Home and Office
Posted: Apr 12, 2013By: FibrenewCategory: Cleaning::Franchise, DIY, Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros, Residential::Franchise
When caring for your leather products, it can be very tempting to use common household cleaning products. Lots of people gravitate towards products they already have around the house, like baby wipes or other types of cleaning wipes. While these seem like an excellent way to keep your leather looking clean, they are actually terrible for leather.
Products like baby wipes contain chemicals that can cause the pigment in your leather to peel and crack, completely ruining the finish of your leather products. Nobody likes their leather to look worn down and old! Protect your leather by avoiding products like baby wipes that contain high levels of chemicals.
For general leather upkeep, there are some basic things you can do to ensure your leather products stay in top quality shape.
• Wiping leather down with a damp cloth can re-hydrate the leather and prevent the material from drying out, which eventually leads to cracks.
• Positioning your leather furniture away from any radiators can protect it from heat damage.
• Avoiding direct sunlight keeps your furniture from fading.
Following these simple tips and avoiding harmful chemical cleaning products will help keep your leather in tip-top shape. And don’t forget, Fibrenew is always available for any leather repairs you may need!
Posted: Dec 10, 2012By: FibrenewCategory: Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
Are you thinking about replacing your furniture as a holiday gift to yourself this year? Here’s why you should make it leather:
Durability. Leather furniture often comes with a higher price tag than other types of furniture such as cloth. Consider the increase in price as an investment. Leather is stronger and more resistant to tears and stains. Which means it will last longer and cost you less over time instead of constantly replacing your cloth furniture.
Variety. Leather is a classic home décor choice that is elegant in any style. You can find leather furniture in all shapes, sizes, and colors to match your home and personal flair.
Simplicity. Taking care of your leather furniture is easy. Keeping your leather furniture looking beautiful only requires a good cleaning twice a year (http://www.fibrenew.com/blog/one-secret-to-making-your-leather-couch-last-cleaning-correctly/ ). This simple act can make your leather last three times as long!
Comfort. We’ve all heard the old “leather is hot in the summer and cold in the winter” line. The truth is actually the opposite! Leather is breathable so it keeps cool in the summer and adapts to your body heat to stay warm in the winter. Leather also gets better with time as continued use makes it softer.
Already have leather? Check out our post on getting a repair for the holidays (http://www.fibrenew.com/blog/leather-repair-in-time-for-the-holidays/). When you do replace that old couch check out 25 Ways to Destroy a Couch (http://www.fibrenew.com/blog/25-ways-to-destroy-a-couch/).
Posted: Oct 10, 2011By: FibrenewCategory: Common Leather Problems, DIY, Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
The business of dying leather is a tricky one, and you really can’t replicate it with any marker. People come to us all the time asking us to fix problems they’ve created trying to fix a bleached out or discolored spot on their upholstery with a similarly colored marker. The fact of the matter is that dyed leather usually has many layers and tones, and thinking you can find one marker that’s going to give you an exact match is like thinking a bottle of cheap hair dye is going to give your hair a natural look.
An example of a spot filled in with a brown marker
Now, if you just have a teeny tiny spot somewhere pretty hidden on your couch, car seat, etc. you might find marker results to be sufficient. But, if you want a discolored spot to match the rest of the piece, you really shouldn’t go the marker route. A professional, like Fibrenew, can usually re-dye spots for a very reasonable price.
There are a number of other home remedies and wives’ tales about using home products on leather. We do not advise using any of the following:
Questions or experiences with markers on leather? Post them in the comments!
Posted: Oct 3, 2011By: FibrenewCategory: Common Leather Problems, DIY, General, Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
Most people, myself included, think of window cleaner as being one of the mildest of all cleaners. People consider it to be so mild they could use it on almost anything. Unfortunately, you really cannot use window cleaner on leather upholstery because almost all of it contains alcohol.
Alcohol will damage the surface of your leather, especially breaking down the protective top coat on fully-finished leathers that make up the vast majority of the leather upholstery market. Breakdown of this surface will leave your upholstery more susceptible to all types of damage in the future, like scratching and water damage.
Alcohol can also, in some cases, cause discoloration in leather.
This footrest has been slightly discolored with an orange hue because of an alcohol cleaner.
This couch has a slightly discolored mark because the owner used a cleaner with alcohol in it.
There are a number of other home remedies and wives’ tales about using home products on leather. We do not advise using any of the following:
Questions or experiences with window cleaner or other cleaners containing alcohol? Post them in the comments!
Posted: Sep 26, 2011By: FibrenewCategory: Common Leather Problems, DIY, Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
It’s true that finger nail polish will remove marks on leather upholstery, but it also removes the dyes that are supposed to be on the leather, leaving a bleached out spot on your leather’s surface. Finger nail polish also wears down the top coat on fully-finished leathers, leaving them more susceptible to damage.
Fingernail polish remover took the color out of this couch when the owner tried to use it to remove the pen mark.
