Before you decide to make a large purchase of an item such as a piece of furniture, it is extremely important to know you are making the right choice first. After all, couches and the like can be quite costly, especially those of the leather variety.
If you are considering buying a leather couch for your home, one thing you might be questioning is whether they are comfortable. It is common knowledge that leather is durable, lasting for years when maintained properly, but is it actually pleasant to lounge about atop a leather sofa?
This article will be taking a look at this question. By the time you finish reading, you should be able to confidently make a decision regarding whether or not to buy a leather couch based on its comfortability.
Comfortability of Leather Couches
Oftentimes, when people think of leather furniture, an extremely cold, hot, or sticky surface comes to mind. This is because anyone who has ridden in a car donning leather seats knows that it can make for an uncomfortable ride, at least initially while the inside of the vehicle is adjusting in temperature.
The same thing can happen with leather couches and other leather furniture, which can be a pain to deal with, at times. However, it can make for a great retreat from the heat in the summer when your air conditioner is blasting and cooling down the leather (or it can chill you to your bones in an already-cold house).
Whether one believes leather or fabric couches to be more comfortable really comes down to personal preference, though many people would likely consider fabric couches to be the more comfortable choice of the two, mainly due to their soft and flexible nature.
Opting for Softer Hides
There are certain types of animal skins that are softer and more comfortable to the touch than others, as well as less likely to stick uncomfortably to your bare skin. For example, lambskin and deerskin are considered to be the softest varieties of leather you can buy, so keep your eyes peeled for couches using these kinds of leather if comfort is of the utmost importance to you.
Keep in mind, though, that you are likely to spend far more money on such leather couches. These softer types of leather are also less durable than the traditional cowhide type, which can make them a less appealing choice for some people.
Advantages of Leather Couches
Although many do not find leather couches to be the most comfortable choice, there are a lot of advantages to using leather furniture over fabric. For one, it has the ability to last much longer than fabric pieces of furniture.
Some other great features of leather furniture include that it is easy to clean, it’s resistant to stains and spills, and it looks naturally beautiful, undoubtedly adding a classy touch to any room they are contained within. Leather furniture can also be purchased in several varieties: suede, top-grain, full-grain, aniline, and bi-cast.
Keeping Your Leather Couch in Good Condition
If you do opt for a leather couch for your home, you should make sure that you perform routine maintenance on the piece of furniture so it will stay looking pristine for years to come. Follow the tips outlined below to keep your leather furniture in great shape.
Quick Cleanup
One way to ensure that your leather furniture stays looking like new for a long time is by taking care of stains, spills, and general messes as soon as they occur. If you work to remove stains and get rid of sticky accidents immediately following the incident, cleanup will be easier and result in lasting leather.
Regular Cleaning
You should make sure that you vacuum and/or dust the surface and crevices of your leather couch once or twice a month to keep it in amazing condition. You can also wipe it down with a cleaner made specifically for leather, by using a solution of even parts of vinegar and water, or simply by cleaning it with warm water.
Consistently giving your leather couch a thorough cleaning is even more vital if you have pets, particularly if they also use the furniture. Pet fur can easily make its way into the cracks and crevices of your couch and begin building up as time goes on if you do not regularly remove it.
Condition
A very effective way to maintain quality leather furniture is to condition it once or twice a year. Keep in mind that if you condition it too frequently, it will end up making the leather a bit gooey, which is not what you want your couch to be like.
Make sure you clean the leather and let it dry completely prior to conditioning it, and also test out some of the conditioner on a small spot of your leather couch before putting it on the whole piece of furniture to first ensure that it will not damage it.
Avoiding Harsh Chemicals
A mistake some people make when maintaining their leather furniture is they use products to clean it that end up damaging the leather. A few cleaning solutions that should never be put on your leather couch include ammonia-based cleaners, furniture polish, oils, and varnish.
Keep Sunlight Away
Your leather couch will fade and wear out more quickly in direct sunlight. Thus, if you want it to remain in good condition for many years, you should keep it in a shaded spot of your home.
Final Thoughts
You may still have questions concerning couches and other pieces of furniture made of leather, but you should at least now know where leather couches stand as far as comfortability goes.
On a side note, make sure you know the difference between faux and genuine leather, as well as the various qualities of leather, prior to forking over a hefty sum of money for your new piece of furniture. The last thing you want is to spend a bunch of your hard-earned money on a faux leather couch.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys, and I’m so excited to start this adventure with them! In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.