Leather Care - For Seriously Good Results!
If you are serious about keeping it in top condition, then one the simplest ways to do this is to regularly maintain it.
The truth is, leather will NOT last a lifetime without regular care and attention. It's exactly the same situation as with human skin. If it's not regularly cleaned and conditioned, the skin will crack, dry-out, lose its suppleness and age pre-maturely.
In the past 35 years of being in the leather industry, I've seen first hand what happens to neglected leather.
Here's What Happens When Leather Is Not Cared For
- Colour rapidly wearing off, especially in high wear areas such as chair arms and seat cushions, leading edge of drivers in a car.
- Dirt and soiling etched into the leather finish resulting in permanent staining
- Dye transfer from clothing into the leather
- Oil and perspiration soaking into areas where the head and hands rest, breaking down the finish
Here's a photo of a leather chair with the finish worn off, due to a lack of care and maintenance and the photo below it, shows a very common problem with car leather, where the driver slides over the surface causing pre-mature wear.
You are probably wondering, if this has already happened to your leather is there anything that can be done about it?
Yes, your leather can easily be restored to original condition but what I'm talking about here is, if your leather hasn't yet suffered any permanent damage, why not prevent this from happening with some care and attention?
So the real question is, why don't people do regular maintenance?
Well, I've often wondered that myself.
After a bit of investigation, I discovered that most leather care kits end up in a cupboard somewhere and are very rarely if ever used. And is seems the resistance to using them boiled down to the following:
- It's hard work and time consuming
- Fear of causing damage
- Procrastination
So, after giving this problem a lot of thought, I decided to eliminate all these excuses in one swoop.
Let me introduce my ...
Professional Leather Care System
With the help from professional tanners from NZ and Australia, I've created a leather care system which ticks all the boxes of my stringent standards.
This system can be used on your lounge, car or office leather and you can achieve the same results I'm getting by using the same products.
Here's how the system works ...
Step 1 - CLEAN:
Using a specially formulated, professional leather cleaner, your leather is cleaned to remove any dirt, sweat, grease and other contamination.
One of the big benefits of this cleaner, is its ability to dissolve soiling without damaging or harming the finish in any way ... very important!
Step 2 - CONDITION:
Leather which is losing its suppleness and flexibility can be conditioned using the same contioners used in the tannery when softening new leather.
Step 3 - PROTECT:
This is a formulation of tanners waxes and modifiers and is designed to put an invisible, protective film over the leather surface.
Now, its job is very important ... it forms an invisible barrier preventing dirt and soiling from touching the original leather surface. In other words, it protects it from being contaminated, thus substantially improving wear-ability.
Now, here's where it gets really interesting! This protection is designed to last for between 3 to 6 months, depending on the amount of traffic it is exposed to ... which is the whole idea.
Why? Because when your leather is next cleaned, the cleaner will strip away the protector with all the bad stuff embedded, and leave the original leather surface completely untouched. You certainly don't want to be using a protector which is permanent ... re-cleaning would be an absolute nightmare!
So it's not hard to see that if this system is regularly used on your leather, pre-mature wear can easily be averted.
A very simple, yet effective way to keep your leather look great.
DIY Leather Care Products ... Direct From My Workshop!
If you feel a little more motivated after what I've just explained to you, and would like to valet your own leather, I've put together a DIY leather care kit using the exact same cleaner, conditioner and protector I use professionally.
To find out more, go to: Paul Ford Leather Products