There are a number of other home remedies and wives’ tales about using home products on leather including. We discourage the use of:
Questions or experiences with nail polish remover? Post them in the comments!
Posted: Sep 19, 2011By: FibrenewCategory: Common Leather Problems, DIY, Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
Disposable cleaning supplies and baby wipes are so handy that people have started using them to clean everything, leather upholstery included. I urge you not to use them because, though you may not be able to see the damage immediately, these disposable cleaning supplies typically cause damage to the surface of your leather, often leaving them discolored and more susceptible to damage in the long run.
Almost all of these supplies contain alcohol, and alcohol is a big “no no” when it comes to leather. Alcohol breaks down the surface of leather and especially breaks down the protective coat put on most upholstery leather (called fully-finished leather). Once this protective coating has been broken down, leather is far more easily damaged by water, scratches, etc.
This couch has a slightly discolored mark because the owner used a cleaner with alcohol in it.
This footrest has been slightly discolored with an orange hue because of an alcohol cleaner.
There are a number of other home remedies and wives’ tales about using home products on leather. We discourage the use of:
Questions or experiences with disposable cleaning supplies and leather? Post them in the comments!
Posted: Aug 22, 2011By: FibrenewCategory: Common Leather Problems, DIY, Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
When it comes to repairing and caring for leather furniture, there are hundreds of options. Furniture stores and online retailers offer up products that do everything from cleaning to dying leather. However, you should proceed with extreme caution when you use these DIY products on your furniture. I’ve heard and seen the effects of horror stories where these products ruined people’s leather furniture, so here are a few pointers on what to look out for.
1. Don’t use any products that contain alcohol or acetone. Alcohol seeps into and damages the protective surface of furniture leather. Acetone will remove the dye and color from leather.
2. Be sure to use products designed for upholstery. Leather used for shoes, jackets and clothing is very different than that used in furniture.
3. Only use products designed for the type of leather you have. Most furniture is made of aniline, semi-aniline or fully-finished leather. Because of the differences in finish, it is very important to use only products designed for the leather you have.
4. Dying leather is a highly specialized art. Professionals receive extensive training on color matching and dying, and it’s not at all likely that any DIY dye kit will produce very good dying results. So, be very careful with these products – test them on a part of the furniture that no one will ever see before you use it on the visible part of the piece.
5. Stay away from products that say they are for multiple surfaces, even if one of those surfaces is leather. Most of the time these products contain elements that will damage leather. It is best to stick with products made specifically for leather.
Also, there are lots of people out there who have heard old wives’ tales about household products to use on leather. Some of these can be helpful, but there are many that do not work and will ruin your leather furniture. One example is using olive oil to fix minor dings and scratches on leather. People also try using finger nail polish remover, shoe polish and window cleaner, among other things, to work on damaged leather. All of these options can cause major damage to your leather down the road.
Any questions? Have any experiences with leather products to share? Post them in the comments!
Posted: Aug 15, 2011By: FibrenewCategory: Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
Leather furniture and upholstery will inevitably face some wear and tear throughout its life, and there are many types of damage you can’t avoid. However, sun damage is one problem that can definitely be prevented. Too much sunlight and heat will fade and/or dry out your leather.
Couch faded by the sun
Faded Leather
Fading is commonly seen in semi-aniline and aniline leathers, and it is less common in fully-finished leathers that have a protective topcoat. It’s a problem people frequently face, and, if you put your leather furniture next to a window that gets a lot of sunlight, you can see fading in as little as 4 to 6 months.
Dried Leather
Drying will occur with any type of leather. The sun’s heat slowly causes the moisture and natural oil in leather to evaporate. Over time, if you don’t care for your leather properly, it will dry out and crack.
Badly cracked chair
How to Prevent Sun Damage
One crucial step to preventing fading and cracking is to, if possible, keep your leather furniture out of direct sunlight. You can do all the right things to protect your sofa, but, if it’s directly in front of a sunny window, it is only a matter of time before the heat takes its toll. If you do need to place furniture in front of a window (we know, most people do), invest in some blinds to shade your furniture from the sun during the hottest, sunniest parts of the day. Those blinds will be a lot cheaper than taking your leather upholstery to a professional for patching and re-dying later on down the road.
Another important precaution to take is to clean and protect your furniture 3-4 times a year with a leather conditioning kit. For tips, check out our post on how to clean and protect your leather.
On a final note, do not try to treat your leather with olive oil or any other type of oil—it will end up causing major damage in the long run.
Questions? Comments? We’d love to hear from you!
Posted: Jun 14, 2011By: FibrenewCategory: Cars, boats and planes, Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
There are many types of leather, and leather jargon can be very overwhelming to people trying to figure out what kind of leather they have and want to buy.
What makes one type of leather different from another?
Leather is often sorted by the type of finish it has. The three main types of upholstery leather finish are fully-finished, aniline and semi-aniline. All of these terms are indicative of the type of dyes and protective layers used on the hide, and each surface reacts differently to cleaning products and damage.
