Just like the way it’s important to make sure that we are consistently moisturizing our skin to make sure that it stays soft and supple, it’s also important to make sure that you’re treating your leather sofa with the same level of care.
Whether it be from dirt or low levels of humidity, leather sofas can quite easily begin to become dry, which can then cause the surface of your sofa to begin to deteriorate.
However, there are a variety of ways that you can help to slow this aging process down, and the most effective way of them all is to use a leather sofa conditioner.
As we’re sure you’re already likely aware, there are a lot of different leather conditioners currently available to buy on the market, and not all of them are good!
Luckily, there are some great, natural alternatives to shop-bought leather conditioners, and the best part is you’ll likely find the ingredients sitting on your kitchen shelf!
Check out the following ingredients that you can use when making your own natural, homemade conditioner for your leather sofa:
- Olive oil - You can mix this with warm water, cocoa butter, and almond oil to create a nourishing and softening conditioner that will help to rejuvenate the appearance and quality of your leather sofa.
- Lemon essential oil - A favorite for DIY’ers, lemon essential oil doubles up as a lovely leather conditioner, and can be mixed with other essential oils, as well as cocoa or coconut butter to create an affordable yet high-quality leather conditioner.
- Beeswax - Beeswax is another great natural conditioning option to store-bought leather conditioner, and can be used alone or in combination with olive oil and essential oils.
- Baby oil/baby wash - Baby oil is an affordable alternative to other types of leather conditioners on the market and can be applied directly to the leather in order to condition, protect and nourish it.
Should You Use Leather Conditioners On The Couch?
If you’re the owner of a leather couch, then one of the most important, key components of keeping it in pristine condition for longer is by making sure that you’re regularly using a conditioner.
By making sure that you’re doing this, you will be in a much better position to ensure that you keep its leather surface supple, soft, and in great condition.
In addition to this, it is also widely accepted that you should ensure to clean/condition your leather furniture with a conditioning product at least once every 3 months, while also making sure that you are giving your leather couch a deep conditioning treatment at least twice a year.
Need a recommendation? No problem. The Leather Honey Conditioner is one of the best conditioners on the market and is formulated with honey that will be able to penetrate the leather and help to protect and rejuvenate its appearance.
Once applied, this deep conditioning treatment will be able to soften your leather and moisturize it to prevent any signs of deterioration, such as cracking.
Is Olive Oil Good For Leather?
Yes! Olive oil is a fantastic and affordable way to restore color while also helping to diminish the appearance of any small scratches and other types of subtle imperfections.
It’s also extremely simple to use and can be applied directly to your leather sofa for an instant boost in appearance and texture.
For the best results, we recommend pouring a few drops of olive oil onto a soft cloth, and then gently apply the cloth directly onto your leather sofa, making sure to massage the cloth in circular motions.
If you wanted, you could even opt to combine your olive oil with warm water, cocoa butter, essential oils, and more.
Check out the steps below to make sure that you soften your leather furniture with olive oil correctly below:
- To begin, start by taking your chosen olive oil (any that you have sitting on your kitchen shelf at home will work just fine) and either pour it directly onto your leather furniture that you wish to condition or alternatively pour it directly onto a clean, soft cloth.
- Once you have done this, then begin to gently work the olive oil across the surface of your leather furniture, making sure that you are gently yet firmly massaging the oil into the leather in circular motions to increase the effectiveness.
- After you have completed massaging all of the olive oil into the leather, you will then need to allow the oil to “set” in the leather furniture for a period of around 45 minutes. During this time, you should make sure that you are refraining from sitting on your leather furniture, as this could not only interfere with the conditioning process but also cause all of your clothing to become stained with oil.
- Once you have given the olive oil around 45 minutes, you can then proceed to gently wipe away all of the excess oil that hasn’t been absorbed from the surface of the leather furniture. Alternatively, you could instead choose to simply allow the remaining film of olive oil to sit on your leather furniture overnight for an even deeper conditioning treatment.
Is Coconut Oil Good For Leather?
While there is much debate about whether or not coconut oil is a good softening conditioner for leather, for the most part, it is widely accepted that it is. When heated up, coconut oil typically transforms into an oil that many people like to apply directly to their leather furniture.
However, when it is used in this form the greasiness of the oil can be quite difficult to get the leather to absorb, which is why we recommend mixing your coconut oil with a little bit of lemon in order to help increase the effectiveness of the coconut oil that you’re using.
Check out the steps below to make sure that you are correctly conditioning your leather with coconut oil:
- To begin, take your raw coconut oil and warm it up in the microwave for about 10 seconds, and then allow it to cool down. Once it has cooled off slightly, dip a soft cloth into the liquified coconut oil and apply it directly to the leather that you wish to condition. If you want, you can also add a few drops of lemon juice which will help to cleanse the leather while you condition.
- Once you have applied the coconut oil to your leather, you can then go in with the cloth and begin to massage in circular motions until all of the leather has been treated.
- Leave the coconut oil for around 45 minutes, before then proceeding to carefully clean away all of the excess coconut oil that wasn’t absorbed by the leather. We recommend using a clean cloth to do this.
Is Baby Oil Good For Leather?
Even though there’s no denying that baby oil is an extremely gentle product as it is designed for use on delicate baby skin, you might be surprised to learn that it’s an extremely effective leather conditioner, too!
What’s more, you’ll only need to use a few drops to rejuvenate the appearance and texture of your leather furniture, which makes it great value for money, too.
In addition to baby oil, baby soap is another great product that can double up as a great leather conditioner.
Is Beeswax Good For Leather?
Beeswax makes for an affordable and natural way to help condition your leather furniture and goods without causing any damage.
When used as a conditioner, the beeswax will be able to rejuvenate and make your leather soft and supple, and even doubles up as a protectant, and contains properties that are strong enough to repel water from getting into leather and causing it to become damaged.
If you would like to use beeswax as a way to keep your leather goods/furniture soft and supple, all you will need to do is take a cloth and a small scoop of beeswax.
Then, once you have done this, lightly begin to gently buff your beeswax into your leather couch or furniture, and work it into the leather surface in circular motions to increase the overall effectiveness.
For the best results, we also recommend that you leave a thin film of beeswax over the surface of your leather in order to ensure that the leather surface is kept soft and supple.
