Protecting Your Leather Upholstery

• The two most common stains to leather upholstery are grease from food and skin oils from hands and feet. The best way to protect your leather upholstery is to keep these staining substances as far away from the upholstery as possible. Make family rules that all food and drink must be consumed in the kitchen or at the dining room table instead of on or near the leather. Encourage your family members to avoid touching the leather if it is a showpiece, or to keep their feet on the ground if the leather is part of the everyday furniture. Any sweaty hands or clothing should be washed before touching the leather.
  
  

Removing Stains

• If a sudden stain, such as a food spill, does occur, immediate action is the key to removing it. Apply cornstarch or white talcum powder to the stain and rub the powder in until you can feel heat from the friction. Leave the powder on the stain overnight. The oil will be attracted to the powder and will draw away from the leather. Once morning comes, vacuum the powder from the leather. Do not attempt to wash the stain from the leather with water; water will only spread the oil throughout the fabric.
  
  

Further Treatment of Old Stains

• Older stains, such as those developed from skin oils over time, are harder to remove. You may need to take the leather to a professional cleaner; in most cases, a complete reupholstery may be needed to completely eliminate a stain.
  
  

Accidental Aesthetics

• Most stains and weathering from body oils contribute an aged look to the leather — an appearance many people find pleasing. Before you decide to get a piece reupholstered or replaced, consider its new look as a positive; you may find that the stain adds a bit of character and charm.