News

Myths and facts exposed by those who know.

Cleaning leather needn't be hard work or frustrating, the professionals know how to get the job done easily and quickly with amazing results.
We're going to give you some insider tips so that you can save time and money wasted on products that don't work.

Fact: Saddle Soap
Traditional saddle soap is not suitable for furniture or car leather.
Why:
Because saddle leather is an entirely different product to upholstery leather, in fact saddle soap contains glycerine which leaves a coating on your leather that actually attracts dirt to stick to the surface and blocks the natural pores of the leather.

Fact: Leather or Baby Wipes
Wipes do not effectively clean your leather
Why:
Basically they are as effective as damp cloth; they cannot remove dirt from the grains and veins. Wipes will simply glide over the upper skin grain leaving dirt in the natural creases and veins of the leather, the dirt left behind will eventually begin to rot the leather.
Some baby wipes contain lanoline which can break down the colour coating on your leather, sometimes it can even remove the colour from the surface of two-tone leather.

Fact: Furniture Polish
Furniture polish can cause restoration problems
Why:
Yes we know its tempting to give your leather a quick spray and polish whilst doing the dusting but some polishes can contain silicones, silicones cannot be removed from leather surfaces, silicones prevent leather repair restoration products penetrating and adhering to your surface... the result, leather upholstery which will eventually dry, crack and rot and there's not a thing we professionals can do if you've been using furniture polish which contains silicones.

Fact: Cheap Leather Cleaners
You get what you pay for
Why:
The cheaper the leather cleaner the less effective it is. Leather cleaner starts its life as a very strong effective cleaning solution, the more it's diluted the cheaper it becomes and the less effective it will be at cleaning your leather. It also means you're tempted to rub harder because the cleaner is weak which may damage your leather surface.

Insider Tip:
Expect to spend 2-3 of hours to clean your suite thoroughly, its physical hard work but the result are worth it.

Insider Tip:
Really ingrained dirt will dissolve a lot easier if you work the cleaner into the leather initially using a soft bristle brush (such as an old nail brush) or for a quicker cleaning process use a Buffalo Power Pad.
(Without any dripping) leave the cleaner to work for about 20 seconds before removing with a dry clean cloth or paper towels. As professionals we work on area approx 1sq foot at a time using this method.

Insider Tip:
Don't blame the leather cleaner - Leather Cleaners do not remove grease stains or stains caused by dye transfer from clothing, red wine or biro etc... Leather cleaners will only remove a build-up of dirt; specialist grease or stain removers are required to remove stains.

Insider Tip:
You wouldn't wash your hair or clothes without conditioning them afterwards – it's the same with leather, a deep cleaning leather cleaner on its own will not soften your leather, always condition your leather after a clean so that it doesn't dry out and it can retain its suppleness.

Insider Tip:
Aniline leather is very absorbent – this means it also absorbs dirt, liquids and stains. Do not be tempted to apply a deep cleaning process to this type of leather using power pads or brushes. Harsh cleaning may damage aniline leather which is irreversible.

What do we suggest:
Most customers ask how they can deep clean their light coloured leather as this tends to show dirt more than a dark coloured leather. We suggest purchasing the same products we apply during a professional deep clean:
Gentle Leather Cleaning Kit
3pk Power Pads"