With warm temperatures becoming more common, our leather furniture, clothing, and handbags often fall victim to the sunniest days of Spring.
Whether our leather couch sits in direct sunlight, our cars with leather interiors are parked outdoors, or we simply take a sunny-day stroll in our new leather jacket - there's always a risk around the corner when you live the leather life.
Fortunately, there are steps that we can take to keep our leather safe this Spring, but first - let's learn a few quick facts about the relationship between leather and sunlight.
WHEN SUN MEETS LEATHER
Our souls and spirits may harden with frigid temperatures and chilly weather, but for leather, sunny weather takes the blame.
Why? Well, instead of hardening its soul, sunlight hardens a leatherâs exterior surface. Warm weather and direct sunlight harden leather by drying it out. When leather is dried out, it becomes stiff, faded, and discolored.
For those who have worn a leather jacket on a humid day, you know the feeling of an overly frigid, and stiff, material. It certainly doesn't feel comfortable or natural, and that unpleasant feeling lets us know that leather is not a fan of above-average temperatures.
As we are the ultimate leather protectors, itâs up to us to find ways to keep it guarded from the sun's harsh rays. Fortunately, we have a few tips to help you out!
THE KEY TO PREVENTION IS PROTECTION
So - we know that the goal is to prevent our leather from drying out, or being in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time. To achieve that goal this Spring, here are the steps that we can take to keep our leather softer and looking like new this season.
1. Store Leather Safely
Keeping leather out of direct sunlight is an obvious, but often overlooked, step that we can take. For leather couches that sit in direct sunlight, rearranging the furniture in your living can make a big difference.
Leather clothing needs room to breathe, so provide ample space for any leather clothes that are currently hanging in your closet. Leather clothing should also be stored in a temperature-controlled environment: be wary of leather storage in a humid attic!
2. Use a Leather Conditioning Product
Leather's ultimate sidekick for battling sunlight? A great leather conditioner will get the job done and more! Products like our Leather Protection Cream are able to deeply penetrate and condition the leather, providing ongoing protection against the threat of higher temps.
For leather that has already been damaged by sunlight, don't give up quite yet! We also offer Leather Revive, which is a customer favorite due to its ability to restore dry and hardened leather that's been exposed to sun damage.
3. Restore Discolored Leather
In the event that sunlight has reached the surface of your leather, you may notice that discoloration often complements dried material. Fortunately, in addition to softening the leather, we can also breathe color - and life! - into it once again.
At Furniture Clinic, we have a few options for leather recoloring - all based on your custom needs and application. For furniture and clothing, a great recoloring solution can be found in our Leather Re-Coloring Balm: designed to quickly restore color in absorbent leathers. Wondering how absorbent your leather is? To measure absorbency, try our quick and easy water test.
Not all leather is absorbent, and that's ok! At Furniture Clinic, we provide solutions for all types of leather, and that includes non-absorbent leather too. An excellent product to restore discoloration in non-absorbent leather is our Leather Colorant Kit. A favorite of professionals - and anyone really! - this kit provides lasting color repair and custom color matching options.
We hope that our tips for protecting your leather from sunlight help you out this Spring, but you are always more than welcome to call our team of experts with any questions!
This Spring, remember that our leather doesn't want a tan as much as we do! Keep it stored, keep it safe, and of course, keep it protected the Furniture Clinic way.
