Can This Old Leather Sofa Be Brought Back To Life? We Tested Two Products To Find Out

3 days ago 19

Hello, friends! Gretch here. It’s been a portion since I’ve taken you wrong my apartment, and admittedly, you won’t spot overmuch of it successful this post. But we’ve got a caller person successful the mix, and conscionable similar me, she could astir apt payment from a small cosmetic work! This small leather quality present is what you mightiness telephone a “hand-me-down”, but to me, she’s an implicit treasure!

For arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember, I’ve ever wanted a leather sofa. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I grew up successful a location with 1 (identical successful color, too) and I’m a sucker for nostalgia. A sleek, leather spot is besides precise “cool girl” successful my eyes–a sofa you mightiness find successful a existent metropolis girl’s loft apartment. And there’s conscionable thing truthful bully astir its buttery texture and wipe-ability. In a batch of ways, leather truly gets amended with age…with due care, of course!

A little root story–if you don’t admit the sofa, you whitethorn admit this room! This is our photographer, Kaitlin Green’s surviving room. And this cutie sofa that is present excavation was erstwhile hers. For 10 years! She and her hubby bought it marque caller from West Elm for their archetypal spot (and yes, it is still available). It was 1 of the archetypal bigger purchases they made together. A peculiar one. Over the years, this sofa saw tons of love: friends coming implicit to ticker the game, a shared vessel of wine, oregon cuddles with their pup, Remy. Eventually, adjacent much snuggles (and possibly a fewer stains too) came on with the summation of their 2 daughters.

They truly treasured it–something I deliberation we should each strive for erstwhile it comes to picking retired the pieces for our homes! And for being 10 years old, she truly ain’t looking excessively bad. But determination comes a clip to invitation successful immoderate newness and erstwhile we re-did Kaitlin’s surviving room, she was generous capable to walk this sofa connected to me.

But if you excessively person inherited oregon recovered a portion of leather furnishings that could usage a lifeline, you’ve travel to the close place! I’ve watched capable YouTube tutorials to foretell that with a fewer affordable products, I could much than apt bring this babe backmost to life. Or astatine slightest springiness her a small boost. I haven’t done this earlier truthful I wasn’t definite which leather cleaner/conditioner solution would beryllium the champion to use, and determination are rather a fewer connected the market. So contiguous I’m putting 2 of them to the test.

Here’s our starting point. The leather looks and feels rather dry, but thankfully, determination are nary rips oregon tears. A fewer insignificant stains present and there, but honestly, I person been surviving with it successful this authorities for a portion present and it could beryllium mode worse. While the halfway spot cushion decidedly looks the roughest, I near it untouched until the extremity of my rigorous investigating to spot which of the 2 products worked amended to decorativeness the job. Also large shout-out to Marlee for helping maine bash this and taking each the photos!

We tested retired 2 products. On the close apical and bottommost cushions, we utilized Leather Honey’s cleaner and conditioner. And connected the left, we went with Lexol’s cleaner and conditioner combo. Both of these came highly rated, but I volition spell up and spoil it for you–there was a wide victor successful my eyes.

It was a ace casual process if you privation to spot it successful enactment (the video volition play aft a mates of speedy ads)

Step One: Cleaning

We went successful with the cleaning solutions archetypal (obviously) and a mates of microfiber cloths, similar the instructions said. Right disconnected the bat, I volition say, you’re astir apt amended disconnected utilizing a achromatic microfiber cloth if you’re gonna bash this. I ideate you’d spot each kinds of satisfying grime coming disconnected onto your rag, but I lone had these grey ones, and with some of the products, I couldn’t truly archer what it was doing successful presumption of cleaning.

Lexol’s cleaner said to determination a tiny magnitude onto the rag and hitch it in. It applied smoothly and beauteous evenly. Because my leather was beauteous soft, little taut, it was a spot tricky to propulsion the rag crossed successful a large sweeping question without it bunching. But I was capable to afloat overgarment the seat. It said to hitch distant the excess with a damp cloth, but the sofa absorbed the merchandise beauteous quickly, truthful determination was nary existent request for that.

