A regular routine of cleaning and protection will not only help protected your furniture from stains and damage, it will also add years to its life. Some types of soiling only affect the way your furniture looks, others can actually damage the leather. Dust and perspiration are both particularly damaging. Dust is abrasive: it acts like sandpaper. Over time dust can cause serious damage to the furniture’s topcoat. Perspiration and body oils contain salts, enzymes and fatty acids, all of which can stain and damage leather and its topcoat. It is important to prevent perspiration and body oils from building up. Particular care needs to be taken if you regularly take medications, as they can increase the damage caused by perspiration and body oils.
Every Week: Dust and Light Clean. The best way to dust your furniture is using a vacuum cleaner. Use a soft brush head or upholstery attachment and set the vacuum cleaner to low suction. After vacuuming, use a cloth dampened with a little water to wipe over the areas that come in contact with the body (headrests, armrests and seats etc). You don’t need to use a leather cleaner every time you clean your furniture, a soft cloth dampened with a little water will do the trick.
Every 3-6 Months: Thorough Clean. Clean your furniture with Leather Soft Cleaner or Hydrating Leather Cleaner* to remove built up dirt and grime. How often you need to clean your furniture will depend on its colour and how quickly it becomes soiled. If you have light coloured furniture, or if your furniture is heavily used (particularly by pets and small children) you will need to clean your furniture more often. Do not clean your furniture more than necessary, excess cleaning causes unnecessary wear on the topcoat and even the gentlest cleaning products can cause leather to dry out if they are over used.
After every thorough cleaning (every time you use a leather cleaner) apply Leather Protection Cream, Leather Conditioner or Protecting Leather Conditioner*. Your furniture's protective topcoat will wear with use and become less effective, so as your furniture ages it is importatnt to give it some extra protection.
* Protecting Leather Conditioner and Hydrating Leather Cleaner are only available in GreenGard Leather Care Kits with Warranty.
The fresher a stain is, the easier it is to remove. You can follow the same care regime for aniline and pigmented leather, but not all stain removal products are suitable for aniline leather. Consult the Product Selection Guide for information on which stain removal products are suitable for your leather type.
White leather and other light coloured leathers need extra care and protection. One of the most common problems associated with light coloured leather is dye transfer. Dye transfer is a common problem, it occurs when dyes from fabrics (jeans, cushions, throws etc) transfer to the surface of leather causing a stain. It can be very difficult to remove, particularly if it has been allowed build up over time. Dyes are designed to be permanent – the stains they cause can also be permanent. Regular cleaning and protection products can't adequately protect white leather from dye transfer. To keep your light coloured furniture pristine, we recommend that you use the Light Coloured Leather Care Kit. The products in the Light Coloured Leather Care Kit have been designed specifically to deal with dye transfer.