Despite what a lot of people think, genuine leather doesn’t last forever. Over time leather loses moisture and is exposed to dirt. Leather will begin to fade and crack if its left in the sun day after day. A Natural material like leather needs to be looked after and maintained with careful cleaning and repairs. In this post i discuss the various methods to to clean or repair cracked leather.
Leather can be cleaned using a mild soapy solution or saddle soap, which is applied to the surface with a clean cloth. Leather cracks and tears can be repaired using a leather repair kit. Leather can be rejuvenated by using leather conditioner approximately every 6 months. This helps replenish any lost oils and moisture.
As leather is so expensive it’s important to make it last, I thought a blog post on the topic would help you understand more about cleaning, repairing and fixing cracked leather couches, shoes, bags jackets etc.
Repairing leather can be something we do ourselves without having to fork out hundreds of dollars in order to get it repaired by professionals. I would summarize repairing leather it into the following categories depending on the state of the current item. Cleaning, removing stains, repairing cuts, repairing tears.
How to clean leather
Firstly, cleaning leather will help your leather remain in a good condition for longer. If leather is cleaned every few weeks with a mild soapy solution it will last longer. It shouldn’t take longer than about half and hour to clean your sofa/ lounge suite. Allow it to dry naturally for a few minutes. There are different techniques, soaps or cleaning agents you can use depending on the type of leather that you are cleaning.
In this article i only refer to cleaning genuine leather and not suede or pigmented leather or any other kind of leather. It is always best to make sure the item you are cleaning is in fact genuine leather. Usually it will have a tag on it somewhere displaying that it is in fact genuine leather.
It’s always best to be on the safe side and if you are going to apply alcohol or cleaning agent or a soapy solution to leather always test the solution it on an area that is not easily visible. Maybe the side or back of a sofa that is not visible. Or if you have a spare piece of leather first test the solution on there before applying to the actual item.
How often must leather be cleaned.
It depends on what item you are cleaning, how often its used, how its used and what kind of conditions is it exposed to. A sofa situated inside a house not exposed to direct sunlight will naturally last longer as the natural oils in the leather are not being depleted. Continuous sun exposure will cause the leather to crack over a period of time.
Cleaning leather can be as simple as running the vacuum over your sofa once a week or removing stains, grease and grime that might build up over time from general usage. You should clean or apply a soapy solution at least once every 4-6 weeks. This helps remove dirt and grime and will maintain your leather and keep it free of harmful dirt. Please note cleaning leather is different to conditioning leather and I will discuss that later on in this post.
Always do a cleaning spot test before cleaning the whole sofa to see if there is any kind of damage or reaction from the solution you are using.
What can i use to clean leather.
Usually Saddle soap is used to clean leather. Saddle soap can be purchased online or at any leather supply store. You could also use a light soapy solution like dishwashing soap but it should be mixed to a ratio of 1 part soap to 8 parts water. You also want to avoid a wax or oil based cleaner if you are also going to repair parts of your leather. Wax or oil can prevent fillers or compounds from sticking onto your leather.
A slightly damp cloth can be used and rubbed onto your leather in circular motion to get rid of any dirt. Repeat this process a few times to make sure you cover / clean all the areas. Once you have completed this process dip a clean cloth dipped into clean water and rub it over the leather to make sure all the soap is removed. You don’t want a soapy build up on your leather. Allow your leather to dry naturally. Do not use a heater or blow dryer on your leather as it can harm it and cause a reaction.
How to Remove stains from leather.
Removing stains from leather is a bit more tricky than cleaning it as it depends on what kind of stain you are trying to remove. Try a light diluted solution of rubbing alcohol first to a test the area. Please be careful as the alcohol may damage your leather. If possible the stain needs to be rubbed off as quickly possible before the stain has a chance to sink in.
How to clean or repair cracked leather surface with conditioner.
Repairing a leather surface will require the use of a leather conditioner. Conditioner is applied when your
leather sofa or couch etc. has lost its natural oils due to age and exposure and has started drying out. Leather conditioner moisturizes leather and makes it more supple. It also helps protect it from the sun and dirt and grime build up.
You should condition your leather at least once every six months in order to provide good protection. This will preserve the leather and therefore you won’t need to clean or repair cracked leather as often.
There are various types of conditioners on the market and they all work fairly well. Its a matter of your own personal preference and how they are applied that makes the difference.
