How to clean a leather sofa? (how much, vinyl, sofas, conditioner)

[scuba steve]

I have a leather sofa in a light color that's starting to get a little dirty around the front of the cushions. To clean the seats in the car I use Meguier's One-Step Leather Care. Is it a good idea to clean the sofa with that too, or is there something else I should use?

[crazyma]

IMO and experience, You can use Ivory Snow - the boxed flake kind ( you can still find it, often near the the Woolite/baby care detergents.

Mix up a small sudsy bucket & warm water. Use a washcloth with a good 'ruff' nap to it, and wring out very good. Give the leather a good scrubbing/wiping continually rinsing the cloth. If your water gets very dirty, make a new batch.Then go back over with plain water to rinse. Just don't have the cloth soaking wet! Afterwards buff all over with a dry clean cloth.
Works for me

[hcgCali]

Whatever you use, spot test a hidden area first.
Light-colored leathers have the color "painted" on, whereas dark-colored ones are "stained," and the paint-type finish can come off if you aren't careful. Wipe rather than scrub, or you'll remove the finish. Even some leather cleaners will do damage. You'd be surprised how much you can clean it by just using a paper towel dampened with plain water. If you use the soap and water method discribed above, don't leave any water sitting on leather. Do small areas at a time rinsing and wiping dry as you go. And don't sit on it until thoroughly dry or you'll stretch the leather. Leaving the leather wet will in time lead to cracking.

The best leather cleaner for light-colored leathers that I've found is Cavo-Ox, but I'm not sure if they are still in business. I bought it at the furniture store back when I purchased light-colored leather furniture, but now I have dark colors, so I just dust with the vacuum brush and wipe with the damp towel.

If you ever need to touch up, recolor, or mend a crack/tear, the Color Flex Coating and the Mending Compound here Leather Repair Kits - Do it yourself leather repair products for furniture auto just about anything leather or vinyl are excellent.

[texdav]

Saddle soap same as boots or saddles. Then use a leather conditioner.

[scuba steve]

I'll try soap for now, but I realized that I do have some other leather stuff. I have a bottle of Lexol cleaner - also for the car. There are a couple of bottles of Leatherique, but I used that to restore and condition the leather on my fiance's car and don't know if that's too tough for the sofa since it's for cars and saddles.

Good to know about dampness - the last thing I want this sofa doing is cracking or stretching! But the Leatherique conditioner... too tough for sofas?

[cdelena]

I have had leather furniture for years and have very good results cleaning with Lexol leather cleaner diluted with water. I buy the cleaner in large sizes because I have numerous leather pieces as well as two cars with leather upholstery and I mix it 50/50 with distilled water and then pour into a spray bottle. Learned this after working with a custom leather shop some years ago.

[scuba steve]

So far / so good. I have a lot more Lexol than dish soap, so I discovered and it's taken the dirt off. Gives me an excuse to go to the car parts store tomorrow and pick up some of the conditioner now.

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by scuba steve

So far / so good. I have a lot more Lexol than dish soap, so I discovered and it's taken the dirt off. Gives me an excuse to go to the car parts store tomorrow and pick up some of the conditioner now.

The leather people I worked with do not recommend the conditioner... only the cleaner. They do not think the conditioners are a good thing to use and I have never used them.

[texdav]

Only thi9ng I have found is that without a conditioner used the leather will eventaully crack fro0m heat. Most have seen this in cars.

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by texdav

Only thi9ng I have found is that without a conditioner used the leather will eventaully crack fro0m heat. Most have seen this in cars.

I believe over exposure to the sun is what causes cracking and the conditioner will have little or no impact. Keep the couch in the shade as much as possible.