Cleaning Your Leather Furniture - Quality Aircraft Interiors



Cleaning Your Leather Furniture

Leather Upholstery

All our leathers have already been permanently preserved in the tanning process and need no maintenance other than the simple cleaning recommended.

Once a Week

Keep your furniture dust and dirt free. Dust with a clean dry soft cloth and occasionally vacuum with a soft brush to prevent dirt and dust from being ground into the leather.

Monthly

Wipe with a warm and damp clean cloth to remove body oils and dust that builds up in the crevices. Thoroughly dry with a towel.

Once or Twice a Year

If required, apply leather food (cream), carefully following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Spills and Stains

Deal with spills and soiling as soon as possible. Permanent stains can result if food and liquid is not wiped away immediately. For soiling use a mild solution of liquid Ivory soap and clear lukewarm water. Apply the soap to a clean wet sponge and gently wash, then rinse well with clean water and towel dry.

Do not force dry by using a hair dryer, etc. Always try the cleaning method in a hidden areas first to convince yourself of the results. Wipe excess butter, oil or grease off he leather with a clean, dry cloth, then leave it alone as the spot should dissipate into the leather in a short period of time. Do not apply water to try to wash a butter, oil or grease spot.

Do Not Use

Saddle soap, oils, furniture polish, abrasive cleaners, soaps, varnishes, or ammonia based products as these products may contain solvents which will break down the protective coat on the leather.

Cleaning Nubuck and Suede Leather

To clean nubuck and suede, blot (don’t rub) excess immediately with a clean white cloth or sponge. Allow area to air dry naturally, then brush lightly with a suede brush to restore the nap.

Body oils will stain the leather, but they gradually blend into its surface giving both patina and character.

Because of the lack of surface coats, pure aniline leathers are less stain resistant and should be handled with extra delicacy.

Polished Wood

Once a Week

Frequent dusting will remove abrasive dust build-up, which can damage a finish over time. Vacuum clean or dust with a soft cloth.

Monthly

Use a cloth just barely dampened with solvent-based cleaning wax to wipe the surface to pick up more dust, and immediately wipe with a dry cloth or soft paper towel. Occasional polishing with a high-quality, non-silicone furniture polish will enhance the beauty of the fine finish. Avoid using oily polishes or waxes.

Once or Twice per Year

Use a solution of one tablespoon of vinegar to a quart of water. Rub with the grain until the surface is completely dry. Or saturate a cloth with cleaning wax and we the surface thoroughly, one square foot at a time. Wipe area dry with a clean cloth.

Occasionally wax with paste (carnauba) wax. Rub on a very light coat with a soft cloth with the grain of the wood (or put a lump of wax inside a few layers of folded cheesecloth and rub onto wood thus preventing heavy smears); then buff at once with soft cloth, turning often, until wax coating is hard. (Old cotton tee-shirts are good.) Be sure all wax is completely buffed until hard to avoid smears and streaks. A small electric polisher is a great “arm-saver” on all smooth surfaces; wipe surface gently with clean soft cloth after applying wax to remove any loosened soil and then let set several minutes (following wax label directions) before power buffing. An occasional re-buffing will renew the soft gloss. Paste wax helps cover small cracks and checks in old finishes, and can easily be removed with solvent with desired.

Spills and Stains

Soil build-up can be removed by rubbing with a soft cloth dampened in a 50/50 solution of warm water and an ammonia-free detergent. Follow by wiping with a clean cloth dampened in warm water. Wipe dry. Always rub in the direction of the wood grain.

Liquids should be wiped away from the surface immediately with a soft, slightly damp cloth, in the direction of the wood grain.

Small marks and scratches may be touched up or covered with a mar, scratch remover or touch-up stick.

Do Not Use

Do not use spray waxes and polishes on surfaces as they will leave a higher gloss and some silicone which may make future refinishing more difficult.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download