Adding some leather to your home decor is never a bad idea. The leather decor items will never fail to enhance the beauty of each room inside. It offers a gorgeous yet timeless nuance to any decorating style.
Some stains can really make your leather decor items look ugly. The water, grease, ink, and other types of stains can be quite inevitable, and you need to handle them as soon as possible.
Though leather is a durable material, you need to know the proper ways to take care of them. You may end up creating worse problems if you treat leather improperly.
We have compiled several steps that you can refer to in our complete tutorial on how to care for leather decor items below to get the job done properly.
How to Care Leather Decor Items
Before you start, make sure that you have done small research to get to know what type of leather you have around. It’s very important since different leathers need different cleaning solutions.
Prepare these supplies:
- Mild soap
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Rubbing alcohol
- Leather conditioner
- Lemon juice and cream of tartar
- Microfiber cloths
- Vacuum
Follow these steps:
Dust the items
The very first thing that you have to do before touching the stains is to remove any dust, dirt, and loose debris. You can start vacuuming the surface of your leather decor items with a brush attachment gently. Don’t skip the crevices of the items where the dust can be collected.
Continue by wiping down the items with a clean microfiber cloth to complete the step.
Handle the stains
Once you are sure that you have cleaned the loose debris on the surfaces, now it’s time to handle the stains. It’s always a better idea to handle the stains before they dry, so when accidents happen, you have to clean them as soon as possible.
Keep in mind that different stains require different treatments. The brief guide below will show you how to deal with some common stains.
- Easy stains – For easy spots and stains, you can blot them as soon as possible with a clean absorbent cloth. If the stains are still there, use a warm damp cloth to blot the stained areas. For deeper cleaning, use a mixture of equal parts of vinegar and water to dab the stains carefully.
- Ink stains – Rubbing alcohol is a highly recommended home supply that you can cause to clean ink stains. You can simply dip a cotton swab into some rubbing alcohol until it feels damp and not overwet. Gently wipe the stains with the damp cotton swab.
- Grease stains – Grease is one of the most difficult stains that you have to deal with when it touches your leather decor items. For fresh grease stains, you can use a clean dry cloth to wipe them away. If the stains have stayed around for quite some time, sprinkle some baking soda over the stained areas, leave it for a few hours, and finish with a dry cloth.
- Dark stains – If you have light-colored leather, you may find some dark spots. To handle them, mix equal parts of cream of tartar with lemon juice until you get a paste consistency. Apply the paste to the stained areas and leave it for around 10 minutes. Finish with a damp cloth.
Regardless of what types of stains that you are dealing with, never overwet your leather decor items. It will lead to further problems like discoloring. You might also want to test each cleaning solution in the hidden spots of the items to check whether it’s safe to use or not.
Dry up everything
Drying up your leather decor items is a very important step after you have cleaned everything. You have to give plenty of time to completely dry everything before you put them back to their stations. In addition to drying up the items with a dry clean cloth, you also should let them air dry for a few hours or overnight if necessary.
Condition the leather
The final step is to apply the conditioner to your leather decor items. As you may have known, leather conditioner works really well to protect the items in the long run. It prevents cracks and stains and even gives gorgeous stains at the same time.
You can just follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the label of your leather conditioner. One thing that you have to make sure of is that the product is suitable for your specific leather type.
(You may also like: DIY Closet Cleaning Guide To Try Now)
When do you need to clean your leather decor items?
Leather is a durable material that doesn’t really require extra maintenance. That’s why simple dust and wipe on a regular basis is enough to prolong its lifespan. The cleaning steps above can be done if you find some difficult stains on your leather decor items.
How to keep leather decor items clean longer
Just like the other decor items, leather decor items require regular maintenance to keep them looking nice and clean. Follow some tips below to keep leather decor items clean longer.
Monthly cleaning routine – Dusting is a simple yet great regular maintenance that will surely keep your leather decor items clean all the time. Once you finished using the items once a month, apply a thin layer of leather conditioner.
Handle the stains immediately – As mentioned above, the quicker you handle the stains, the easier they can be removed. Grab a clean cloth right away once you notice some stains on your beautiful decor items.
Keep the heat away – Heat is not good for leather, so you have to keep your decor items from high-temperature sources like a fireplace or sun exposure.
Keep the pets away – Your dogs or cats may be cute, but once they touch your leather decor items, they are not anymore. Keeping the decor items from your pets is a good way to prevent wear and tear.
