First Leather Clean Advice Please.

[Mark Hunter]

A friend has asked if I could clean his leather sofa. It's not something I have done before so welcome any advice. It's a pale white /grey colour and smooth. It is in good condition with no obvious signs of wear & tear or damage.

I assume my method would be, after a trial, good vacuum with soft brush and Solutions leather cleaner.

I would like any advice on the application of this product and also how long it may take me to clean the 3 seat sofa, 1 arm chair and 2 lazy boys and the amount of product required?

If I enjoy this I'll book the course

 

[Mark Hunter]

No one?

 

[Susan Bines]

Hi Mark

I would not try and clean any leather furniture with out the proper training, I clean and restore leather full time and I rarely come across a job that is clean only, there is always some colour restoration involved, I also do at least one job a week where the customer has done a DIY job on their furniture using products bought of the internet and then looked on youtube to see how it is done, if you come across a problem whilst you are cleaning the leather then you will not know how to rectify it.

I cannot comment on Solutions leather cleaner as I have not used it, I use a variety of cleaning products depending on the type of leather and finish and what contamination there is (greasy headrests can be very tricky).

Sorry if it sounds negative but you don't want to run the risk of loosing a friend or owning their furniture.

Regards Susan

 

[Stewart Cowie]

Just like carpet and upholstery cleaning, if done properly, leather cleaning is a specialist service. You can attempt to tinker in it, but I guarantee that you won't get the desired results. Training is essential if you want to get the results that the customer expects.
Stewart

 

[Mark Sutcliffe]

If it's a friend, tell them the risks and test it. I'm doing a course next month,

Tried a sample on my own and boy did it run! Small sample patch first, and waited (thank fully) and that was a marks and spencers pigmented..

Tell them the risks first and try it, you might enjoy it, but make sure they're aware its on their own back, and how good a friend are they haha..

As i would say follow the same way you would clean silk.but with a leather cleaner

 

[Steven Fletcher]

I have a team member doing the LTT course next week. However I have done a few leather sofa cleans myself. Once was very dirty with lots of oils. However I used a good quality leather cleaner combined with a foaming bottle and the appropriate cleaning brushes. Customer was over the moon and it led to other work in the property and also more in the spring time. The foaming bottles I find are the best way to apply the cleaner as it keeps the moisture levels down to a minimum.

Common sense will be a key factor. If it looks colour faded, then I would avoid. If the leather is good quality, with no real cracking, or tears etc and the correct products are used, then the chance of issues is small.

 

[Stewart Cowie]

Common sense won't help with the identification of the type of leather your going to be working on. What defines a good quality leather?

 

[Daniel Darlow]

And if the finish has broken down? you would not know that until you have applied your first swipe of cleaner and you are left with a patch of colourless leather, as the colour is now on your sponge/cloth.
You say two 'lazy boys' which then I would presume it is a pigmented leather rather than Aniline, or Semi Aniline, these chairs are more prone to extreme grease areas due to the nature of use. You say a 'smooth' leather which is probably no grain imprint, which again if you hit a problem with colour removal then a cosmetic recolour would involve probably the whole area, and a situation that you could not contend with.
Your friend, your shout.

 

[Judy Bass]

The most important thing is to identify the type of leather you are dealing with. Once this has been established the correct processes and products can be selected. Without it you can run in to problems.

Training is really the key. Leather Identification is something we really specialise in and developed the first system for doing this which is now used all over the world. Too many training courses do not spend time on this which is the basis of everything we do.

If you need any help in the meantime we are always happy to help with a chat if you want to ring the office,
Cheers
Judyb

 

[Alby Gill]

Quote " If I enjoy this i'll book the course" Just sounds so wrong to me.
Book the course with Judy you will enjoy it guaranteed.
You will then enjoy leather cleaning, repairs, and restoration because the training will give you the confidence to provide 1st class service for your customers.
You will then enjoy the extra income stream from day one. The cost of the course I earned back within a few weeks.
Experimenting on a friends furniture is a no no.

 

[Mark Hunter]

Thanks for the advice from you all.

 

[K.O. (Shorty) Glanville]

I fully agree with the remarks above re; getting training first from a reputable trainer such as Judy Bass.

As a comparison, would you panel beat out any damage to your car after an accident & then spray paint it to make it as good as new, "with common sense applied"?

Not trying to be negative, just trying to help you in your business.

One thing that has not been mentioned is the fact that this "leather" may actually be a Bicast/bycast/PU (non) leather.

Another reason why proper identification is a must before attempting any leather cleaning.

Do the course with Judy & separate your (niche) business from those that only offer cheap carpet & upholstery cleaning.

Wish you all the best Mark.