Cleaning of Leather Upholstery Furniture
Leather furniture has never been more popular, and it is available in many unusual designs and shapes that could make life interesting for an upholstery cleaner. In fact how would a chem dry upholstery furniture cleaning technician give a quote for cleaning a sofa that looks like a great big stretched out cat? Or a piece of furniture that is not a sofa bed but a dual-purpose piece of furniture that is something between a sofa and a bed? Or a sofa that is made to resemble a handful of M&M's or a bunch of marshmallows? Round leather beds with built-in lights, circular leather sofa/table combinations, sofas that are made to resemble retro cars or minimalist sculptures – these are only a few of the more bizarre sofas in fashion now. And then there are the chairs: a chair in the shape of a giant hand, a chair that separates from a sofa like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle, a foam chair that is a cube until you sink into it … all somewhat of a challenge when it's time for a session of upholstery leather cleaning.
If the upholstery cleaner follows the basic principles of good upholstery furniture cleaning, it shouldn't matter how large the piece of furniture is, or what shape it is. But then again how about a digitally printed multi colour leather arm chair? Or a chair which is basically a bunch of randomly shaped pillows loosely sewn together? I imagine that the intrepid chemdry upholstery leather cleaning expert would do his best to clean any of these items of furniture, although he might draw the line at the chair which is composed entirely out of small stuffed toys! One thing the designers of these revolutionary pieces of furniture, who are basically trying to redefine what furniture is, don't always consider is how they will be cleaned. Some of these sofas and chairs may be intended to be thrown away when they get dirty, and replaced with something even more radical. On the other hand, some may become classics or museum pieces in their own right, in which case eventually they will need the attention of a good upholstery cleaner.
Advice varies as to how to care for leather upholstered furniture before you consult a professional upholstery cleaner. When attempting home upholstery leather cleaning, caution is advised for pigmented and semi-aniline leathers (which have some protective coating) – they can be vacuumed and wiped with a soft cloth which has been dampened with a mild soap solution. Moving the cloth in a circular fashion lessens the danger of soaking the leather. When using a proprietary upholstery cleaner it is better to test it on a small area of leather that won't normally be seen. Although many owners of leather furniture spend a lot of time "feeding" the leather upholstery, according to some authorities this can cause damage to the leather, and result in a sticky build-up of various types of waxes. Aniline leather (with no protective coating) is even more vulnerable to marks and spills, although it can be kept clean to some extent with vacuuming and the occasional application of a cloth that has been dampened with water. Only a limited success rate is achievable with this kind of home-made cleaning effort, so for thorough cleaning of your precious leather upholstery it's vital to consult an experienced upholstery cleaner such as chem dry.
If the upholstery cleaner follows the basic principles of good upholstery furniture cleaning, it shouldn't matter how large the piece of furniture is, or what shape it is. But then again how about a digitally printed multi colour leather arm chair? Or a chair which is basically a bunch of randomly shaped pillows loosely sewn together? I imagine that the intrepid chemdry upholstery leather cleaning expert would do his best to clean any of these items of furniture, although he might draw the line at the chair which is composed entirely out of small stuffed toys! One thing the designers of these revolutionary pieces of furniture, who are basically trying to redefine what furniture is, don't always consider is how they will be cleaned. Some of these sofas and chairs may be intended to be thrown away when they get dirty, and replaced with something even more radical. On the other hand, some may become classics or museum pieces in their own right, in which case eventually they will need the attention of a good upholstery cleaner.
Advice varies as to how to care for leather upholstered furniture before you consult a professional upholstery cleaner. When attempting home upholstery leather cleaning, caution is advised for pigmented and semi-aniline leathers (which have some protective coating) – they can be vacuumed and wiped with a soft cloth which has been dampened with a mild soap solution. Moving the cloth in a circular fashion lessens the danger of soaking the leather. When using a proprietary upholstery cleaner it is better to test it on a small area of leather that won't normally be seen. Although many owners of leather furniture spend a lot of time "feeding" the leather upholstery, according to some authorities this can cause damage to the leather, and result in a sticky build-up of various types of waxes. Aniline leather (with no protective coating) is even more vulnerable to marks and spills, although it can be kept clean to some extent with vacuuming and the occasional application of a cloth that has been dampened with water. Only a limited success rate is achievable with this kind of home-made cleaning effort, so for thorough cleaning of your precious leather upholstery it's vital to consult an experienced upholstery cleaner such as chem dry.