Pictured above: A leather seat in a space designed by Jill Tran of Tran + Thomas Design Studio.
No one invests in a piece of leather furniture with plans to replace it again in just a few years. After all, a full-grain leather sofa can go decades without cracking, and minor scuffs simply add to the patina.
But the key lies in how well you care for your leather furniture. Leather may be lower maintenance than fabric upholstery, but it still needs occasional TLC to last.
We reached out to textile experts for tips on how to extend the life of leather furniture. Here's how often you should clean and condition these pieces, and how to tell the difference between normal patina and damage that needs attention.
How Often to Clean and Condition Your Leather Furniture
Lisa Beach is the director of operations at BenchMade Modern, a furniture company that specializes in leather. According to her, cleaning your leather furniture regularly protects it from damage.
She recommends vacuuming your leather furniture and wiping it down with a dry cloth any time you notice dust, pet hair and dander, or crumbs starting to accumulate. This can range from every one to two weeks, depending on how often you use the furniture. The goal is to prevent these particles from settling into the furniture and possibly scratching the surface.
In general, she warns against using a damp cloth during these quick and frequent cleanings. "For semi-aniline or protected leathers, you may wipe down your furniture every few months with a damp cloth, but be sure to follow with a dry cloth to remove any excess moisture," she says. "Natural full-grain leathers are more absorbent, so we don't recommend using damp cloths or moisture unless you need to clean a spill or stain."
Leather furniture also benefits from a deeper clean with a specialized pH-balanced product every few months.
Shawn McGowen is the CEO of Leather Honey, a family-owned company that has been producing leather care products since 1968. He suggests blocking off time for a deep clean every three to six months, and following it up with a leather conditioner.
The Difference Between Patina and Damage
Leather naturally ages and develops a patina over time. McGowen says patinaed leather shows off a slightly darker color, softer sheen and smoother feel. You'll first notice this starting to develop in the places you sit and rest your arms most often.
"This is where your natural body oils slowly burnish the leather’s surface, giving that lived-in look that people seek after," he says. "On the flip side, damage often occurs due to neglect and looks more like cracking, flaking, stiffness, or wrinkling that doesn’t go away with cleaning. Patina comes from properly using your leather while damage comes from neglect."
Note that leather furniture can fade instead of darken with age if it sits in a particularly sunny room. However, this doesn't mean you need to keep the curtains drawn or move your leather furniture to a darker corner. McGowen says that at-home recoloring balms or leather dyes are very easy to apply to small areas.
When to Call an Expert
Even if you're a very determined DIYer, it's important to know when it's best to reach out to a leather care professional to restore your furniture. Otherwise, you may end up doing more harm than good.
"When leather becomes too far gone and starts to show signs of neglect or wear such as tears, holes, large areas of discoloration, or stains, that is when the DIY becomes more difficult and potentially a waste of time," McGowen says. "These should often be handled by professional leather care specialists because they have years of experience in color matching and upholstery, and have a wide range of tools needed for larger restoration projects."
