J recommends: Leather for Families with Young Children & Fuss Free Living Individuals

Most people who come into the store with the understanding that leather is relatively easy to maintain, and better for children. This is why leather remains the material of choice throughout the centuries as the medium to record or protect important events in history. (fun fact: the declaration of independence is engrossed on a piece of parchment made from animal skin!) If you’re still debating whether a leather sofa is suitable for your lifestyle, read on to find out more.

1. Easy to clean and maintain

Some of the common questions we get here in the store is “Is leather easy to maintain? What happens if I spill something on it?” To that, we say leather is relatively easy to maintain, however the caveat is that there are many types of leather and it is important to understand the characteristics of each type and choose the one that best suits your lifestyle.

Just the regular act of wiping down the surface every fortnightly will help improve the longevity of the leather. In fact, normal maintenance needs to be done once every 6 months with the Renzo Complete Leather Care Set which is specially formulated in Italy. This is suitable for top-grain leather which has been split and buffed, leaving it with a smoother, polished and uniform look that many furniture use. 

For regular maintenance, simply use the Leather Lotion to give your leather sofa a good moisturising treatment. It penetrates into the leather forming a film between the leather and the environment, helping to protect the sofa from most water based stains and dirt. In addition, it prevents your leather from cracking especially in environments where there are lots of heat or direct sunlight. The leather shampoo is great when used in tandem with the leather lotion. The shampoo keeps the leather surface clean which helps with the absorption of the lotion. It is also specially handy when there is a messy eater in the house. Cleaning the stains quickly aids in increasing the success rate of removing those pesky stains completely! What if your kid accidentally uses your leather sofa as a canvas with their pen? Simply use the Ink Off and scrub it off. Always make sure to clean it as soon as you can after the stain has been made.

Click here to see a more detailed instructional video on using the leather care kit!

2. Durable

We’ve all seen kids jump on sofas at least once. Maybe we even did it before when we were young. Then we start to think, what if the leather starts cracking or peeling? To answer that, yes it happens but those sofas are usually upholstered with polyurethane (PU) leather, a type of synthetic leather. In comparison to genuine leather, the latter is longer lasting because of the tanning process it undergoes to ensure its durability. During the process, tanning agents are added to the raw natural leather which protect it from bacteria to give it its longevity and versatility. Most PU leather on the other hand does not contain any natural leather and is completely artificial, made from a mixture of polyester (a type of plastic), fabric and more. In fact, the more often you use the genuine leather goods, the better it serves you. Just remember to give it its moisturising maintenance once every 6 months to prolong its endurance! 

3.Hypoallergenic 

If anyone in your family is sensitive to dust, leather is a hypoallergenic material which does not harbour allergens or dust mites in comparison to fabric material. If you have a pet that sheds a lot, the fur won’t accumulate and be trapped in the upholstery. This means maintenance is even easier! 

Be it having over energetic children or having too little time to care for furniture maintenance, you shouldn't be too worried with leather sofas. While leather can be more expensive (especially real ones), for its long lasting durability and low maintenance, we very well say that it’s worth the price!