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Thread: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
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    Default I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    We ordered four pieces of Bradington Young leather furniture from a local dealer that was delivered in July & August, 2017. All of it is covered in a semi-aniline (9110-48). When it was delivered I cleaned & protected it with Leather Solutions products and I've been applying them every three months.

    This morning I noticed that my husband's recliner looked "grimy" on the headrest, like there was a white film on it. He sits in it every night for several hours and I assumed there was a build of of body oils from his head. While he was out of the house this afternoon, I decided it would be a good time to clean it again, but something went horribly wrong.

    I used the Leather Solutions cleaner on a damp sponge, wiped it dry with a terry towel, then swiped it with the leather softener with a clean white cloth. The clean white cloth I used with the softener came away with some dirt on it, so I decided to go over it again with the leather cleaner, then started rubbing it dry with the terry towel. No color or marks are on the towel, but there is now a big discolored area on the chair! It looks like maybe the topcoat came off? Why did this happen and can this be fixed? We have never used anything but Leather Solutions on the furniture and it was not treated with anything by the dealer. I am ready to be sick to my stomach!
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    Last edited by Raina; 01-20-2018 at 05:41 PM.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    When its fully dry, go back over it again with the cleaner, try to avoid circular scrubbing and go back and forth in long strokes to get an even clean. If its still there like in the photo after you do this, email Pamela (owner of Leather Solutions) at:

    leathersolutions@live.com

    Some men have oily skin that can cause issues with leathers, but it rarely occurs on semi-aniline hides. Give it another try on the cleaning....
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  3. #3
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    Feb 2017
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    Thank you Duane. My husband is being very understanding and telling me not to worry about it, that the chair is still perfectly fine to sit in, but of course I'm fretting over it anyway. When he goes skiing tomorrow morning, I'll take another look and see about using your suggestion.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    Examining it this morning, I definitely think some kind of clear top coat was removed. The leather is a different shade now in that area from the rest of the chair or the other furniture pieces and has a different feel to it. I've sent an email to Leather Solutions and have my fingers crossed that they can offer me assistance. Perhaps it can be repainted & coated? For now, I've thrown a blanket over it so I don't have to look at it.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    If the topcoat is damaged, it can be restored on a Semi-Aniline as they are pigmented hides. Find a local leather restoration person in your area and have them come out to give you an estimate. Usually its around $ 150 to $ 200. The Leather Solutions cleaner would not damage the leather, most likely it was due to your husband's hair oils that worked on the topcoat over time to deteriorate it.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    I must admit, being in the market for my first leather sofa, this concerns me. If natural oils in your hair can cause this kind of damage in 6 months time, it is probably not as durable as I thought. I have seen this before but in sofas that were several years old. I am considering Cavalier Mocha, and I thought the protective coating of a semi-aniline would make this less likely. Do you have to use a blanket over a leather sofa at all times to prevent damage from your skin and hair? Do they come with arm covers and do they make some type of matching cover that you can get for the head area to protect it? If so, are they expensive? I want to make sure I manage my own expectations for this new purchase so I don't end up disappointed. 6 months is much faster than i thought it would take for that kind of damage.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    I reached out to Pam at Leather Solutions and based on the pictures she believes that the damage to the chair was caused by my husbands body oils. She has recommended that we thoroughly clean the damaged area and a swatch of the surrounding area with a toothbrush and then recolor the leather. She suggests once the leather is recolored that it be cleaned and protected weekly going forward rather than every few months. I don't feel confident recoloring the leather myself, so I'm now searching for a specialist in our area that I can hire.

    In response to SueCT, I've contacted the manufacturer by email to ask about obtaining a matching head cover and they told me it is possible to buy one. They gave me a telephone number to call if I want to make that purchase, but I haven't called yet so I don't know what it will cost.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    Thank you for inquiring about that. Please share the details if you decide to follow up on it. Depending on the cost, I would like to purchase something like that, as well as arm covers, when I order my sofa. I think that would go a long way towards protecting it in the most vulnerable areas. Arm covers are one of those things that used to be standard that I rarely see any more.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    Here's the story on hair and body oils that no one in the industry likes to talk about....

    1. It occurs mostly with men
    2. It occurs mostly with those on prescription medications of some sort
    3. Oily skins require special soaps for men to remove these oils daily, the wife's Dove Moisturizing Soap in the shower doesn't get the job done (when is the last time your husband bought the soap?)

    Enzymes in the skin oils can attack the leather topcoats under certain conditions and deteriorate the leather, it can happen very quickly, too. The key is not what kind of leather to buy, it's (in my opinion) using the right soaps and keeping head and hands clean. For years I used whatever soap my wife brought and about a year ago switched to a Men's Oily Skin formula - the cleaning difference was dramatic. Step up your wipe-down procedures on the leather as well - just wipe down the headrest and arms weekly with a damp cloth in between full cleaning treatments, that goes a long ways. You can also order headrest covers and armcaps in the same leather at time of order as well, those can be replaced if they get gamey.

    Hope that helps.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: I think I just wrecked my husband's recliner. Help!

    You are correct Duane that my husband is on some meds and that I choose the soap (Ivory). No problems on the arm rests, it is solely where his head makes contact with the chair even though his hair isn't greasy and he showers every day.

    I've had no luck finding a leather technician to repair the chair. The Leather Medic you mentioned in another thread isn't available anywhere near us and Pamela at LeatherSI doesn't have any names to share. I need to call B-Y and see about ordering the headrest cover to hide the blotch - I can't stand looking at it.

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