What does fully-finished mean?
When tanneries make fully-finished leather out of hide, they put a dye and protective layer on it that will make it more resilient to damage than other types of leather. You can think of this process like putting paint onto drywall. It actually forms a thin barrier between the hide and the air.
Fully-Finished Leather Couch
What does fully-finished leather look like?
Fully-finished leather is usually glossy with a little bit of a shine to it.
Fully-finished leather car seat
Where will I see fully-finished leather?
Fully-finished leather is one of the most popular finishes for upholstery leather due to its durability. It is used in almost 100 percent of auto leather and makes up a large percentage of furniture leather.
Furniture brands like Lazy Boy, Palliser, Natuzzi and Elite use a lot of fully-finished leather.
What are the benefits and down sides of fully-finished leather?
Pros:
- Fully-finished leather is excellent for pieces that need to withstand some wear and tear. That’s why it’s so commonly used in cars. If you have kids or pets, fully-finished leather is probably the way to go with furniture leather as well.
- It is usually less expensive than other types of leather. Because the layer of dye on top of the leather covers imperfections in the hide, manufacturers can use hides that aren’t naturally as pretty as those they have to use with other finishes.
- It is easy to clean up. After something spills on fully-finished leather, you usually have time to wipe it up with a damp cloth and dry it before it is damaged from the spill.
- Professionals can usually clean and repair fully-finished leather without much trouble.
Cons:
- Fully-finished leather is not as natural looking as aniline and semi-aniline leather.
Questions about fully finished leather? Comments? We’d love to hear from you!
Posted: Feb 17, 2011By: FibrenewCategory: General, Home and Office, Leather Advice From the Pros
Because buying used furniture is both eco-friendly and thrifty, it’s a very IN thing to do right now. Here are some tips to be sure you make good buying decisions when it comes to used leather!
Check to see if the previous owner took good care of it:
We recommend that people use leather cleaner and protection cream to care for furniture several times a year. Following those guidelines will make leather last a lot longer.- Look and see if there is dirt underneath the cushions. If there is, it is likely that the owner did not clean and protect it often.
Compare pieces of a set to determine quality:
This might sound like common sense, but if you are looking at a set of furniture, line up all the pieces next to each other to compare each piece’s quality before you buy.
- It is likely that some pieces were used more and are more worn than others.
- Also, one piece of a used set may be more faded from the sun than others.
- These are little differences that you might not notice in the store, but may drive you crazy once you get them in your home. Setting them all up for comparison is a good way to avoid the issue.
- Also, keep in mind that if some pieces of a set look dramatically worse than others, it might be an indicator that the furniture doesn’t hold up well.
- The new-looking pieces were probably not used very frequently, so they might still look pretty new.
- It’s likely that the one or two pieces that look bad were the only ones that got used by the previous owners, and they just didn’t hold up well. That could be a bad omen for the rest of the set.
- Consider the age of the furniture. If it is relatively new furniture that is already showing some wear, it could be a sign that it won’t hold up well in the future. However, if the furniture is an older piece and is still only showing a little wear, that is likely a good sign of things to come.
Is it worth it to fix-up damaged furniture?
Sometimes. We love the eco-friendly factor in buying and fixing up used leather furniture instead of buying new. There are a lot of types of damage that are pretty cheap and easy to fix, making refurbishing a much cheaper alternative to buying new. But, there are a few types of damage you should look out for and avoid because they are expensive to fix.
Cheap Fixes
- Dinginess – If the piece is just a little dirty and dingy looking, it doesn’t cost much to pay a professional to thoroughly clean it.
- A few minor scratches and scuffs – many professionals charge based on the number scuffs or scratches, so a few is going to make for a cheap repair.
- Small Pen mark
Mid-range Fixes
- Dog chew hole
- Color missing on cushion surfaces and arms
High-end fixes
- Body oil stains and spots
- Visible stains
- Damage near seams is always trickier and more expensive than damage that does not affect a seam
Let’s talk holes
Holes in leather are hard to drop into the “Cheap, Mid-range, High-end” fix categories because the size of a hole makes a big difference in how expensive it is to repair. As a general rule, a hole with a diameter up to a one eighth of an inch is considered small, 1/8 to 1/2in. is mid-range and bigger that 1/2 in. is considered large.
Repairs in the long-run:
Some repairs are more likely to become a problem again later on down the road than others, so it’s a good idea to take that into consideration if you plan to hold onto this furniture for a while. For example, other than a small scratch, a repair to the sitting area of a piece of furniture isn’t going to last as long as a repair in a place that never gets touched because of the constant movement.
Ah, the subjectivity!
Still wondering how dingy is too dingy? Need a better idea of what, exactly, “cheap,” means? We understand. Anyone can send a photo to a local professional for a free quote before you buy. Also, feel free to leave questions in the comments or post pictures on our Facebook!
