seriousness that your old furniture lacked.Having a nice-looking sofa gives one a feeling of pride and accomplishment, as they move away from the collegiate type of furniture towards an actual living room set.And nothing is a better example of a grown-up piece of furniture than a new spiffy leather couch or sectional.But consumers should know that not all leather couches are created equal, and sofas made of bonded leather are a prime example of true furniture inequality.

What's the difference between bonded leather and genuine leather you ask?Bonded leather -- sometimes called "reconstituted" leather or just plain "vinyl" -- is not the whole skin of an animal, but left-over pieces of hide blended together to form a seamless piece of leather material.Genuine leather is made from entire pieces of animal hide and costs much more than items made with the bonded material. It's hard to tell the difference between the two, as once an item is made with bonded leather the appearance and smell are nearly identical.However, genuine leather typically feels a bit harder to the touch, and if used for sofas, its cushions tend to have a little less give than a bonded leather cushion.Manufacturers will also use many types of coats and permanent polishes to make bonded leather appear to be the real deal.Bonded leather can be quite useful though. It gives books a fancier appearance, it makes cheap belts look expensive, and it adds a sophisticated touch to any piece of office furniture.

The bad part is that bonded leather is horrible for home sofas. It's also inexpensive and is often made of recycled materials.Plenty of consumers are attracted to the lower cost of a bonded leather couch and they're not scared away because bonded leather is in fact "real" leather, or at least it's made from small pieces of real leather. Many are sadly surprised when they realize the true difference between bonded and genuine leather is its durability, and plenty of retailers leave this important detail out just to close the sale.On Value City Furniture's website, its "Grant Graphite Leather Sofa" looks great and goes for $999. In the listing for the $599 Mason Brown Leather Sofa, one bullet point gushes: "Bonded leather allows you to enjoy the look and feel of leather - at a phenomenal price!" But look carefully at the wording in the product description: "It's 100 percent leather everywhere the body touches." However, the bullet point below says "Perfectly coordinated bonded leather on the sides and back."

Although the entire couch isn't made of bonded material, one could easily mistake it for a sofa made completely of leather.ConsumerAffairs contacted a leather and vinyl repair company called the Leather Clinic in Rockville, Md. We wanted to ask if it’s even worth buying a bonded leather sofa even though it costs less."No, no, no," said Donald a repair person, quite emphatically. "You're better off buying good leather furniture. I wouldn't buy one. It's vinyl not leather, and vinyl is material that's crushed up and doesn't last too long. Jennifer Furniture, Ashley Furniture and no-name furniture stores sell these things."Many furniture companies fail to tell consumers their bonded leather sofas actually contain very small amounts of real leather, as the percentage of actual animal hide can differ depending on the retailer or manufacturer.Many ConsumerAffairs readers say they have been duped by purchasing bonded leather furniture. There are numerous complaints about companies such as Bassett Furniture Direct, Jennifer Convertibles and Kane's Furniture, and many of the complaints contain stories of poorly-made bonded leather sofas."

Bonded leather or reconstituted leather is not really a true leather but a man-made material," said Tami of Brooklyn, N.Y. in a ConsumerAffairs posting.It's "composed of 90% to 100% leather fibers. Jennifer Convertibles should be made to use the words 'faux leather' for all furniture made with bonded leather so that the consumer is fully aware that what they are getting is not a true leather,” she said.And couches that are made of bonded leather are harder and more expensive to repair. "After its torn you can't fix it and have to reupholster it again. That's expensive", said Donald.Pat Oliver, of LP Oliver & Sons Inc., has been in the upholstery repair business for almost 50 years, and he agrees with Donald and says it may not be worth fixing a bonded leather sofa."Whatever you can do is minor and temporary, because you'll continue to sit on it and it'll always be a problem."After asking Oliver how one can repair a bonded leather sofa if they really want to, he said "You can try to match the color [with other bonded leather materials].