Keeping Your Leather Lounge Looking Like New

We’ve all been there.

You search far and wide for the perfect new sitting piece that will go in that corner to the left of the tv.

This sexy chaise finally fits the color mood that you’ve been looking for.

Instant buy.

It gets delivered to your house a few days later and it looks amazing.  You’ve nailed it.

Then your friends come over for wine night and vision board making and after a few bottles you find your new lounge stained with vintage Cabernet and tiny blue ink marks.

There is something oddly magical about how stains and mistakes find their way to our most cherished pieces of furniture.  Many of us go against choosing light colored lounges and sofas because we fear the maintenance and upkeep.  We wince at thinking about events like wine night occurring, so we opt for alternatives.

We go over ways to squash this concern and show you how to keep your lounge looking like new.

Don’t Touch, Bring Out the Vacuum!

Instinctively, it is in our nature to see a spill and immediately wipe first.  But if we are talking oils and dirt, did you know that it’s best to use a vacuum with a delicate brush attachment initially to eliminate the dry dirt?  Most of us think that because leather is so strong, it’s invincible; however, it is very porous and absorbs particles like oil and dirt fast.

Often times, if you wipe the mishap with a cleaning solution mixture, the soil penetrates the material deeper using this incorrect technique.

Clean with a vacuum first, then wipe.  In that order.

Alcohol (Rubbing) to the Rescue!

Whether its kids tussling with their homework or some therapeutic journaling at the end of the day, ink happens.

Use rubbing alcohol to remove those ugly stains pretty easily.  If you are lucky enough to witness the incident, you can make the cleanup much easier.  Use cloth or cotton to dab the lounge with alcohol on the impacted area and the stain should come out.  BUT, before you do that, be sure to do a blot check in an invisible area on the couch as sometimes alcohol causes discoloration.

Baking Soda for Furniture?

In addition to other more well-known household uses, consider using baking soda for oily stains.

Instead of reaching for a moist cloth to clean your lounge, use baking soda.  Water actually pushes the oil deeper into the leather surface, so this is the last thing you want to do in the event of an oil spill.  Sprinkle a little baking soda on the stain and let it work.  After a few hours, the baking soda should absorb most of the oil allowing for a more effective clean than a wet cloth.  We love and use baking soda often as it has many cleaning properties.

Vinegar Magic

Let’s add another common household item to the list.  Vinegar has properties that makes it an optimal, natural cleaner.  Because vinegar is strong, its best practice to mix it with an equal part of water to dilute your homemade cleaner.  When cleaning your lounge, whether for preventative or reactive measures, use this solution to successfully clean stains and not damage your leather. Vinegar works wonders for cleaning your home goods.

It’s refreshing that you don’t have to leave your home for any of these cleaning agents that are sure to keep your lounge looking like that very first day you found it after searching far and wide.

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