Best Leather Sofa Conditioner

Best Leather Sofa Conditioner

Here's the deal: The primary goal of a leather conditioner is to replace lost moisture.

To understand the need for leather conditioning requires a little background. In the tanning process leather is infused with natural oils that reduce friction within the leather fiber bundles. This, in combination with milling (like massaging) the leather establishes a supple, soft leather. At the point of manufacture, these oils equal to about 25% of the total mass of leather.

Here's the rub: The oils are volatile. This means they evaporate. The rate of evaporation depends on variables like heat and humidity. In warm, dry regions like the desert southwest of the United States, leather will lose its moisture content much more rapidly than in the cooler and more humid coastal regions. So with regular conditioning you prolong the life of the leather by maintaining the appropriate moisture content. This all presumes the conditioner has the correct chemical engineering.

When you are conditioning leather sofas, it is much like applying a wax treatment to a car. Here are the basic steps:

• Use the leather conditioner with a clean and dry rag.
• Using a circular pattern, rub the leather condition in.
• Allow the conditioner to soak into the leather sofa for approximately 10 minutes.
• After it has soaked in, using another dry cloth, buff and polish.
• Apply this process in a little area of the leather sofa at a time and repeat.

It is important to note that most leather conditioners will not help you if you have any tears or deep staining. Leather conditioners are primarily used to simply restore the luster of the leather to "like-new" condition.

If you do not have a leather conditioner handy, you can also use baby oil. While many discourage this technique, it is an effective substitute for a leather conditioner. The only important thing for you to pay attention to when using baby oil is that you do not use too much. Baby oil has a tendency to stay slippery for some time, even after it is buffed; so, use the minimal amount possible, and follow the same steps above to treat your leather sofa. When testing it in a small area of the sofa, make sure the slippery effect is not present. If it is, then you used too much baby oil and vice-versa.

Best Leather Sofa Conditioner