[jamesjames]

Hi all, I am going to practise leather cleaning on a friends cream leather sofa! Please could some one advise me as to what equipment and products to buy and also the process.

Regards
James

[stevegunn]

Some useful information here

http://www.lttsolutions.net/default.asp

[Comfort Sector]

Another source for information
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/index.htm

[Art]

Another source for information
http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/index.htm

Richard,

 Are these the same sort of chemicals that ltt do?

Thanks in advance Arthur

[stevegunn]

No they are very different from the chemicals Ltt supply

[Art]

No they are very different from the chemicals Ltt supply

In what way Steve?

[stevegunn]

Ltt is a foaming product furniture clinic product looks like its a spray product.Your better off speaking to the relevant companies then decide for yourself.The products from f/clinic are also available to the general public ie leather repair kit which does not bode well for professionals trying to sell their services.

[Art]

Thanks Steve.

Richard, Have you tried both of these?

 I'd be interested in your opinion.

[LTT Leathercare]

Hello James.

Just a few pointers if you are new to leather cleaning. 

Firstly establish what type of leather you have as this will give you a very good indication of what results to expect.  Pigment suites are more straight forward but can throw up some unexpected problems.  If you are looking at a cream suite it is most likely a pigment.  The main problem that these suffer from is dye transfer especially if they have not been protecting it.  There are specially formulated cleaners for this problem.

Aniline suites will not show very positive cleaning results but there is a lot that can be done with these with the right know how. All those leathers in between, micro pigments etc can cause some problems if you do not understand what you are dealing with.

Cleaning products should be water based and used as a foam as this is proved to be the safest method of cleaning leather.  Remember you can only clean off the surface of leather and not out of it so anything that has soaked into the leather will be permanent.

Leather Protector is a good product if it is one that works.  Protectors are made from flourochemicals.  If products called 'protectors' are not formulated with this then they will not work as a protector.  Conditioners do not generally work as protectors and are unnecassary if using water based cleaners as this is the only 'conditioning' you need.

Good luck and if you need any further help just ask.

Judy

[Furniture Clinic]

furniture clinic product looks like its a spray product.

All our cleaning products foam, there are two options, you can spray it onto a sponge and agitate it or use a special foaming trigger head so it sprays onto the leather as a foam.

Its not really crucial that you clean with foam, but it is better as a precaution as some leathers can absorb a liquid easily. Also, foam cleans a lot better, use a sponge to soak up the dirt and then just rinse it out when its very dirty.

The products from f/clinic are also available to the general public ie leather repair kit which does not bode well for professionals trying to sell their services.

This maybe so, but generally when someone contacts a professional they want a professional service and not a DIY option. Our customers also gain a massive benefit because we supply the public, we have loads of calls daily from the public who have used our products and store our details. Then when they come up with a problem or want a professional service, they ring us up ans ask for a recommendation. This is the reason we have created the services directory.

[Fibreclean]

I sense competition here between Furniture Clinic and LTT or is it friction......

[Ian Rochester]

James,

I cannot believe you can say your are going to practice on someones suites and then ask how to do it and what to use!

Whichever way you decide to do it and whichever product you decide to use, you must first of all gain the correct training on how to clean professionally and not just be a cowboy jumping on the "leather cleaning" chuck- wagon. 

Failure to heed this could quite easily lead to a very expensive insurance claim from your irate customers.

The key to this is leather identification and application techniques.  I did a one day course with Extracta products which was very good as a basis for cleaning, then I did a two day technician course with LTT which was excellent and we covered a lot in the two days, give them a call.

I cannot comment on Furniture Clinic as I'm not familiar with their products or their training, but give them a call as well and find out what they can do for you.

[jamesjames]

James,

I cannot believe you can say your are going to practice on someones suites and then ask how to do it and what to use!

Whichever way you decide to do it and whichever product you decide to use, you must first of all gain the correct training on how to clean professionally and not just be a cowboy jumping on the "leather cleaning" chuck- wagon. 


