A leather sofa in the living room is a sign of class and elegance. Not only is it a timeless piece of furniture but it can be very durable as well. Having a leather sofa can be a long term investment if you know how to care for it properly. Before purchasing a leather sofa, you really need to evaluate your lifestyle and cleaning habits. There are many grades of leather from which sofas can be made and each grade type requires a different cleaning regiment. Ironically, the top grade leather sofas which are the most expensive are the hardest to care for. A brief explanation is in order.
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Top grade animal hide devoid of any blemishes is usually just treated with aniline dye. Therefore, this type of leather is called aniline leather. This is as natural as you can get and you can see the leather’s natural characteristics. Also, to preserve its suppleness, no other protection is applied on it. The next in leather grade is semi aniline leather. As the name hints, this is not pure aniline leather – a protective coating or color pigments have been applied to it. Some manufacturers prefer to add more pigmentation to the leather in order to even out the coloring due to consumer preference instead of leaving it as natural as aniline leather. However, this pigment is applied on top of the leather instead of the color absorbing into the leather. As the processes of adding more coatings of protection or coloring increases, the stiffer the leather becomes and this takes away from the natural beauty of the leather. On the plus side, however, the coatings help protect the leather from absorbing stains and spills. Leather that has gone through few treatment processes are very easy to stain.
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With this in mind on the different types of leather, you have to evaluate how careful you will be with a new leather sofa. If you want durable, easy to clean furniture, then a cheaper leather sofa with a protective coating is your choice. To clean it, a wipe of a damp leather cloth will do. However, if you are a careful person then a semi-aniline leather sofa or even a pure aniline leather couch might be more to your liking. Be careful though, as these couches require professional cleaning once in awhile to get rid of surface dirt.
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