Day Light Savings Cleaning and Conditioning Weston Cane Burnished Author's chair

So We have the Authors chair and ottoman in Weston cane burnished leather. Purchased from The Keeping Room around April and took delivery of the chair around May. We were a little overdue for this treatment but I wanted to get on this schedule.

I filled a 12 oz spray bottle that I got at Target for a couple bucks with 1.5 oz white vinegar, a drop of dish soap (I think I probably should have used hand soap), and then filled the rest of the bottle with water. I proceeded to shake the solution and set the nozzle to a spray (slightly more concentrated than a mist). I sprayed this onto a yellow microfiber towel from Costco and wiped down the ottoman and the chair. I did not get any discoloration on the towel. I did feel like it was drying out the chair and ottoman but this is subjective.

Next I got out the jar of M&G #33 that we bought at The Keeping room to use as the conditioner. I initially tried to use the included sponge but it was difficult to tell what parts of the leather I had already gone over with enough of the product so I switched to using my hand as Duane has mentioned that many times on the Forum. This was much more satisfying and fun frankly as I could get into the groves and the creases created by the tufting and really soften that hide up. I am attaching before and after pictures. The after pictures don't do it justice though. It's feels like the hide was stiff before and now is supple and buttery soft. The hide was certainly not stiff before and I have to admit that I just love that Burnished feel. It's funny cause when I initially got into this stuff on the forum here...I had basically written off the Burnished leathers...but luckily we visited Duane and sat on many burnished pieces and saw the light as they say.

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That is a beautiful chair for sure. I have not seen any recommendations about using vinegar on leather before. Did Duane recommend that?

It’s amazing what a good leather balm can do to fine leather. Now you see!

So many pieces have shortened lifespans because of poor or lack of maintenance, I bet we see at least two people a week came in and ask how to repair their damaged leather upholstery. You’re on the right path now, the whole key to having your piece last a lifetime is taking care of it before it becomes a problem.

Vinegar is a great cleaner when diluted with water, and easy to make up for just a few pennies. Dish soap has degreasers in in, better to use liquid hand soap in the mix, it’s not as harsh.

He has mentioned it on another spot as well but here is a link to the main cleaning post where he talks about his methods https://www.myfurnitureforum.com/sho...5685#post45685

And....yes....we love our chair.

Thanks Duane!!

And good to know about the dish soap vs hand soap. I will note that on my supplies/ingredients list for next time.

This is probably difficult to answer...how do you know if you are using enough or too much of the balm?
-I basically added more until I felt like all the leather in the area I was working on felt soft and not wet but maybe oily? Not sure how else to say that. (I added pictures to try to show how much I used)

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Also, is it good to get some of that balm under the creases and folds of the back of the authors chair and on the ottoman where the tufting is?...I don't want to stretch anything out but it did seem dry under there.

It has been a long time since I read that thread, I didn't remember anything about vinegar. I guess it isn't a bad idea to re-review it occassionally. But it has gotten soooo long, lol

I'm really into cars - and from that learned that anything with a high carnauba wax content needs heat to flow properly onto the surface, I've been waxing my cars with my hand as the applicator for over 30 years for that reason. You get a better flow to the material, more control and the application is more complete. The car wax I use is $ 200 for 200ml and has a 40% by volume carnauba content (not the stuff from Wal Mart that has a 3% content). On a microfiber towel, it just balls up and doesn't coat the paint surface, that 98 degree temp from one's hand is what makes it flow.

Same with the Moore & Giles 33, when you use a towel or rag, it doesn't flow as nicely onto the leather. Leather is like skin....leather IS skin, actually. So you apply enough to absorb, but eventually you reach a saturation point and more is not doing anything for you. It should all be fully massaged into the leather, use enough to accomplish that and at $ 65 a container you don't want to waste it. You will know when its on too light as you won't get coverage, and too heavy you have to massage it for too long. I always go into the folds on tufts and go for 100% coverage. Note that this M&G 33 doesn't to anything on painted (finished) leather, don't waste your money using this on finished leathers. It's a pull-up / burnished leather product and there is nothing better for those class of hides.

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Originally Posted by SueCT

It has been a long time since I read that thread, I didn't remember anything about vinegar. I guess it isn't a bad idea to re-review it occassionally. But it has gotten soooo long, lol

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Haha...it is long...but so many great nuggets in there!!