Leather Home Theater Seating Cleaning and Maintenance

Keeping your movie-going experience clean

Here are a few steps to keep your leather seats clean and in good condition for years of cinematic enjoyment.

The care and feeding of leather

Leather upholstery is incredibly beautiful and a very robust fabric. However, your leather home theater seats will be quickly ruined should you not act quickly when spills and stains happen.

Cleaning - Leather can be cleaned a number of ways but the safest and most effective method is to use good quality leather cleaner.

The leather cleaner you use for your home theater seating should help preserve the natural lubricating oils, not strip or dry the leather. It should also not leave behind a greasy residue behind. This is the mark of a cheap cleaning solution.

Before applying to the general area, test your leather cleaner on a small area, out of the normal view. Check to see if there is any color distortion. If none can be seen proceed with the application to the rest of the seating.

Conditioning - Conditioners should only be applied rarely to leather. Leather conditioners contain fats and oils that help replenish the natural lubricating oils within the material and will keep your leather home theater seating looking red carpet-beautiful for the life of the furniture.

Use a good leather conditioner - beware any conditioner that contains petroleum - once every six to eight months. This will help keep a nice sheen to the material.

Conditioner can be applied sooner if the seats have undergone a severe cleaning.

Polishing - Polishing your leather is a great way to impress company for those special occasions. Leather polish helps give your leather seating an extra glossy finish.

Some polishing products can contain coloring additives that will rub off of the leather surface. This can ruin your clothes or other fabrics; not good when entertaining guests. This is another case when testing on a small area is a good idea.

Protection - The best way to protect you leather home theater seating is to periodically apply a moisture barrier product. This keeps the leather pliable and is an added layer in between your beautiful leather and hazardous materials.

Without it, leather will become stiff and possibly crack, not to mention stained and threadbare. However, because the moisture barrier penetrates the material, it makes it more difficult to clean and condition.

Periodically use a moisture barrier product and allow it time to dry before using your leather seats.

Removing Stains - If you follow the steps above, removing stains should be a cinch. Fresh stains can be easily attended to but deep or old stains should be tended to by a professional.

Most liquids can be quickly picked up by a damp cloth. Oil based spills can be more difficult and should not be wiped or rubbed in.

Simply grind blackboard chalk and sprinkle it on the area. Let it sit for 24 hours and lightly brush the chalk away with a leather care brush.

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