Leather has been and always will be the preferred upholstery material for furniture and car interiors. Leather is resilient, easy to maintain, and keeps furniture and car interiors chic for decades. But one must ensure leather upholstery never comes in direct contact with heat.
Heat – the silent leather scorcher – here’s why
Leather can take a beating, but not from heat. Here’s why you should make sure all the leather-upholstered items in your possession never come into direct contact with heat.
Heat desiccates leather
Revered leather upholstery repair experts label heat as the perfect desiccant. What is a desiccant? A desiccant is anything that can remove moisture from another medium. And there is no other efficient desiccant in the world than heat. Leather, being a natural, porous material, remains usable and undamaged as long as its microscopic pores are filled with moisture and essential oils. Subject leather to heat, and the oil-based moisture from leather evaporates. Leaving leather brittle, dry, and damage-prone.
Even direct sunlight is harmful to leather.
Yes, you read that right. Direct sunlight is rich in ultraviolet radiation. And just like ultraviolet radiation damages the human skin, it also damages leather. How? Well, Ultraviolet radiation bleaches leather. It also breaks the chemical bonds in the dyes added to the raw hide during the tanning process. The outcome is that the chemicals added to leather during the tanning process are broken down. Furthermore, if left unattended, the sun’s bleaching effect will leave leather upholstery appearing faded and old.
Heat leads to cracking and peeling.
So, it is evident that heat leaves leather bleached and dry. What happens after that? Well, if sun-bleached, heat-damaged leather is left unattended, the following happens. The leather upholstery surfaces would develop fine cracks, feel rough when touched, and start peeling off from the item they are wrapping. If that is happening to your beloved leather-wrapped sofa, contact a leather sofa restoration expert immediately.
Heat leads to thermal stress.
Heat leads to thermal stress. Thermal stress induces irreversible damage to leather upholstery. But what can you, the owners of leather-wrapped furniture or cars, do? The primary steps leather-wrapped furniture owners can take are to place such pieces away from large windows and radiators. Owners of cars with leather-wrapped interiors can make it a habit of parking their cars under covered garages. One can also sunproof their car by installing sun films on its windows.
Heat is the ‘Bane’ of Leather Upholstery
The moral of this story is simple. If leather were Superman, heat would be its Kryptonite. Sure, the ill effects of heat don’t show up in leather upholstery immediately. But they accumulate over time and cause irreversible damage. If you want to keep your leather-wrapped car interior or furniture looking good as new, keep them away from heat sources. Also, make it a habit to use leather conditioner to maintain leather-upholstered items periodically. This single step restores the leather’s essential oil balance, thereby extending its operational life.
Recent Comments