While there are many brands of leather conditioners, it is always wise for you to use a conditioner that you have had experience with in the past. You should always experiment with your leather conditioner selection by using it on a small, hidden spot, in order to determine whether or not it will adversely affect the coloring and/or quality of the leather itself.
When you are conditioning leather sofas, it is much like applying a wax treatment to a car. Here are the basic steps:
- Use the leather conditioner with a clean and dry rag.
- Using a circular pattern, rub the leather condition in.
- Allow the conditioner to soak into the leather sofa for approximately 10 minutes.
- After it has soaked in, using another dry cloth, buff and polish.
- Apply this process in a little area of the leather sofa at a time and repeat.
It is important to note that most leather conditioners will not help you if you have any tears or deep staining. Leather conditioners are primarily used to simply restore the luster of the leather to “like-new” condition.
If you do not have a leather conditioner handy, you can also use baby oil. While many discourage this technique, it is an effective substitute for a leather conditioner. The only important thing for you to pay attention to when using baby oil is that you do not use too much. Baby oil has a tendency to stay slippery for some time, even after it is buffed; so, use the minimal amount possible, and follow the same steps above to treat your leather sofa. When testing it in a small area of the sofa, make sure the slippery effect is not present. If it is, then you used too much baby oil and vice-versa.
In using these techniques above, you will be on the road to owning a leather sofa which will enjoy a long life span. In order to preserve the life of the leather sofa, it is very important that you condition your leather sofa at least twice a year, to maintain the proper look, feel, and life of the leather.