LEATHER CARE GUIDE
ABOUT OUR FURNITURE & NATURAL LEATHER
MOORE & GILES FURNITURE IS MADE-TO-ORDER IN THE USA
What are best practices for caring for leather furniture — simple strategies that a homeowner can employ daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly? FROM DAY ONE Select a leather that will last. Real, natural leather will wear in and not wear out. DAILY Change your mindset! Many treat investment leather furniture pieces with kid gloves, but good leather will take on unique character over time, and begin to slowly patina and take on the life of the owner. Think about your favorite pair of denim jeans. MONTHLY Dust is the enemy! Dust absorbs moisture and will cause your leather to dry out and crack. To counteract, periodically dust with a dry cloth. AS NEEDED Cleaning: Less is more! First rule is do no harm. Simply blot the stain immediately with a dry rag to absorb all moisture. Avoid rubbing the leather and spreading the liquid. A dry white cloth will suffice in most cases. If that doesn’t do the trick, add a little mild dish soap. Scratches: If you get an undesired scratch in your leather, use the heat of your hand or a blow dryer to smooth it out. The natural waxes and oils in our natural leathers will shift and move to cover the scratch. A patina is certainly lovely, but how can a homeowner know when to step in before leather wears so much that it’s in disrepair? Natural leather is the original performance material and is meant to endure wear and use — from pets and children alike. Simple cleaning and care will handle most concerns. If you think about it in terms of other furniture, you’ll have to reupholster your fabric sofa several times over the course of your lifetime, while leather stands the test of time.
What are the best cleaning supplies to keep at home for leather furniture? Is there a particular type of tool or conditioner that’s recommended? CLEANING We recommend a simple soap and water solution to spot clean. Avoid using abrasive cleaning agents. Instead, mix three parts water with one part mild soap, such as Ivory or Dawn dish soap. Tap or distilled water works just fine! Keep in mind, the stain will look its worst on the day of the incident, but over time, the stain will begin to disperse through the protein fibers of the hide and eventually become part of the look. CARE We produce our own products to clean and care for leather. To learn more please visit our website at mooreandgiles.com. Is there a recommended placement for leather furnishings? For example, out of direct light, or at a certain distance from a heat source? Sunlight will eventually cause leather to fade — avoid positioning your leather furniture in direct light. If your chair or sofa is positioned in direct sunlight, a simple throw blanket over the back of your furniture is an easy way to beautifully ward off the sun. It all comes back to choosing well, not often. True full-aniline dyed natural leather will not peel or flake. For example, perhaps you've seen "bonded leather" sofas which look as if the top layer is wearing off. This is because "bonded leather" is not a true natural leather, but an inexpensive composition of leather scraps and polyurethane.
Our custom furniture program puts you in charge of design, allowing you to find the perfect fit for your space and style. Choose a leather and we will take care of the rest. Ask your sales associate for swatches for your desired silhouette. Swatches are available upon request.
No. 1 DUST Dust periodically. Dust is a drying agent for leather.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Why doesn’t my furniture look exactly the same? A. Each hide contains color variation and natural markings that we celebrate by upholstering into prominent areas of our furniture like the back and sides. Our skilled craftsmen upholster with care to ensure the features we love are showcased appropriately. We feel that natural leather is the most luxurious leather out there, so we do as little as possible to the leather, allowing it to age and wear over time as it should. Q. What are these marks on my piece? A. Bug bites, scratches, and stretch marks are a natural part of an animal’s life. In turn these natural markings will appear in some areas of your furniture, though we are conscious not to use parts of a hide that are torn or excessively scarred. Q. Why do parts of my piece have different colors? A. Each hide accepts color a little differently. Some appear slightly darker, others lighter. We place hides of similar shades in “batches” to mitigate extreme variation. Our expert upholsterers skillfully cover each frame in a way that beautifully accentuates these natural characteristics. A flow of color from hide-to-hide (or even within a single hide itself!) is a feature of natural leather that we love and embrace. No two hides, no two pieces, are exactly alike.
Q. Will my piece scratch easily? A. Your piece will scratch, however the waxes and oils applied to the leather work to repair those scratches over time with normal use. For more immediate repair simply use your thumb or a dry cloth to work the oils in around the scratched area, and you will see a difference almost immediately. Leather is the world’s oldest performance material, and we stand confidently behind its integrity. We believe leather wears in, not out. The natural markings you see upon delivery of the piece make it unique; the look and wear it acquires over time make it yours. Q. Is my furniture well-built? (What’s under the leather?) A. Our solid wood frames are handmade in the United States by craftsmen who have been in the furniture industry for years. They are sturdy and designed to wear evenly over time, and down cushions in each piece provide a comfortable seat that restores its shape when unoccupied. The meticulous construction and natural leather pair to create a piece that is just as much art as utility.
No. 2
LIMIT DIRECT SUNL IGHT If possible, place leather furniture out of direct sunlight. Sunlight can fade any natural product. Leather is no different.
Q. How will my piece age over time?
A. The wearing in of your furniture depends on where and how often you use it. A piece used only on special occasions will age slower than one used every day. Even putting a chair closer to a window or fireplace will affect how quickly and apparently the wearing occurs. Natural materials change within their environment, and natural leather is no different. With use, you will see high-touch areas like armrests, cushions, and chair backs start to burnish beautifully. These are multi-generational pieces that help tell the story of the person who lived with it. They are much more likely to be passed to a child or grandchild than thrown in a landfill.
No. 3
CONTAIN THE STAIN For spills, contain as quickly as possible. For stubborn stains, clean using the Moore & Giles leather cleaner.
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