There’s no worse feeling than finding a stain on your leather couch, whether it’s brand new or a few years old. Leather sofas are typically an expensive investment, one you want to keep in top condition for as long as possible. If you find a food or drink stain on your leather furniture, here are a few effective ways you can remove it.

Gum
Gum is known for sticking to, and later stripping, leather surfaces of both it’s colouring and suppleness. To fight gum stains, take a bag of ice and let it sit on the gum stain. This hardens the gum and prevents the stain from spreading. Once the gum is sufficiently hard, chip away at it with your fingernail before wiping the area clean with a towel. Lastly, use a soft toothbrush to get rid of any remaining gum and condition the leather with the appropriate products.

Ink Stains
This is a particularly difficult stain to remove from a leather sofa, but it’s not impossible! Whether your kids like to paint near the furniture or you didn’t notice a leak in your pen, we’ll help you get rid of it. Before you do anything, spray the stain with hairspray to help left the ink. Let that spray sit for at least one minute, making sure it doesn’t dry, then wipe it away with a damp towel. Once the hairspray is gone, use a bit of moisturizing soap and water to clean the stain, letting it dry naturally when you’re done.

Mildew Stains
When leather is left out and vulnerable to damp or wet conditions, then the leather will start to rot and you’ll soon find mildew growing. Fortunately, there are several ways you can effectively clean mildew and mould stains from your leather couch. But keep in mind, as with stains of all kinds, time will play a large factor in your success. When it comes to stain removal for leather surfaces, petroleum jelly is your best friend. You’ll need to apply a thin layer of jelly to the stain, anything more will alter the leather’s colour. Using circular motions, you’ll be able to rub the mildew stain out. Make sure the jelly dries completely before brushing it out with a suede brush to restore the leather’s texture.

Water-Based Stains
For products like fruit juice, wine, acrylic paint, grease and other water-based substances, your best course of action is to let the stain dry completely before working to remove it. Make sure the stained area is away from any heat sources before you start the removal process. For most water-based stains, you can use leather-specific soap, clean water and a clean cloth, giving it a good scrubbing before letting it dry naturally and conditioning the leather afterwards. For grease stains, let some baking powder sit on the stain for at least four hours before wiping it off.

For over 40 years, Comfort Plus Furniture has been helping the Kitchener-Waterloo region find high-quality furniture at a reasonable price. Located in Waterloo, Ontario, our 22,000 square foot showroom has a wide selection of furniture pieces for every room. Be sure to visit our furniture store today!