Posted on February 25 2022
KID AND PET FRIENDLY LEATHER FURNITURE | THE TOP REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO HAVE LEATHER FURNITURE IN YOUR HOME
Having pets and kids are both really exciting but we all know that they both can leave behind lots of messes to clean up on our living room furniture.
It’s important to do a lot of research to find the best sofa material for kids and pets. As designers and leather furniture specialists, we are giving you the top 5 reasons leather furniture is best for pets and kids that we absolutely sware by.
You are going to learn about all the reasons leather furniture is best for pets and kids from durability, cleaning products, and more.
After learning about all these reasons leather furniture is best for kids, you are going to be very confident in your decision making when it comes to picking out living room furniture to fit your lifestyle.
This post is all about reasons why leather furniture is best for pets and kids.
When we're working with clients and designing their living rooms, we find out what kind of lifestyle they live. Once they tell us that they have pets and or kids, we always recommended that we order leather living room furniture and here are our reasons why.
So, Pets? Kids? Both? Perfect. Let’s talk about why you need to have leather vs fabric.
1. Durability.
Sofas that are only covered in top grain leather and or full grain leather are in fact the most durable leather sofas. A typical top grain and or full grain leather is shown to have a lifespan of 2-4 times the average fabric and if well taken care of can last up to 25 years or even more. Let’s take a look at the two most durable leathers that I recommend
Top grain and Full grain are no doubt the two naturally thickest and most durable leathers out there. During the tanning process, the hides are carefully tanned to accommodate life and withstand people and their lifestyles.
In our experience working as a leather specialists, we have had countless consumers come in and explain how less expensive leathers like Polyurethane or bonded leathers will last about 2-5 years because they will start to crack, or peel over time.
Sunlight will cause damage to leather furniture just like it would cause fading and damage to anything else. Keeping leather furniture out of direct sunlight is very important in order to prevent it from fading or drying out. We don’t recommend placing leather furniture in any sunrooms or screened in porches, However, that doesn't mean we don't recommended you place leather furniture in a bright open space with lots of windows. We would recommend that you make sure the windows have blinds or drapes to control the amount of light that reflects on the furniture.
2.Puncture Resistance
Full grain and top grain leathers are naturally the thickest and most durable. Product test show than most top grain leather can handle several hundred pounds without failing (most fabrics fall far less ). Large dog breeds with thick, strong, and sharp nails can stand up to the resistance of leather. Obviously, there are expectations to every rule for example, taking a razor blade to your leather furniture on a bad day, obviously will tear, puncture and destroy the leather- SO STAY CALM!
So, what happens if you do puncture through the leather? There are in fact leather repair specialists who work to repair damaged leather furniture. Doing some research online to find qualified professionals is important. Most high end leather furniture manufactures won't sew their cushions to the frame, and therefore can offer replacement seat and pillow covers if the leather was indeed damaged.
3.Cleanability
Well that is easy. Most leathers can be cleaned with a damp cloth. In some cases, you might need to use a very mild soap mixed with water.
What soap do I use? Usually a mild leather cleaner will do the trick such as Uniters gentle leather cleaner. Depending on the leather that is being used to build the furniture or what is currently on the furniture, we sometimes recommended something as simple as a common facial cleanser found at the grocery store such as Neutrogena facial cleanser. Please make sure you find out if this cleanser is right for your leather furniture before use and then always test a small patch that will be hidden to make sure the leather doesn't have a bad reaction to the soap. Examples can be discolorations in the leather. The logic behind it is, if you can use it on your own skin, then of course you can also use it on leather since leather is also skin. Here, it helps remove human and even pet body oils that can over time, stain leather furniture and leave dark spots from where our bodies touch the leather.
Soft and gentle leather cleaners are also great to use on leather furniture because they are designed to work on leather without being too harsh and destroying the leather over time.
There are a lot of questions about the use of home remedies for cleaning leather furniture. Baking soda, saddle soap, lemon juice and vinegar are a few we hear about quite frequently but all of these products are too harsh and can damage, and dry out good quality leathers, therefore we never recommend them.
A couple more questions related to home remedies are we have heard is, Is baby oil good for leather? Does olive oil soften leather? Although these sound-like good ideas because in theory, yes, they do soften leather, over time, both of these products will cause irreversible damage to the leather so it’s best to avoid these household products on leather as well. A leather conditioner such as Leather Protection Cream by Uniters is what we always recommend for certain full grain leathers as it is designed specifically for leather and only needs to be applied about twice a year to help keep the leather looking soft and supple. Basically, it also protects the furniture from everyday life.
4.Do your loved ones suffer from allergies?
Leather is a perfect solution as it is a hypoallergenic material. Although it may be more expensive initially, it will be worth the investment in the long run and here are some reasons why.
Fabric furniture, could actually be retaining allergy causing material.
Similar to outdoor pollen allergens, fabrics retain dust, mold, mites, pet dander and other allergy causing materials which are considered indoor allergens. Fabric furniture makes for a great environment for dust, mites, pet dander, and other allergy causing materials become embedded and fester in fabric These can cause people experience symptoms of hay fever, hives and eczema.
5. Maintaining fabric is expensive!
Imagine your dog running inside on a rainy muddy day and jumping up on to your new, clean fabric sofa, or your kid eating cheesy snacks who wipes his or her fingers on the fabric furniture. Now you have an orange cheese stain to somehow remove off of your brand-new furniture. Sounds like a nightmare, right? We all know keeping pets off furniture will be difficult and sometimes impossible to do and we can’t control everything kids do.
Cleaning strategies for fabrics can be time consuming, exhausting and also very costly. Some examples of expensive treatments involve purchasing and using slipcovers, toss pillows and throws that can all be washed, and also needs to be vacuumed and steam cleaned often. Now who has time for all that?
To make things a lot simpler, as mentioned before, using a warm rag with some mild soap and water to remove dust, pet dander, and dirt, as well as dusting the furniture regularly is all you need to clean and maintain leather.
Depending on the leather you have, some leathers benefit from a leather conditioner application about twice a year or as needed to buff out scratch marks and keep it looking moist and rich. 1 Liter of leather conditioner will cost you less than $20 and will last you a very long time. This is a leather conditioner and protection cream I highly recommend at a great price.
Over time Leather gets better with age and get an Old World patina, look and feel. Just like clothing, fabrics become dated, dingy and faded and over the years it costs more money to replace furniture with the latest fabric designs.
If a Leather seat cushion cover gets damaged, it will be a lot easier to replace because leather is timeless and the specific dye or color will most likely be available for 1o years or more as opposed to fabric patterns that may only last up to 5 years. You also don't have to worry about leather becoming dated since leather is timeless!
At American Classics Leather, we’re sure when you shop our online catalog of affordably luxurious furniture that it will be love at first sight. As always, we're available to answer any questions you may have in your search for that perfect piece of forever furniture.
To conclude, these are just a few reasons why someone should consider leather furniture when they have pets and or children. There is a lot of misleading advice out there on the internet about what’s durable, puncture resistant, cleaning products to buy and use, what leathers are best for kids and so on. If you aren’t sure exactly who or what to trust, I would recommend talking to your interior designer, decorator or a leather specialist retailer or manufacturer.
This post was all about reasons why leather furniture is best for pets and kids to help you be as informed as possible when it comes to making an educated decision on choosing and designing your living room furniture.
Other Posts You May Like
0 comments