Leather Scratch Repair

Leather furniture is beautiful and adds edge and personality to a room. Leather is tough and long-lasting, and a little care can prolong its life. However, its relatively high cost, as well as the awareness that leather can damage easily discourage most people from investing in leather furniture. There is little you can do when naughty kids scratch you precious couch with pens, their shoes or other instruments. It may also get scratched by fingernail or high heels. While unsightly scratches may mar the beauty of your couch, the good news is that you don't have to replace your furniture. There are number of different techniques that you can use to for leather scratch repair. You can either try these remedies that have been recommended by many, or you can opt for one of the many leather scratch repair kits that are available.

Leather Scratch Repair Tips

Most people need solutions to deal with surface scratches on a wax finish. For these kinds of scratches, you need a soft cloth and warm water. Just dip the cloth is the water and work the spot of the scratch with light circular motions. As leather is porous it will absorb some of the water, so dry it to the best of your abilities. If it is not possible to expose it to sunlight, try using a blast of hot air from a hair dryer on it.

For aniline style leather, surface scratches may be removed with a good leather protector. If the surface has a pigment coating then a product such as Easy Color should help fill them in. Deeper scratches may require experts help.

For cat scratches on leather, start by cleaning the damaged spots with Alcohol Cleaner. However, test it to ensure that it does not take off any color. Then use a needle to gently lift up the curled loose flaps, and lay them back straight. After you've done the best you can with this, apply some color over the damaged spot with a fine paint brush and lay the loose flaps down. The pigment act as an adhesive, and you can dab on extra color that is left, to blend the marks in.

A popular leather scratch touch up home remedy is Old English furniture polish. Go out and buy a polish that is the exact shade of your couch. Then apply the polish to the scratch with a cotton swab applicator. With a soft cloth wrapped around your index finger, gently blend in polish into the damaged spot. You will see the results once it has dried fully. You can also try shoe polish, and finish by buffing the area with another soft cloth. One has to be extremely careful while doing this not to further the damage.

Another oft recommended leather scratch remover home remedy is to rub some oil onto the spot. If this doesn't do the job, then take cotton cloth and wet it. Place the wet (but not dripping wet) cloth over the spot of the scratch and press a hot iron down on it. This should do the trick! A similar remedy was suggested for a heavy brown leather couch. You will require some orange oil for this tip. Spray on some orange oil such as Pledge on a paper or cloth towel, and rub it on the sofa.

These tips and remedies should work to cover up or conceal light surface scratches. However, if the scratches are severe, the best way to prolong the life of your furniture and fully restore the leather is to call in a professional. Whether for furniture leather or car leather scratch repair, there are plenty of products in the market specifically for the purpose. If you want to avoid the cost of reupholstering, you can try one of these leather scratch repair kits.