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Leather can look great when appearing at its best, but do you know how to clean leather if watermarks appear on it? They can quickly ruin the look of office leather chairs, shoes, chairs, bags and many other items.
Whether your leather is tan, black or brown in colour, follow these tips to get water marks off your items, and return your leather surface back to presentable condition. Patience is a virtue when it comes to this process, so be prepared to spend some time on each step.
It may sound obvious, but the longer water sits on the leather, the more damage it will cause. So If you can, always try to wipe as much of the spill away as soon as possible to minimise any permanent damage!
The softer the cloth the better. You need to dampen it so that it does not drip with water but is certainly not dry. Do not use soap or any other chemicals - just use water on your cloth.
It is best to use water that is room temperature or slightly warmer as opposed to water straight from the tap that is likely to be too cold for the leather.
Start at the centre of the stain and gently wipe outward in a circular motion. Once you decide which way your circular motions will be, ensure you keep going the same way throughout the cleaning process.
This is where you need to be patient. Rubbing too hard could damage the leather, so you need to be very gentle and spend time rubbing the stain.
The idea of this process is to gently moisten the area of the stain while brushing outward to collect as much of the matter from the stain as possible, removing it in the process.
If you think the area you are treating has become too wet, try to dry excess away with a clean dry cloth. Let the leather dry naturally and do not try and speed this up by placing it close to a radiator or any other heat source, as this could cause cracking and further damage. Clean leather that is cracked from not following this process is no good to anyone!
Once the leather that you have been cleaning is dry, apply leather cream to help restore and waterproof the leather. Rub the cream in to the leather using a light circular motion, and always follow any instructions on the packaging of the leather cleaner.
Leather is one of humans earliest and most useful discoveries. Our ancestors used leather to protect themselves from the elements, when they didn't have luxuries of warm homes and central heating systems.
Primitive man hunted wild animals for food, then made clothing, footwear and crude tents from the hides, using as much of the animal as possible.
Like then, hides used today are a by-product. Animals are raised for the meat, dairy and wool industries, not for their hides. Approximately half of all leather produced today is used to make shoes, and about 25% for clothing. Upholstery demands only around 15% of the total product. The process to clean leather has evolved considerably over the years.
We hope you have found this article on how to clean leather to remove water marks useful. At Green Fox Cleaning we provide a wide range of cleaning services, including commercial cleaning within all sectors. Click here to learn more about us.
Reference to history of leather - Moore & Giles
