Leather furniture is a very popular choice for home owners with which to decorate their homes. It is a very durable fabric that can really uplift the value of a room. Moreover, leather can work with any room according to your taste be it traditional, cozy, modern or elegant. And despite this versatility and the recognition that it is a superior fabric, leather furniture can be quite affordable. Furthermore, the true irony is that the cheaper the leather furniture is, the easier it is to maintain and clean leather. How exactly is this possible? The following information is what you should consider when buying leather furniture.
To understand the nature of leather, you will need to understand how it is processed.
Leather, of course, comes from the skin of an animal. It doesn’t matter the type of animal as all leather is pretty much processed the same. Leather can be made from cattle, sheep, pig, alligator, and all sorts of other exotic animal types. And just like human skin, hides can have blemishes and scars to mar their appearance. The best leather comes from the upper section of the hide where it is known as top grain leather or full grain leather. Although no hide is truly perfect, top grain leather is as close to it as it comes. While blemishes and scars are unwanted, top grain leather has its own unique characteristics and markings that make it attractive and sought after. Therefore, the natural markings are preserved and only an aniline dye is used to color the leather. The dye is soaked into the leather and it is permanently stained. Since true aniline leather goes through very little processing, it is called unfinished leather.
As you can imagine, finished leather means that the leather goes through more cycles of processing. Another pigment can be coated on top of the aniline leather so the colors are more even. Other leather treatments include a transparent coating to prevent spills and stains. While all these treatments sound beneficial for the material, it does have its drawbacks in that it makes the leather stiffer to touch. That is why the lower quality hides are sacrificed into going through more treatment processes. However, it does make leather cleaning and conditioning much easier. You don’t need any special store bought cleaning solution but you can make your own homemade leather cleaner from everyday items you find around the house. Finished leather is pretty much resistant to spills and stains.
Unfinished leather, on the other hand, while soft and supple to touch is much harder to keep clean. Liquids and grease spots are hard to get out since just like the aniline dye, it soaks in. In fact, if you get a stain on your leather furniture, you will need to buy specialized leather cleaner solutions with the correct pH to treat the stain. If that doesn’t work, you will need to get professional cleaning help that is knowledgeable about leather stains. The best the leather experts can probably do for you is to restain your leather material into one color so that the stain is no longer noticeable.
If you want to buy yourself an expensive unfinished aniline leather couch or other types of furniture, you really have to ask yourself if you are the type of individual who can keep it clean. Do you have a lifestyle that can respect this type of material or do you want something that is easier to maintain? If it is the latter, do yourself the favor by saving your money and buy a finished leather couch instead. It might not be as soft to feel as aniline leather, but for aesthetic reasons, it will last you a lot longer.
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