But despite its ease of maintenance, leather is not without its necessary requirements- luckily, these needs are few and simple to do.
First of all, leather furniture shouldn't be exposed to extreme heat. So don't keep leather chairs next to ovens, or under direct sunlight on a regular Philippine summer. Heat can easily dry out leather which would result to unsightly cracking and fading.
Like most furniture, leather requires regular dusting to keep its general appearance. Small vacuums with brush attachments or a soft cloth will do the job nicely.
For stains, it's best to test your cleaning method on a small surface of the furniture before applying the same methods to the entire affected area. There are several ways in which leather is made, and different manners in which color is applied to it, so it's best to find out which cleaning solution works best before going all out on the rest of the furniture. Dark colored leather is generally easier to deal with when encountering spills, but be sure to take great care in cleaning it, and make sure you don't use a substance that dissolves or erases color. Warm water is usually a good starting point in getting rid of leather stains. Dampen (not wet) an absorbent cloth, and gently wipe the affected area to slowly remove the stain. Never rub it, lest you make it worse and spread the stain around.
Liquid spills, like coffee and orange juice requires treatment from absorbent materials like paper towels. Be sure to pat the affected area gently- never push down, or you might press the liquid deeper into the leather, worsening the damage.
Aside from regular dusting and cleaning, leather also requires occasional conditioning to maintain its shiny finish and make it more resilient to everyday elements like sweat, pet drool and other offensive fluids. For this, you will need a conditioning cream, which are readily available in hardware stores. Put some of the leather conditioner on a soft cloth, and gently rub it all over the surface of the furniture.
As mentioned earlier, this is an occasional task- one that should be only done twice or once a year. It's mainly to keep the leather healthy and shiny.
Make sure that you use cleaning products specifically designed for leather furniture. There are many solutions for leather treatment, but furnitures have special needs and would require different treatment from say, leather hats, bags and jackets.
Lastly, don't be alarmed if the leather gets softer, and the colors get duller over time- as these are the characteristics of the natural aging process of natural leather. Leather actually ages gracefully, giving your house that homey appeal. And if you follow the previous tips, your leather furniture will serve you well for a long time.
