Act fast and smart to keep that sofa looking like new
Leather seats and sofas add that touch of luxury and extra comfort to a home. While they remain in pristine condition, they look incredible. But what happens when one of the kids spills their water on it? If you leave it unattended, you could find yourself with leather furniture that suddenly looks tired and dated, all thanks to a little water damage that you could remove with ease.
The best method to repair water damaged leather seats is to act fast
If you notice some spilt water on your leather seats, the best thing to do is act fast! Water stains leather when it soaks in and dries out. So, grab a clean, dry cloth and dab it on the spill. Your aim is to soak up as much of the water as possible, before the leather draws it in.
Whatever you do, don’t wipe the stain. If you wipe, you will simply push the water into the leather. This will make it more difficult to remove and more likely to stain further.
Another tip is to never use heat to dry out wet leather. Heat will shrink the leather, and cause it to crack.
You should also keep your leather furniture out of direct sunlight. The sun will dry out your leather, removing natural oils, and lead to more rapid decomposition of the leather.
Once you have removed as much of the water as possible and allowed the sofa to dry naturally, apply some leather conditioner to help keep it supple.
How to treat water damaged leather seats when the stain has dried
If the stain has dried (kids, eh? They just don’t want to let on they have spilt water on your favourite leather seat!), it will be more difficult to remove. To remove the stain, there are a couple of methods you can try:
- First, you might try to lightly wet the surface from seam to seam where the stain is. Use a lint free cloth to do so and use only a little water. The idea here is that as the leather dries out, the stain will disappear with the ‘deliberate stain’ you just added. Take care with this method, though, as the leather can darken, and you could be left with a two-tone leather seat.
- The second method is to dab on a little rubbing alcohol or leather cleaner. This is a safer method, but you should still take care. It is best to test a little on a hidden area of the leather seat before attempting to remove the water stain.
Clean then condition
Whenever using a leather cleaner, follow the drying method as you did before – don’t speed the drying process and keep away from direct sunlight.
After removing the water, use a leather conditioner and buff finish. Be warned, though, that you may need to condition the whole leather seat or sofa to achieve a uniform finish.
Water stain removed!
Leave the conditioned leather seat overnight, and then inspect in the morning. The stain should be gone, and your leather seat restored to its best.
If your leather is stained from a liquid other than water, the stain may be more difficult to remove. Coffee, ink and paint are all common stains to leather furniture. You don’t need to throw out or cover. Instead, contact Porter’s Cleaning. We’ll be happy to help restore your leather seats to their very best and most comfortable.