A good leather chair should outlast the people who bought it. Looked after, the hide softens, the colour deepens where hands rest on the arms, and a sixty year old Danish lounge chair takes on the patina that makes it worth keeping. Left alone, or wiped with the wrong thing, the same leather dries, fades and eventually cracks.
Caring for it takes very little: a clean and a condition a few times a year, and the right spot in the room. This guide covers how to tell which leather you have, how to clean and condition it, and when a chair needs more than care.
First, work out which leather you have
Put a drop of water on a hidden spot, such as the back of a cushion or under the seat. If it soaks in within a few seconds and darkens the leather, it is aniline leather: dyed right through, with no protective coating, and the softest and most absorbent kind. If the drop sits on the surface, the leather has a protective finish. Semi-aniline has a light coating that keeps much of the natural look, and pigmented leather has a heavier, coloured coating that hides more of the grain and resists marks best.
All three are smooth leathers, and all three suit the routine below. Suede, nubuck and velour are different. They have a napped surface that liquid cleaners and conditioners will mark, so leave them to a specialist.
The Guardian Leather Care Kit: cleaner, conditioner and two sponges.
What you need
- A leather cleaner and conditioner made for furniture. We use and stock the Guardian Leather Care Kit, with 250 ml each of Guardian Leather Cleaner and Leather Conditioner and two application sponges. It suits aniline, semi-aniline and pigmented leather.
- Soft, lint free cotton cloths, white so no dye transfers to the leather.
- A vacuum with a soft brush attachment.
Everything in the kit is made for smooth leather, from aniline to pigmented.
How to clean and condition leather furniture
1. Vacuum first
Go over the whole piece with a soft brush attachment, paying attention to seams, piping and the gap where the seat meets the back. Grit collects there and wears the leather every time someone sits down.
2. Test on a hidden spot
Shake both bottles, then try a little cleaner and conditioner somewhere out of sight and let it dry. This matters most on aniline leather, which takes up anything put on it.
3. Clean with gentle, circular movements
Apply the cleaner with a sponge or a soft cloth and wash the leather in light, circular movements. Do not rub or scrub. Keep the leather evenly damp and work a whole cushion or panel at a time, seam to seam, so it dries to one even colour rather than a patchwork.
4. Let it dry completely
Give the leather time to dry right through before the next step. Do not speed it up with a heater or hair dryer, which can stiffen the hide.
5. Condition
Apply the conditioner the same way, with light, circular movements, evenly over the whole surface. Let it soak in, then buff off any excess with a clean, dry cloth. Some colours take on a slightly deeper shade, which is normal.
Conditioner worked over a whole panel in light circles, seam to seam.
How often
Guardian recommends cleaning and conditioning leather furniture four to six times a year. A chair in daily use near a sunny window belongs at the top of that range. A piece in a cool, shaded room can sit at the lower end.
A few minutes, four to six times a year, keeps a leather sofa supple.
Day to day
- Dust it weekly with a dry, soft cloth.
- Blot spills straight away with a clean, dry cloth. Do not rub, which spreads the mark and pushes it deeper.
- Keep it out of direct sun, the fastest way to fade and dry a hide, and at least thirty centimetres clear of heaters.
- Avoid baby wipes and household sprays. The surfactants in wipes strip the finish over time, and we have seen more than one good Danish chair ruined that way.
Patina or damage?
Patina is not damage. Softening, deepening colour and a slight sheen on the arms of a sixty year old chair are the whole point. Cracking, splitting, flaking colour and a dry, chalky surface are different, and worth acting on early, before a crack opens into a tear.
When it is a job for a restorer
Cracked or split hides, colour worn through on the arms and seat edges, ink and deep stains, and leather that has gone hard all need more than a cleaner and conditioner. Sometimes the leather can be recoloured and saved, and sometimes the honest answer is new upholstery on a good frame. See our restoration service or get in touch with a few photographs.
Where to buy
We stock the Guardian Leather Care Kit. Guardian is based in Vejen, in southern Denmark, and makes premium care products for the specific needs of Danish furniture, including soap finished timber and aniline leather.
Common questions
Can I use the kit on suede or nubuck?
No. It is made for smooth leather: aniline, semi-aniline and pigmented. Suede, nubuck and velour need different care.
Will the conditioner darken my leather?
Some colours take on a slightly deeper shade, particularly aniline leather. Test on a hidden spot first so you know what to expect.
How often should I condition leather?
Guardian recommends cleaning and conditioning four to six times a year, always cleaning first so the conditioner goes onto clean leather.
Can I use baby wipes on a leather chair?
We would not. The surfactants in them strip the finish over time.
Is it worth restoring an old leather chair?
On a good frame, very often. Send us photographs and we will tell you honestly whether it needs care, recolouring or new leather.
