How to Prevent Leather Sofas from Cracking and Fading?

How to Take Care of your Leather Sofa?

Leather’s look and feel have been prized for centuries as it adds sophistication and elegance to your space. Fine leather sofas and couches are a popular choice among many households and workplaces. The fabric is versatile, tough and provides incomparable quality and comfort. If you long for a clean home, leather will be the perfect option as it does not trap dust and allergens, unlike other fabrics.

But like most things have both pros and cons, the elegant looking leather is also prone to cracking and fading if it is not maintained properly. Leather and the sun do not go well together. If your furniture is placed directly in front of a window, the sun’s heat takes its toll in only a matter of time.

Long exposure to sunlight and heat will both fade and dry out your leather over time. The fading effects can be seen in about 4 to 6 months. Fading is usually evident in aniline and semi-aniline types of leather. It is less common in premium quality finished leathers that come with a protective topcoat.

Similarly, drying will occur in any type of leather. It is something the wrath of the sun will do to the material irrespective of whether it has a protective layer or not. The heat of the sun slowly leads to evaporation of the moisture and natural oil in leather. If you don’t care for your leather sofa properly, drying will eventually cause the material to stiffen and crack.

Learn the ways to curb fading and cracking of your Leather Sofa Sets:

However, there are a few simple steps that can help you prevent the damage and keep your leather upholstery smooth and soft for years to come. They are as follows:

• Prevention from Cracking of Leather Sofa

One of the effective ways to prevent cracking of aniline and semi-aniline leather furniture is to clean them 3 to 4 times a year. Cleaning holds the key to make your leather upholstery last long. Another crucial step is to keep your leather sofa away from the reach of direct sunlight. Efforts to clean and protect the sofa will go in vain if you expose the sofa again to the sun’s heat. So try to avoid inviting such trouble and also pick the light colored leather sofas. Light colored materials tend to absorb less light and heat so it is better to go for them instead of the dark colored ones. Another important step is to condition your furniture twice a year using a leather conditioning kit. The conditioner with creamy consistency goes deep inside the leather making it maintain its softness and suppleness.

• Prevention from Fading Leather Sofa

As mentioned before, fading is more common in aniline and semi-aniline varieties of leather. People often place their furniture in the sunlight as they feel it makes the sofas shine. What they do not realize is that the heat slowly damages the material inside whose effects will be clearly visible in the long run. So keep your furniture out of direct sunlight to avoid its fading over time. If you really need to place your furniture next to a window, do buy some blinds or curtains to shade your furniture from the harsh rays of the sun during the hottest days. Keep the blinds closed, especially during the sunniest part of the day to protect your leather. You can also apply solar film to your windows to curb fading of your furniture from heat and glare. There is even some spray Protestants that you can apply to your furniture to help it resist fading caused by UV rays. Another best way is to provide your leather sofa with a premium quality finishing as that increases its resistance to fading and improves durability.

Now the concern is what to do if your leather sofa sets still gets faded and dried for one reason or another. Here are the ways that can help you fix the damages and make your furniture looking like new again:

• Fixing Faded Leather Sofa:

Once your leather sofa fades, you can get the color back by re-dyeing the material with the original color. The cost of dyeing varies depending on factors like the size of the affected area and extent of the damage caused. Another alternative is to replace the leather sofa and go for a new one. Replacement is sometimes cheaper and hassle-free compared to re-dyeing.

• Fixing Dried Leather Sofa:

A dried leather can never be re-hydrated as once the natural oils in the leather have evaporated nothing can be done about it. So what you can do best in such a situation is re-dye it with a matching color. After re-dyeing you will hardly be able to notice any difference and your comfy sofa will be brought back to life!

Further suggestions to keep in mind to avoid spoiling your leather sofa permanently:

Never try to re-hydrate your leather sofa set with olive oil or other oil. Also do not oil your hair while sitting on the sofa. Leather material, being highly porous, soaks up all the oil and leaves behind noticeable oil spots or stains on its surface. Removing such oil marks is much harder than fixing faded or dried leather.

Conclusion:

Now you must know that by following just a few easy steps, you can ensure that your leather furniture keeps looking beautiful and ages gracefully in your home. Go ahead and buy leather sofa from the best furniture store in Bangalore today. Choose the best place to buy a sofa and adorn your guest room with the most stylish leather upholstery. Let your classy living room turn heads like never before!