A Natural based conditioner that is effective and highly absorbent and non greasy should be used. The liquid conditioner can be rubbed on with a clean cloth. eg. Chamberlain’s Leather Milk or Leather Honey is a good example of a conditioner.
You also get solid conditioners which contain beeswax. These need to be rubbed into the leather which then seals the moisture into your leather. Buffing your leather with this kind of conditioner takes more time and effort but is well worth it. EG Paul Pails All Natural Beeswax Leather Conditioner.
How to repair a small crack, scratch or cut in a leather surface
Cuts in leather are easier to repair than tears. A cut that hasn’t gone all the way through the surface of the leather is easier to fix than a tear that has gone all the way through the hide.
Here are the steps you should follow to repair a scratch or cut:
- The first step is to pinch the leather together with your finger so the edges of the tear are exposed.
- Take a scalpel or knife and pour a small amount your leather glue onto the scalpel and dab it onto the 2 surfaces of the exposed cut. Do this all along the surface of the cut so that you provide enough glue to stick the leather together once dried. Now once the glue is applied you can stop pinching the 2 pieces together and push the 2 sides together with you fingers or the back plastic end of your knife so that the 2 ends adhere to each other effectively sealing the cut.
- Now you can gently wipe away any excess glue on either side of the cut while its still wet. Allow sufficient time for the glue to dry.
- Finally apply a colour matching to your leather in order to get the cut to match the rest of your leather. This will help the cut to blend in with the leather thereby concealing it from view.
If this procedure doesn’t work or the 2 sides of the cut don’t stick together then you will need to read below on how to repair a tear in a leather surface.
How to repair a tear in a leather surface.
A tear in leather means that the leather surface has completely split open and you can see right through the leather.
A small cut is easier to repair than a long tear but they are both repairable. A tear requires a bit more effort and you will need to purchase a leather repair kit in order to complete the repair propoerly. repair kits can be bought buy at any leather supply store or online with a quick Google search.
You will need to go through the following procedures in order to fix the cut.
- The first step in repairing a tear in leather is to prep the edges of the tear by removing any frayed edges. You can remove these frayed edges with a scalpel or a scissors. This will clean the edges and make it easier to hide the tear once its repaired.
- Next step is to insert or fit a sub patch. This is a piece of cloth or fabric or leather that is inserted underneath the leather tear and then glued so its sticks to the underside of the leather. You can use a tweezers in order to place the sub patch. The leather sub patch should ideally match the leather that you are trying to repair but its not critical as the tear will be filled and dyed to match the original leather as closely as possible.
- Now apply the leather glue with a spatula that comes with your repair kit. Allow enough time for the sub patch to dry, making sure that you remove any excess glue or residue around the sub patch and tear.
- The next step, once the sub patch is dry, involves inserting the filler into the tear order to fill/ hide the tear. The filler, which is part of your repair kit will be applied in a number of layers and allowed to dry between each layer. The filler builds up and makes the sub patch area level with the actual leather surface so the tear is no longer noticeable. You can use a knife or spatula to smooth off the final layer so that it is level with you level surface. If you are a perfectionist and the tear is in a visible area you can also try to match the grain of the leather surface. You can do that with a Grain pad to manually emboss the grain onto your filler. You can also use grain repair to copy the grain in your leather surface.
- The next step is to apply the colourant. The colourant will need to match or be as close as possible to your leather colour. The colourant is included as part of your repair kit that you purchased. A small amount will need to be placed onto a sponge and rubbed onto the filler and surrounding leather surface to make sure its blends in as much as possible with the area around the tear. The colourant will have to be applied in multiple coats. Give each coat some time to dry before applying the next coat. Do as many coats as you need to in order to hide the tear in the leather.
- The final step is to apply the leather finish now that the colourant has been allowed to dry sufficiently. Apply the leather finish with a sponge and do as many coats as is necessary in order to ensure a great clean repair. If you have managed to do a good job it should be quite difficult to see the tear now that the repair is done.
In conclusion.
Whether it’s to clean or repair cracked leather, the above post has hopefully explained the different procedures that you can use and that can be performed by anyone who has the correct tools and has purchased a leather repair kit. By maintaining your leather and cleaning it regularly you will be adding many years to the life of your sofas, jackets, bags and shoes. It is well worth spending the time every few months to preserve your well loved items. I hope you found the above information useful and please check out some of my other blog posts on maintaining and caring for leather.