How do I clean a leather topped desk?
Question:My round desk is approximately 80 years old and has a red leather top which has faded over the years and has some ingrained dirt. I am very wary of damaging the leather and the gold leaf embossing round the edges. There are also 2 slight water stains from years ago. Any help appreciated.
Answers:
You need to use a good water based cleaner and leather protector to generally look after this type of leather. Do not use wipes, baby wipes, furniture polish, or anything containing waxes, oils or silicones otherwise you are likely to damage your leather.
The water stains will not clean out as the type of leather is an aniline which is very absorbent and whatever was spilt has been soaked in and will not come out. As your leather is an aniline it has also faded. You can get aniline restoration kits but due to the gold leaf edging it may be better to let a qualified technician do the work. Using a good Leather Protector (NOT a conditioner) may help to enhance the colour.
Please do not use shoe polish or any other type of colour (especially those on internet sites) as they are likely to ruin the finish on the leather.
slide your secretary round it for half an hour
get leather cleaning wipes .. i would not wipe over the embossing though as it may fade them .
You could also try a wax which will soften up the leather
Go to or call any furniture store and ask what they use to clean their sofas and chairs and stuff and then ask where they buy it. If you can't find any in a store, Ebay has everything, just get the product name.
your best bet would be to go to a shoe shop and get leather shoe cleaner and cloth for it from there explain to the clerk what you are cleaning and he or she will sell you a product that is most likely used to clean expensive leather shoes which should work fine for your desktop also ask them for any pointers about the stains, you may also want to contact antique furniture stores in your area for suggestions, good luck and take care!
use tire shine it works on my leather seats
how about neutral shoe polish
The one thing I would be very wary of is rubbing off the gold leaf. Here are a few sites to help you find what you need to clean your leather safely:
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/...
http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/leather-c...
http://ezinearticles.com/?a-quick-guide-...
Hope this helps!
Saddle soap. They use it to clean and polish good leather saddles - and it's great for boots and leather furniture, too. Has a nice smell too.
I was doing some researching of my own because I have an antique leather chair & I found this website & found it very helpful, I hope it helps you too! Good luck! " "Kiwi Suede and Nubuck CLEANER" and "PROTECTOR." The Protector seems to do the most good, but we usually start off with the Cleaner. The directions say not to put it on wet, but we do. We spray the Protector on very wet, let it dry, and repeat two or three times. Heed carefully the warnings about ventilation and smoking as the product contains a vile solvent! This solvent allows a polymer to soak into the leather where it somehow revitalizes the bond." However, I would use a wax for antique furniture on the gold leaf embossing.
Try leather cleaning wipes.
i would just use polish it should be fine
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