Failure to heed this could quite easily lead to a very expensive insurance claim from your irate customers.

The key to this is leather identification and application techniques.  I did a one day course with Extracta products which was very good as a basis for cleaning, then I did a two day technician course with LTT which was excellent and we covered a lot in the two days, give them a call.

I cannot comment on Furniture Clinic as I'm not familiar with their products or their training, but give them a call as well and find out what they can do for you.

Hi Lionhart, its a shame your reading skills are not as good as your advise (which I greatley appreciate) it is a friend who has kindly let me loose on there sofa to practise on

[Comfort Sector]

Hi Arthur,

Sorry for the delay in returning your post.

I have previously worked with a Leather Technician who used the LTT product range. I must say that I was very impressed with the results that he achieved.

I have not used any of the product range from Furniture Clinic as yet so cannot comment on the product range.

I was searching for leather repair training and came across their web site.
The information on the site looked very good and as did the price range of their products. Thats why i posted their web address in the topic.

Unlike James who's friend has offered him the use of his upholstery to practice on I am fortunate in that one of the large charities that I work with have offered me the chance to practice on the stock in their warehouse.

No guys before you jump the gun a lot of suites have damage so are not going to be sold. I will be a good chance for me to get some hands on at cleaning and repair. Thats why I was searching for Leather repair training and looking for products at a reasonable price.

[Art]

Thanks for the reply Richard.

It would be interesting to hear how the 2 products compare against each other.

Arthur

[Comfort Sector]

Hi Arthur,

Yes it would be. when time permits I will be comparing the product ranges myself. Now that I have a source for suitable test pieces. Some of the suites at the warehouse are gross. A good testing ground me thinks.

But what I would like is if someone like Steve Gunn compared  both products.
Although  Steve is LTT Trained I respect Steve's integrity and think he would give  an unbiased appraisal .

[*paul_moss]

I have just purchased stock from Furniture clinic after a couple of long discussions with Ben who is very knowledgable.
Its gone silly season here with leather cleaning and repairs,I have 3 suites to clean and do some minor repairs and dye's. I have also got a whole suite to redye and I am going to try out Furniture clinics stock first hand.
Also speaking to Ben regarding training for any body new into leather cleaning/repairs and he tells me he is going to put a very good training package together shortly with a cleaning/repair kit that is very very competative.

I for one look forward to working with these guy's and will update you over the next couple of weeks.

Richard
Glad to see you back with us.How is the mattress cleaning going in Bonnie Scotland.

[LTT Leathercare]

Good to hear that you are getting good product support with your products.  This is always an important part of choosing where to go for your products.

On the subject of comparing products and choosing ones to use:  with leather products it is vital that any protection product does just that.  There are many suppliers now moving away from calling products 'conditioners' and now calling them 'protectors' when in fact they do not do any protecting at all.  Always test leather protectors to make sure they actually do work. 

At LTT we test many of the available products to make sure that the protector we use is still the market leader in protection terms and we are surprised at how many so called 'protection' creams do not actually work at all. 

Hope this helps

Judy

[Steven Edwards]

There should be a separate forum for cleaning supply companies because it seems LTT and Furniture Clinic are competing against one another here and the poor members are stuck in the middle trying to decipher the best method.

Foam or no foam, water based or not, is it a protector or not??

[LTT Leathercare]

As far as we are concerned there is no battle going on.  We have always been very concerned about cleaners and technicians and the general public having the correct and reliable information which we are able to give based on years of experience and training. 

The internet these days is full of incorrect information and products which at best don't do anything and at worst actually damage leather.  It is a minefield.  We are product suppliers, trainers and consultants to the furniture and cleaning industry and are always too willing to share our knowledge and expertise with those who need our help.  We spend a lot of our time giving advice and testing and researching products to enable us to keep fully up to date with what is going on in the industry.