Many of us choose leather couches because of their durability. They are easy to clean and do not always show up marks as bad as other materials such as cotton and linen. However, when a leather sofa is scratched, these marks show up very easily and are very hard to ignore.
Sofas are not cheap. So, if you find scratches on it, you may start to despair, especially if it’s relatively new. But, do not worry as there are remedies for these markings. You could hire specialists who perform leather repairs but this can be costly.
Alternatively, you could go down the DIY route. And, luckily, there are a few home restorative techniques to return your leather to its former glory once again.
Today, we are going to guide you through some of the top methods for getting scratches out of your leather couch as well as claw marks made by pets.
Just remember, if you’re using a product for the first time, make sure that you test it out on a small hidden area of the material first. This ensures that it doesn’t change the leather’s color or texture.
Repairing Deep Scratches
Sometimes, the scratches are deeper than you think and hoped for. Still, there are remedies for such scars. Firstly, you need to clean the leather with a leather cleaner. This leather cleaner from Leather Honey is more than adequate for all leather-bound items.
Other best-selling brands include Chamberlain’s Leather Milk Conditioner and Cleaner as well as Leather Trinova Conditioner and Cleaner. If you haven’t used leather cleaner before, any of these will do the job.
Use a soft cloth and clean the scratched area with the leather cleaning product. Then, softly dab the scratched area with distilled white vinegar. Once this has dried, you should use some colorless shoe polish and rub this gently into the affected area.
Do this until it looks to be blended in properly. If you find that the scratch is still visible after this process, rub some olive oil onto the area. Then, blend it with the colorless shoe polish to see if this does the job.
We recommend repairing scratched leather as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to cover or remove the marks. In the end, you may be left with a permanently scratched leather couch.
You can also use a black vinyl repair kit. This is a leather paint gel for leather couches, furniture, car seats, and much more.
You just follow the step-by-step instructions that come with the kit to cover unwanted scratches. However, this only works with shades of grey and black. If you have brown leather, there are other options available.
Skin moisturizer can also help reduce the ugly sightings of scratches on the surface of your couch. So, if other methods don’t seem to be working as you had hoped, grab a hold of some moisturizer and give it a go.
Remember to gently rub it into a conspicuous patch of leather first to ensure it doesn’t discolor the leather or further mark the surface. Also, you must not use anything that has a strong color or strong fragrance as these can damage or change the leather further.
Repairing Light Scratches
If your couch only has a light scratch, this can usually be solved by using leather oil or conditioner. First, you need to add just a small amount of leather oil to the affected area. Then, rub this in a circular motion to lessen the scratch.
Leave this to completely dry and then apply some leather conditioner to maintain the leather’s level of oil and wax.
Vaseline is another great option for light scratches. Gently rub a small amount onto the scratched area using a dry cloth. But, always make sure that you remove any excess oil and conditioner after the treatment with a dry cloth.
How Do You Fix Claw Marks On Leather?
Where would we be without our pets? They bring us so much happiness and laughter. Unfortunately, they also create undesirable claw marks on leather furniture and clothing that can be hard to fix. Don’t worry, though, as there are ways to remedy claw marks on leather.
There are actually two types of damage your pet can make to your leather furniture. The first type is when the sides of the sofas are scratched from being clawed at. The second is when the seat’s cushion has been scratched causing straighter lined marks.
For a quick-fix solution, you can use leather recoloring balm but make sure you choose the product that closely matches your leather’s surface. This balm helps to put color back into the scratches and blending them back into the leather.
However, this will not repair the roughness caused by the claw marks. This is simply a disguise. However, leather recoloring balm is easy to use, quick, cheap, and will certainly improve the appearance of your sofa.
Step-by-Step Guide To Repair Claw Marks On Leather
- Begin by preparing the affected area. Thoroughly clean the marked spot with leather cleaner to remove any dirt and grime. If the area is quite large (bigger than a tennis ball), you should use a leather colorant kit with a color that closely resembles the rest of the leather material.
- Here, you need to trim any loose fibers from the leather with sharp scissors. Only the longer fibers need removing at this stage as shorter fibers will not affect the quality of the repair work. But, make sure you do not cut or cause any further damage at this point.
- Once the fibers have been trimmed, apply some leather binder. Simply apply a small amount to a sponge and rub directly onto the damaged area. You should coat the whole area and allow it to dry. Usually, 8 to 10 coats are needed for the best results.
- Now, lightly sand the area down with fine sandpaper (1,200 grit) to create a smooth surface.
- Apply heavy filler (comes with a leather repair kit) and leave to dry for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Sand down again using the same sandpaper.
- Apply the first coat of colorant using a sponge.
- Finally, apply a glossy super seal with either a sponge or an airbrush. 4 to 5 layers should suffice. Allow to dry completely before applying a leather finish.
Your leather should look as good as new once again!
