How to Care for Leather Furniture

Keep your leather looking luxe

When it comes to selecting a big-ticket item such as a new sofa, the choices can be overwhelming. Beyond the importance of comfort and practicality, you want your investment to endure the inevitable spills and stresses of home life and last for years to come. Leather has been a premium choice for hundreds of years and it’s not difficult to understand why. It’s easy on the eye, soft to touch and incredibly durable. These days, there are also faux leather options for those who like the look of leather yet prefer an animal-free option. Whether your preference is authentic leather or faux leather, your furniture will require a little maintenance to keep it looking its best for years to come.

Stitch 3 Seater Leather Sofa Vintage Brown

Care guides

The benefits of genuine leather

Real leather furniture has been a premium choice for hundreds of years. It’s long-lasting, easy to care for, extremely durable and remains nice and cool in summer. Additionally, genuine leather is also beautiful, richly grained and soft to touch.

How to care for real leather furniture

We recommend using the Guardsman Leather Care products following the manufacturer’s instructions. Additionally, we recommend Guardsman Leather warranties, which cover most accidental damage.

For everyday cleaning, wipe with a clean, damp cloth. Do this at least once a month to maintain the leather’s softness.

Dust your sofa weekly using a clean, dry, non‑abrasive white cloth.

Remove any spills quickly from the surface by dabbing with an absorbent cloth or paper towel.

Avoid letting the leather become wet. If it does, allow it to dry naturally.

Do not clean real leather with chlorine-based, chemical or abrasive cleaners.

If the leather is used constantly by individuals on certain types of medications (particularly chemotherapy, heart, blood pressure and diabetes medication), additional measures should be taken to protect leather surfaces from direct skin contact. This is because the compounds in these medications are excreted through pores in people’s skin and may react with or damage the leather finish.

The surface coating of your leather can also be damaged by excessive and prolonged exposure to high levels of sweat. In these instances, additional care and maintenance are required by ensuring that it is cleaned more frequently with a leather cleaner and leather protector.

If you have pets, please be careful with them around your leather sofa. Pets can damage your sofa through chew marks, claws and oil residue from their fur.

Carson 3 Seater Leather Sofa Vintage Brown  

The benefits of faux leather

High-quality faux leather looks just as good as the real thing yet at a more affordable price point. It’s easy to clean with a damp cloth and highly resistant to stains, scratches and sun-fading.

How to care for faux leather furniture

For everyday cleaning, wipe with a clean, damp, non-abrasive cloth.

Dust your sofa weekly using a clean, dry, non‑abrasive white cloth.

Do not clean faux leather with chlorine-based, chemical or abrasive cleaners.

Avoid positioning your faux leather in direct sunlight, as this can lead to fading, drying out and even eventual cracking.

If you have pets, please be careful with them around your faux leather sofa. Pets can damage your sofa with their teeth and claws.

Avoid putting hot items directly onto faux leather.

Minimalist 1 Seater Sectional Faux Leather Sofa

More in-store at Early Settler

Visit us online to see our leather furniture range or in-store at Early Settler to discuss how to care for your leather furniture with our friendly in-store team. And if you can’t decide which sofa to buy, check out our story on real leather vs faux leather to learn about the pros and cons of each.