apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Try saddle soap and a slightly damp sponge - it does a nice job cleaning and conditioning the leather and is very gentle.

Go to a good auto parts store or website and get a high quality auto leather cleaner and conditioner (two seperate products). McGuires or Lexol are good choices. Do not use the cheap stuff -- it will make the thing shiny and slippery.

I bought a leather furniture cleaning kit from Ethan Allen that works well.

How do you want to fix it? I like club-style chairs and couches when they get that nice beat-up look. I would rethink having it against the red wall, though . . . the color is fighting the red-brown of the leather.

They make excellent cleaning and conditioning products for leather furniture. I use one that Restoration Hardware makes on my leather sofas every few months. You rub it in with a cloth, wait a few minutes, then buff with a new cloth. Off come the dirt and claw marks!

One thing I really like about it is that while it restores the leather, keeps it soft, and hides the damage, it doesn't restore it to being perfect. It's more like the best possible version of being a bit distressed. I also replace the seat cushion inserts every few years.

try a product called leather CPR. it's not as sticky as saddle soap. it definitely cleans off the dirt and clawmarks and gives it a nice soft well-worn look.

i agree - it's fighting the red wall.

I use the CPR stuff too on 2 leather ottomans that see daily use. It works great and it keeps the leather hydrated. I got it at Restoration

NEVER, EVER use saddle soap on furniture!!!

Use any of the other suggestions.

Or call a pro. Where I live there's a company that will clean/restore this kind of thing for $200 or so. COnsideing a new one from a good company will be way over a grand, $200 isn't a bad deal.

Kepp in mind though that once the leather has cracked there's nothing you can do.

You can't un-crack something.

Which is why "bicast" furniture is such a bad idea. It's guaranteed to crack and generally look horrible in 5 years or less thanks to the coating they put on on it, and the sub-standard leather used on bicast furniture.

If the piece is bicast, don't spend any more money on it.

I can't possibly top all those ideas of how to take care of a leather sofa. I had no idea there were so many.

However, I'd go for a different color wall behind it as well. Something blue if you like saturated colors, perhaps?

I have a similar problem with my distressed-leather couch. The dog's claws have caused a lot of scuffing and scratching that the leather cleaner doesn't really address. Maybe it's because it's cheap(er) leather? It cost me about 2K....

If the leather on the backs sides are in good shape, and you like the color keep it as is ( with some leather cleaner/conditioner) If you're not happy with the color it can be stained,maybe a dark chocolate, but do it somewhere with proper ventilation please!!-I almost think the seat cushions are beyond help so recover them, even in a fabric that co-ordinates with the leather; I'd suggest something durable and washable that the dog can be comfy on!!keep with a color thats similar to the leather unless your going for a shabby chic boho look, then maybe a fun print and some other print toss cushions as well to tie in the look- you could have fun with this and make it a strong design element

whats the horror of saddle soap? isnt is essentially soap with a conditioner?

THANKS!!! every piece of advice is great. As for the wall, we are in the middle of repainting the the room Bistro White. I am done with colored walls.