Leather Cleaning & Conditioning Protocol for all brands

[drcollie]

This is why you should not call Hancock and Moore directly, they are there to service the dealers and not to answer consumer questions and you WILL get mixed messages. So, now you don't know who to believe and are confused, I'm sure. So let's step it back and look at things.

First, there is no warranty on the leather. Here's the warranty policy. Once in a great while there is a defective leather and they will re-hide the piece for a customer, but first the piece must be returned to them for examination and determination. They will test the hide to see what has been put on it. If you use the Leather Solutions products, they have no issue with that. The vast majority of consumer issues with hide wear and color loss are not caused by a defective hide.



Secondly, here is the H&M leather care page, because their attorneys told them to advise using nothing on the leather - so they don't. However you will note they recommend Leather Solutions Int'l, which is the same company they go to for issues and training on leather repairs.



You will have to do what suits you and whom you choose to believe. After 36 years in this business, I can guarantee you that your leather will deteriorate if you don't clean and condition it regularly and if you let direct sunlight on the piece daily. My oldest Hancock and Moore piece was purchased in 1987, a Woodbridge Recliner and its still in use (now at my daughter's home), so 34 years. Still looks good, too. Because I clean and condition all my leather pieces every 6 months, including my car interiors as well. Even my Hermes leather watch band! Like the saying goes, "You pays your money, you take your choice".

These are not inexpensive pieces, I would personally recommend you take care of them, I do at my house.

[SueCT]

I don't know if this helps, but several months after I purchased my sofa from Hancock and Moore they sent me a "trial" kit of Leather Solutions to clean and condition the leather with, and recommended I start using it after a year. I was confused too. I think they are getting bad advise from their attorneys who clearly don't actually know anything about leather, and following their advise is doing nothing other than confuse their customers. It might make sense for them to say do not use anything except mild soap and water or the leather solutions kit appropiate for your type of leather. I left patient care as a nurse and spent 15 years working for a law firm before returning to patient care, so I have some experience with that area. I can tell you that almost never would a claim for a peice of furniture ever actually end up in court unless it seriously hurt someone. If anyone ever really did take it that far, say they had 50,000.00 worth of leather furniture that got ruined and they were blaming H&M, it would not help H&M at all that they recommended not using anything at all on their leather to care for it, but then sent out kits of product that they said elsewhere would void the "waranty" and should not be used on their furniture. Putting that in their waranty and then claiming the leather was ruined due to lack of care would not help them either. So I hope that never happens to them because telling people not to care for the leather and then sending them products to use to do exactly that, puts them in a very bad position. JMHO. But I hope they educate the attorneys they are using and then discuss what the message should really be, and start being consistent about it, before it bites them in the butt. I also hope they don't decide to stop sending out the kits because of what is in the "waranty" because I do believe caring for the leather will help. They do too, or they wouldn't be sending the products out.

[drcollie]

You will find this is the same policy at almost every leather upholstery maker in North Carolina. Maybe they all use the same attorney?!

As you see, mixed messages. They send you a small care kit but then tell you in print not to use anything on the hides. It may surprise many that these upholstery makers are very, very lean on management, at Hancock and Moore there are two executive decision makers, that’s it. So they are always very, very busy and things like policies and advice can appear contradictory. About half the customer service staff has been there six months or less and don’t have experience with long term leather performance. Compare that to a good dealer who has over thirty years experience. Who you really want to listen to?

[SueCT]

Sounds like advise from 25+ years ago that is no longer appropriate with newer products and leathers, that has never been revisited and just keeps being reused. I should note, it would cost them money to educate their attorneys, since the attorneys are not going to sit there and listen for free.

[Griff]

Hello again,
I have read all of your suggestions about purchasing and have prepared for receiving our recliner by ordering solar protection for our windows in order to lessen the UVA rays from sunlight into the room.
My question is that I’m confused about what cleaner and conditioners to purchase. There seem to be different ways for each particular leather and I haven’t seen ours in those that I’ve read. Our order is for an H$M Your Way recliner in class 4 Cameo bone - grey burnishing. It is unprotected.

I would love to know exactly what you recommend since, as I said, I’d like to be prepared just in case there should be a spill and for weekly & biannual care.
Thank you for the great service you provide. I’m so blessed to have stumbled upon this site!

[drcollie]

Burnished leathers are Kit # 3 @ $ 82.50 + $ 14 shipping.

These are not for spills, however. If you get a spill, do nothing more that blot it up and walk away from it. It will dissipate with time. You start scrubbing on a spill you can set the stain and it will never come out.

[drcollie]

USPS Rate increase - Shipping is now $ 15.00 per Medium Flat Rate Box.

[CFBoomer]

I just had my Hancock and Moore York Sofa and a York Ottoman in Caress delivered today - it took quite the journey from when I ordered it in February, to it being delivered here in Hilo, Hawaii

I plan to order the Leather Solutions #1 kit, but just curious on how many applications for a sofa I might expect to get out the kit. It sounds like not over applying is key to correct usage. I'd like to make sure I have a 6-month-to-1-year supply, cleaning every 3 months - or perhaps more given the humidity.

Thanks!

[drcollie]

For just a sofa and ottoman, a single kit should easily last four applications.

[drcollie]

This from a client who purchased this chair from our store 11 1/2 years ago, and she wants to repair it. Unfortunately, there is no repair available, the options are to 1) Replace the chair 2) have it re-upholstered which can be more than the cost of a new chair when in leather, 3) buy a pair of leather arm caps ($ 280) and sleeve over the damaged area as an unattractive alternative. This leather is going to fully crack open and split soon.



Another customer came into the store late yesterday wanting a patch for the upper headrest on his bustle back recliner, he has a hole in his leather from where he rests his head. The only way to repair this is have the make sew a new bustle in leather (its not going to color match well) and take that to an upholsterer to have the old one detached and the new one resewn. There are not "patches" available in spite of what you might see on videos about fixing car seats (which are usually vinyl) About a $ 600 project.

We try very hard to tell every customer the importance of cleaning and conditioning their leather furniture on a regular basis (every four to six months) and if you do, you will never have these issues. However most people either don't want to be bothered to do so, or don't want to spend the money on care kit, and this is what happens. It's not just a sales pitch to sell you a care kit, the stuff works and protects your investment. You can get a lifetime out of well-made leather upholstery *IF* you take care of it and keep it out of direct sunlight. You have to get the dirt and oils off the hides (which come off your skin) or your leather will fail. Prevention is a very small percentage cost of the price of a replacement. Think of it as buying a new car and never changing the oil, it's quite similar to that.