Leather and the sun do NOT go well together, and, if your leather lounge is exposed to too much sunlight it may be at risk of drying out, fading, or, both. Fading is generally seen in aniline and semi-aniline leather, it’s very rare to see fading in top quality leather finishes that come with a semi-protective cover.
Drying however is something the sun will do to any kind of leather regardless of whether it has a protective covering or not. Sunlight slowly evaporates the moisture that is present in the leather’s natural oils, this will lead to stiffening and cracking of the material.
There are a few ways you can prevent sun damage to your leather lounge.
Prevention From Drying
- One of the best ways to prevent drying of your leather lounge is to have them cleaned 3-4 times a year. Cleaning and protecting are the keys to how long your leather lounge lasts. It’s also good to keep your leather furniture out of direct sunlight. Dark colours tend to absorb more sunlight and heat, so try and avoid choosing a dark coloured leather. If you are placing a leather lounge in a room that gets a lot of sun, it’s best to choose a lounge in a lighter shade or colour.
Prevention From Fading
- Keep your leather lounge out of direct sunlight, try and close the blinds during the hottest parts of the day. People often put their furniture in the sunlight to let it *shine*, but this is what is killing the look they are going after.
Fixing Faded Leather
- Once the leather has faded, the only way to get the colour back, is to have the lounge re-dyed in a colour similar to the original colour. Cost will vary depending on the size of, and extent of the damaged area. In many cases it’s better to just have your lounge reupholstered.
Fixing Dried Leather
- Unfortunately, dried leather can’t be *rehydrated* as once all the natural oils have evaporated there is nothing you can do. It’s for this reason that taking good care of your leather lounge from the beginning is very important.
Never try and re-hydrate your lounge with any kind of oil, because leather is extremely porous, and it will soak up any oils. You’ll notice if you spill popcorn on the lounge it will leave a stain behind, this is because leather absorbs popcorn grease. People who regularly use oil or oily products on their hair need to take care around a leather lounge as the oil will soak into the back side of the leather part where we can’t see, this will eventually saturate the border areas. Once oil saturates the leather, you’ll end up with spots that are harder to solve than the dried leather.
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