Leather
Leather furniture can be a beautiful addition to any home. But how easy is it to clean? First, identifying the cause of the stain is needed to properly administer the correct cleaning method. The four different types
of soil to be aware of when cleaning leather are:
• Atmospheric Soils
-Everyday common dust, mixed with whatever else
.is in the air (airborne cooking oils, pollution)
• Common Soils
- Outside tracking of dirt, sand, vegetable fibers
..from plants, carried in by kids and pets
• Dyes and Inks
- Inks from newspapers
- Dye from clothing such as denim jeans will rub off
..on to the leather (Known as crocking)
- Pen ink from leaky pens and 2-year old artists
• Oils and Grease
- Body oils, both human and animals, cause soils
..to attach to leather |
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Types of leather
In order to properly clean leather, the type of leather must be considered. Leather is classified
into three main categories:
• Aniline
-Also known as natural, peel, naked or unprotected, these are leathers that are colored with transparent dyestuff, making the ability to see the actual surface grain markings
• Protected
-Also known as finished, semi aniline, everyday, pigmented or painted, these leathers have combined the best aspects of a natural leather and utilized tannery technology to create a product
that is more uniform in appearance and color
• NuBuck
-Also known as chaps, distressed, bomber or suede, these are actually aniline leathers that the surface has been brushed, and have created a texture similar to velvet on leather upholstery and fabric. Suede is the "flesh" side of a piece of leather and NuBuck is an effect that is done to the grain side
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