Hi there!
What a lovely thing to have inherited!
Yes, moisture is quite a problem with leather items - if it doesn't
stain them, it dries them out, shrinks them, or causes them to
discolor. It's terribly frustrating, especially if you've never had
experience in leather care.
Fortunately, gaining the experience is easy, and there are products
available to help you handle this with very little fuss. It's not as
tricky as you might think.
My personal preference for leather care is plain saddle soap. It's
inexpensive, easily attainable at virtually any pet supply or leather
goods store, and easy to use. When caring for my own leather goods, I
use Kiwi brand, which is available in the shoe polish section of my
local grocer. Additionally, it has a neutral, pleasant smell, which
gives it a definite advantage to my mind over other methods.
To clean your leather tabletops and restore the moisture, you'll need
to first wipe off any dust that has accumulated. Use the softest
cloth you have - some suggest an old diaper or t-shirt. I use
sections of well washed flannel (I purchase flannel receiving blankets
and wash the daylights out of them specifically for this purpose.
Target or K-Mart is a good source for inexpensive flannel receiving
blankets, and they usually carry the saddle soap as well.)
Carefully wipe the entire surface of the leather, applying gentle
pressure to loosen any dirt or dust. Rub gently at any stains to
ensure that there is no dirt caked into them.
With another piece of clean, dry flannel, apply a generous amount of
saddle soap to any areas that appear particularly dry, rubbing it in
thoroughly until it foams, and allow to sit for at least ten minutes
before wiping away the excess. If the spot is exceedingly dry, you
may have to repeat this several times. When you're satisfied with the
condition of the spot, apply the saddle soap lightly to the entire
surface, gently rubbing the saddle soap into the leather. Wipe off
the excess, then buff with a clean, dry flannel cloth. You can finish
with a light coating of Leather Oil, a finishing product you can
obtain at any leather goods shop (a good place to look would be a shop
like "Leather Ltd" or your local Harley-Davidson dealer.)
You can maintain the shine with a light buffing once a week, and a
light reapplication of Leather Oil once a month or once every other
month, depending on how humid the conditions in your home are. Clean
with saddle soap once every six months, slightly more often if the
tables are actually used.
(I'm sure the plant is beautifully displayed on the table, but I
wouldn't recommend keeping it there anymore without a felt-bottomed
plate beneath it. Even a little moisture makes leather complain.)
Some people suggest the use of Mink Oil for leather care. While Mink
Oil does work wonderfully well to restore moisture, it does have the
tendency to darken the leather you use it on, it smells odd, and it
also can go bad if stored incorrectly.
For tips and tricks, I've assembled a list of sites discussing leather
and leather care. Most of them discuss saddles, boots or jackets, but
that doesn't really make a difference, as good leather care applies to
all leather items:
Cleaning & Protecting Leather
http://www.equusite.com/lessons/basics/basicsLeather.html
Tips & Techniques on Leather Care
http://legendary.zoovy.com/category/17_leather_care/
Leather Care
http://www.harrisonluggage.com/leacare.htm
I hope you find this information helpful! If you're interested in
leather care products besides basic saddle soap, please don't hesitate
to ask for clarification, I'll be happy to assist you further.
Good luck!
missy-ga |