Leather Honey’s cleaner worked astir the same, but it had a spray vessel instead. It took a small longer to saturate the cloth capable to use. Again, I tried large sweeping motions and coated the cushion arsenic champion I could, but it was hard to archer if it was really doing anything. With some of these products, I viewed them much arsenic a “prep step” alternatively than indispensable to making the sofa travel live again. Both sides looked possibly a small much moisturized and adjacent aft cleaning, but it was an underwhelming step.

Step Two: Conditioning

But measurement 2 with the Lexol conditioner was a breeze! The merchandise comes retired benignant of white, but goes connected wide and is reallllllly casual to determination astir and buff into the leather. Again, I kept pouring small dollops onto the rag, rubbing it into the leather successful circular motions until the full cushion was coated. This merchandise was ace casual to usage and was intelligibly adding immoderate moisture backmost to the leather, getting maine excited for the extremity results.

This is however it looked instantly after. It decidedly evened retired immoderate of the leather’s discoloration (hard to accidental if that was from the cleaner, the conditioner, oregon both). But I was astir impressed by however brushed and creaseless the leather was feeling aft conditioning. Like butter! I didn’t announcement immoderate funky smell, and I can’t accent this enough, the merchandise was REALLY casual to determination astir connected the material.

But Leather Honey’s conditioner? Not truthful much. The instructions were virtually identical to Lexol’s: a tiny dab of merchandise onto the rag, hitch successful until evenly coated. This 1 did notation that the merchandise would enactment amended if it was warmed up, and aft going successful with it consecutive retired of the vessel and STRUGGLING, I did effort zapping it successful the microwave. It helped a small bit? Maybe? But this merchandise truly did consciousness and determination similar honey–sticky. It was heavy and hard to hitch astir the leather. I felt similar I couldn’t get it to dispersed evenly due to the fact that the merchandise was clinging and soaking into the leather excessively fast. And the lone mode to combat that was to support adding product.

Doing this broadside was genuinely a small scary due to the fact that it was coming retired SO dark. Like truthful dark. I for definite enactment connected mode excessively much, but besides felt similar I didn’t person a prime if I was to overgarment the cushion evenly, similar it said. It felt splotchy and I was truthful disquieted it was going to permanently alteration the colour of the leather…

Because conscionable look astatine however acheronian it was!!! This was aft coating each of the broadside cushions with conscionable 1 furniture of the conditioners. I was joking with Marlee that astatine this stage, it was truly feeling similar the Neapolitan crystal pick of couches. The near broadside compared to the ace adust mediate spot and the perfectly buttered close seat? Insane.

The instructions should’ve said “remain calm and fto it adust down” due to the fact that here’s however it looked the adjacent day. Way better! Phew! Now these are iPhone shots, truthful the coloring volition look a spot different, but it was for definite lighter and much even-toned successful idiosyncratic erstwhile it had the afloat 24 hours to dry.

BUT I volition say, I deliberation the Leather Honey did really darken the leather a shadiness oregon two. Don’t emotion that!! It’s not truthful atrocious to maine that it’s ace noticeable, but the Lexol close cushion was decidedly the winning solution. So overmuch truthful that I decided to spell up and clean/condition the super-dry halfway cushion with the Lexol combo to decorativeness the job. That is the quality you spot above. But let’s propulsion backmost a spot and spot the afloat earlier and after:

Here’s wherever we started…

And here’s however she looks now! I don’t cognize astir you, but I DEFINITELY announcement a quality betwixt these shots (and successful person, for sure). Before, the sofa was conscionable truthful crusty, looked rather wrinkled, and felt ace dry. Now that the sofa cushions are afloat conditioned (this was changeable a week later), I tin accidental I some consciousness and spot a difference. Did it springiness maine a marque caller sofa? Not really. But I’m blessed I did it and it was genuinely truthful easy, I deliberation it’s thing I’ll effort to bash each six months oregon so.

I deliberation the Leather Honey would’ve worked amended connected a tighter leather upholstery, but it was the large loser here. I americium nevertheless a BIG FAN of the Lexol combo, however it moved and however it transformed. I inactive person a ton near implicit for aboriginal applications, positive it’s the little costly option! If you’ve got a portion of leather furniture, a car seat, oregon adjacent a leather purse that needs a small lift, I truly urge giving Lexol a try! Let maine cognize if you bash and if you’ve got questions, I’ll bash my champion to reply them successful the comments