How to Clean and Maintain Your Leather Butterfly Chair?
Introduction
Yes, we know that your recently bought leather butterfly chair for your home is getting praise from everyone. It deserves that too. After all, it is comfortable, has a premium feel, and doesn’t make the room look heavy. Most importantly, it is blending well with every corner of your home, from the drawing room to the bedroom. And now that your leather butterfly chair is being used regularly, it becomes un-negotiable to clean and maintain your leather butterfly chair to maintain its elegance and luxurious appeal.
So if you’re looking for a step-by-step guide to clean it, then this blog is for you. By the end of this blog, you will also learn about the mistakes to avoid and how to prevent the cracking of leather chairs.
Why Leather Butterfly Chairs Need Care?
Before we share with you the comprehensive guide to cleaning and maintaining leather chairs, you must know why butterfly chairs require care.
1. Leather Chairs are Made from Real Leather When you buy a genuine leather chair, it is made to perfection using the tanned animal skin. It means that the leather breathes and reacts to its environment. It has natural oils that contribute to durability and appearance. To maintain the longevity of chairs, regular care is important.
2. Everyday use Causes Discoloration Have you noticed that the edges of your leather chair have lost their color? This is because the everyday use of chairs puts pressure on the fibre structure, causing creasing and discoloration.
3. Unattended Stains Reduce the Lifespan of Leather Have you spilled the tea on the leather chair? If so, it is advisable to clean the tea stain to prevent damage to the structural integrity of the leather. When stains are left untreated, they cause premature ageing of leather. In fact, the hard stains can also cause leather cracking in the affected area.
4. Continue to Look Luxurious for Years Just like a home is a one-time investment, so is the premium leather butterfly chair. The leather care and maintenance will retain the functionality, breathability, longevity, and timeless elegance of the leather chair for time immemorial.
Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning Leather Butterfly Chairs
Once you start following the below DIY step-by-step guide to cleaning leather butterfly chairs, your leather will never crack or discolor.
Step 1 - Remove Dust The first step in cleaning a leather chair is removing the dust. Don’t forget the sides, seams, and folds of the chair. To clean the chair, without causing damage, you can either use a soft-bristled brush or a dry microfiber cloth.
Step 2 - Vacuum for Deeper Removal of Dust Even if you have removed the dust from the edges, it is always recommended to vacuum the corners and chair frame for deeper removal of dust. This removes the minute dust particles from every corner.
Step 3 - Form a Mild Soap Solution Now, take a bowl of water and add 2-3 drops of mild liquid soap like baby shampoo. Alternatively, you can use a leather-specific cleaner.
Step 4 - Clean the Leather Surface The cleaning step requires your attention. Because when you dip a clean cloth in the mild soap solution, you’ve to ensure that the solution is not dripping with water. In short, the cloth must be dampened to clean the leather surface. #CleanTip: First, apply the solution on a small and hidden area to ensure there’s no leather discoloration.
Step 5 - Wipe the Surface with a Clean Towel Now move to the step of wiping the leather surface with a dry towel to remove moisture. Allow it to air dry naturally at room temperature. #CleanTip: Don’t put the chair in direct heat to speed the drying process. Sunlight exposure causes cracking and discoloration.
Step 6 - Apply leather conditioner Once the leather has dried, spray the leather conditioner. This step is the most crucial one in leather care, as conditioning makes the leather soft by bringing back the lost natural oil.
Avoiding Common Mistakes While Cleaning Leather Chairs
It has been observed that while cleaning the leather chairs, many people commit mistakes that reverse the benefits of cleaning the leather chairs.
1. Using a Wet Cloth Water is injurious to leather. When you use a wet cloth soaked with water to clean the leather surface, you are doing more damage. Water reduces the flexibility of leather, leading to leather stiffness.
2. Not Doing the Test Patch You commit the biggest mistake by applying the mild soap solution or leather cleaner on the main visible leather surface. Every leather reacts differently to the solution or cleaner; that’s why it is recommended to do the test patch on the invisible part of the leather chair.
3. Using Alcohol-based Cleaners When you use bleach, harsh chemicals, or alcohol based cleaners on leather, they remove the natural oils from it, causing cracking and drying of the leather.
4. Not Treating Stains When you leave the stains unattended, the oil or liquid seeps into the leather, causing damage to the leather's texture and weakening the fibre structure.
5. Placing the Chair in direct sunlight When you try to speed up the drying process by placing the chair under direct sunlight, you make the biggest mistake. The direct sunlight causes discoloration of leather and makes it brittle.
6. Not Conditioning Your Leather Chair Every 2-3 Months The regular usage of a leather chair causes a loss of natural oils. Leather conditioning every 2-3 months is important to maintain its quality and appearance.
Tips to Prevent Cracking of Leather Chairs
The cracking of leather chairs is the most common problem. However, you can prevent it by following the tips below:
1. Make leather conditioning your favourite habit 2. Maintain a safe distance between your leather chair and sunlight exposure 3. Avoid placing rough objects on the leather chair. 4. Mindful of eating and drinking in the chair 5. Cover your leather chair with a breathable bag before leaving for a trip.
Conclusion
Your leather butterfly chair is a visually appealing asset in your space. It is not just a functional element but the epitome of minimalist furniture that completes your space. Just like your home requires timely maintenance, so do leather home accessories.
We hope this blog on how to clean and maintain your leather butterfly chair will help you maintain the durability, longevity, and unique texture of your chair for years.
FAQs
1. What products are safe for cleaning leather chairs? Using a mild solution or a leather cleaner is the safest product for cleaning leather chairs.
2. Can I use water to clean my leather furniture? Don’t use water directly on leather furniture because water penetrates into the layers of the leather, causing discoloration and weakening of the fibre structure.
3. How do I remove stains from my leather butterfly chair? Simply sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the stain and let it sit on the stain for a few hours or overnight. Then brush off the powder from the leather. Once the stain is removed or reduced significantly, you can apply some leather conditioner to seal the moisture.
4. How often should leather chairs be cleaned and maintained? You should do the leather cleaning every week, while you should do leather conditioning every 2-3 months.
5. What causes leather furniture to fade? Lack of leather conditioning, placing a leather chair under direct sunlight, and exposure to water are the reasons for the leather furniture to fade.
