You have tried your best keep your leather furniture safe, but accidents have damaged it. Well, it is normal for leather furniture to get destroyed as occasional scuffs, small tears and spills are bound to happen. However, there is no need to worry as leather can be repaired and restored to its original beauty easily.
There are many myths about leather repair, so when you are looking to fix your leather furniture, it is important to keep the myths at bay.
Myth 1:
Leather cuts cannot be repaired: The biggest myth that leather cuts cannot be repaired is absolutely FALSE. Although this is the hardest to repair, it certainly can be fixed. There are numerous leather repair kits available at most leather stores which come equipped with adhesives made especially for leather. If the cuts are big, then you might need to put some padding under the patch to completely mend it, but regardless of the size of the cut, it can be fixed!
Myth 2:
Super Glue can fix the minor tears in leather: Another myth which will ruin your leather furniture rather than repair it. NEVER ever use super glue to fix tears on your leather upholstery. Super glue is not flexible and therefore is not a good solution to fix torn leather. It hardens and causes more damage to it rather than repair it.
Myth 3:
Markers can be used for discoloration:Many old wives tales state that you can use markers to repair discolored leather. However, that is NOT true. Markers cannot match the exact appearance of the leather as it is not made for this purpose, so never use a marker to quickly remove the discoloration. You will only end up creating an irregular look.
Myth 4:
Hair Spray can remove small stains: Many people will tell you that hair spray can remove small stains from leather, but this is a big myth. Hair spray actually can cause major discoloration to your leather. This is because hair spray has high levels of alcohol in them which damages leather and its sticky deposit will collect more dust and the area which it is applied to will become worse for the wear!
Myth 5:
Olive Oil can make your scuffed leather look new: This is not TRUE. Olive oil and all other oils actually speed up the deterioration process for leather. As leather is porous it will absorb the oil and over time the absorbed oil will lead to discoloration.
Repairing furniture for as many years as we have exposes us to a lot of “creative” methods in which couches can be destroyed. Our leather repair experts have seen it all and them some. To lighten up your week, we thought we’d share our top 25 ways a couch can be destroyed. Keep in mind, not all of these are repairable and don’t try any at home, but even for some of these complete couch destroyers, we can bring the furniture back from the brink!
25 Ways To Destroy A Couch
Take it to an open field, and proceed to destroy it “Office Space”-style.
Plan for a summer bonfire, and use the couch as kindling for your s’mores.
Haul the couch out a window or off of a building (given there are no pedestrians within range).
Shred it like cheese in a sofa shredder.
Buy a set of skis, attach them to the bottom, and find a snowy hill/mountain.
Find an empty parking lot, attach wheels to the bottom of the couch, and pull it behind a truck. See how many times you can swerve to make the couch hit a light post.
Find a trucker willing to make your couch his road kill.
One word: sledgehammer.
Go bungee jumping, except attach the couch to the bungee instead of yourself.
Nail to the bottom of a pool for underwater fun. For additional ambiance, add a side table and lamp.
Drizzle bacon grease all over the couch, then let your dogs do what they will with it.
Tape ketchup packets over the entire couch and tell your kids to jump on it.
For girls: break the frame underneath the cushions and invite over your significant other. Sit on the couch and act like you broke it, then cry hysterically about how fat you are. Tell him to get rid of the couch immediately.
For a complete Freddie costume on Halloween, use a chainsaw to cut the couch into sections during trick-or-treating.
Tote the couch to a bridge, then dump it off the side.
Donate the couch to a fraternity house.
Give your kids markers and set them loose in the living room.
Go four-wheeling after a rainy day, then roll around on your couch before showering.
Invite your hairy or slobbering dog to take a nap on the couch.
Before declawing your cat, allow him to use the couch as a scratching post.
Play “tug of war” with your couch – attach each end to a vehicle and see who breaks off the biggest piece.
Potty train your puppy on your couch.
Make your couch “outdoor furniture,” and leave it outside during a thunderstorm.
Take your couch on a skydiving trip but don’t pack its parachute right.
Invite your kids to eat their chocolate Easter bunnies on your couch.
If your couch met any of these disastrous fates or is just looking shabby, give one of our leather experts a call to bring it back to showroom condition.
You might read that you can use window cleaner, nail polish remover, magic sponges, cleaning wipes, hair spray, shoe polish and markers to fix your leather auto interior. But, these products will damage your leather, and you should not use them.
If you leave more questions in the comments, we’d be happy to answer them for you. You can also find more information in our more in-depth posts about wives’ tales.
Oil products like olive oil, oil soap and WD-40 can ruin the leather seats in your car, so you should not use them. Old wives’ tales say oil helps soften up and condition leather, but that only works for baseball mitts and cowboy horse saddles – not your nice leather seats.
This video gives tips on taking good care of your car and keeping your dashboard looking new and lasting longer. These tips will help protect your leather from sun damage that can make the top layer separate from the rest of the dash.
If you have any more questions, check out our blog post on caring for your dashboard or leave questions in the comments!
Tree sap can melt into your vinyl boat seats, making it almost impossible to get rid of. Use the tips in this video to keep tree sap off your boat and to get it off before it is too late!
More questions? Check out our more in-depth blog post on getting rid of tree sap or leave questions in the comments!
This video addresses why leather car seats crack, how to keep them from cracking and how to get them fixed.
For a more in-depth look at the topic, check out our blog post answering the same questions. If you have any more questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments! We’d love to help!
Leather auto seats tend to get worn out and old looking quickly if you don’t clean them the right way. This video will show you how to clean the leather seats in your car and make them last three times as long.
