Every family with kids and/or pets understands the constant risk of scratches and stains on any and all surfaces of the home. Really. Even walls – toddlers love crayons. But even the most adult, immaculate, curated homes are still susceptible to accidents. We’re only human. What if you trip over a rug and spill some buttery popcorn, or gesture with a wine glass in your hand and spill some on one of your home theater’s recliners or sofas?
That beautiful full-grain Nappa leather was expensive; you can’t have it stained. Especially red wine – it’s nearly as hard as blood to remove from fabrics. But leather isn’t just a fabric; it’s a skin. So just as leather-covered media room furniture needs specific cleaning and conditioning routines, it also responds to specific cleaning methods. And many of them are all-natural methods you can accomplish with household items you likely already have.
Best Practices for Maintaining Leather Theater Seating
First off, you’ve got to be on top of your regular leather care if you want your home theater furniture to last as long as possible. Plus, the better state the leather is in, the easier it is to remove stains gently and completely.
- Avoid having any of your media room chairs and sofas in direct sunlight.
- Avoid the leather on the theater recliners getting wet. You can also easily treat leather with waterproofing to prevent moisture getting into the pores of the leather and damaging it.
- Clean regularly with a lightly damp microfiber cloth, and vacuum any crumbs in the seams and crevices of the leather furniture pieces.
- A homemade cleaner safe for all leathers is an even mixture of white vinegar and water. With some careful, gentle scrubbing, you’ll see your leather return to its natural color and sheen.
- If your multimedia furniture is top-grain or full-grain leather, it needs regular conditioning so the upholstery doesn’t dry out and crack. In a creepy way, it’s kind of like why you lotion skin.
Never mind.
Stain Removal for Leather Furniture: Be Ready, Act Fast
Okay, so, your kid spilled juice singing along with Frozen, and it landed all up in your multimedia loveseat. And your lap. Depending on the type of stain and the kind or color of leather your theater chairs are, there are a few different approaches to removing stains from leather.
- This one’s universal: Remove the stain as soon as possible from the initial incident so it doesn’t have time to set into the leather.
- Oil stains. Oil stains on leather and fabric furniture require patience to remove. Pour an absorbent agent like baking soda, talcum powder or corn starch over the stain to completely cover it. Leave overnight. Rub off with a soft, dry cloth. Careful not to press the oily powder back into the leather as you wipe.
- Water stains. As most beverages are water-based, water stains are a common problem with leather furniture. It’s an easy fix: you just get the area and a surrounding margin damp again and gently dry it with a blow dryer on cool setting.
- Darkened spots. Lemon juice and cream of tartar. We know – it sounds weird, and it’ll probably make you crave fish and chips. But applied as a paste to a dark stain, left to soak, and repeated once or twice, and you’ll see that darkened area return to the color of the rest of that theater-style loveseat.
- Pro tip for light colors like two tone white and grey leather theater seating. Non-gel toothpaste, a toothbrush, and some patient, gentle, circular scrubbing will help remove dark spots, stains, and even most scuffs!
- Also important for stain removal in leather furniture that’s white is to never use bleach or ammonia. It damages the leather, and can make a darkened area even more discolored. Actually, that one’s also a universal rule:
- Never use bleach or ammonia.
Like we discussed earlier – you invested in this high-quality leather, and you want it to last. So get the most out of your money and give your home theater seating some regular TLC. It’s not just cleaning the chairs to keep dirt and grime from building up; conditioning your leather is just as important. The bonus to putting regular care into cleaning and conditioning the leather on your entertainment room furniture? It makes it significantly more stain-resistant. Two birds, one stone.