Expert: Mark H. Miller - 11/25/2007

Question
Dear Mark,

We bought a green leather chesterfield style captains chair.

When we got home my wife gave it a good clean ( as she always does with anything coming into the house ), anyway before she cleaned it there was a dark glossy sheen on the leather which has now gone.

We tried saddle soap and some leather softening stuff but we haven't got the finish back.

Is there anything we can do to get it back?

God Bless and thanks

David

Answer
Hello David.

First of all you are very lucky to live in a clean house.  Your wife may inadvertently have removed a protective coating.  

Having tried the saddle soap and a leather softener was a good thing to do. Try buffing the chair using a very soft natural fiber cloth - cotton or wool - do not buff hard !!!  

A dark glossy sheen may be a coating that is sometimes applied after the chair is upholstered to make it look old.  

Call the S & H Frank Company in San Francisco - they sell leather and related products, and ask them if there is a spray or coating that you can use to restore the leather sheen.

Other than occasional saddle soap the best thing to use on leather is nothing,  just a dry soft cloth.  

The coating your wife accidentally removed may not affect the durability of the leather.  

Depending on what your wife used you may have a legitimate claim against the manufacturer, plain water, or mild detergent - although not recommended on leather, should not have removed the shiny coat.  If it did I would demand the manufacturer restore the coating or replace the chair.

I hope this information is of some help to you,  please don't hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions.

Mark Miller.