Leather couches can make quite the statement in any living or sitting room, however, genuine leather furniture sets can be quite pricey. A more frugal alternative to genuine leather is faux leather. To the average person, the differences between leather and its faux counterpart are often too little to discern, making it a very popular choice among homeowners with pets and children.
Of course, with pets and children comes an endless cycle of cleaning. It's common knowledge that genuine leather requires special treatment to clean and maintain - but what about faux leather? If you're looking for a genuine clean for your faux leather furniture, look no farther than the steps below.
1. Be sure to vacuum faux leather weekly
Regular vacuuming of your faux leather can greatly improve its quality. Soil and crumbs can be abrasive towards the material if the couch sees a lot of action, so it's important to not allow it to accumulate in cracks or crevices of the furniture.
2. Wipe down with mild detergent
Create a mild household detergent solution with about two tablespoons of detergent for every gallon of warm water. Soak and then ring out a clean rag in the solution and use it to wipe down the furniture. This step should do a great job of cleaning and sanitizing the material.
3. Wipe down with clear water & dry
To remove any residue remaining from the detergent solution, wipe down the couch once more with a rung out rag that was soaked in clear water. Afterwards, wipe the couch dry with a soft, dry cloth.
4. Spot-treat with alcohol-based solution
If you find that your faux leather couch is in need of spot treatment, dip a cotton ball into any household vinyl stain remover that you can find in your local cleaning isle, such as this one. Some alternatives to this solution are rubbing alcohol or other alcohol-based solutions like 409. Dab the stain with the cotton ball until it is gone, and be sure to remove any alcohol residue as to not ruin the leather.
