One of the greatest things about bar stools is how many different styles, shapes, colors and designs there are to choose from. Despite this wide variety, the most popular fabric used for seat upholstery is leather. A well made leather seat gives any piece of furniture a timeless quality, and unlike some fabrics, you never have to worry about ripping, tearing or some of the traditional problems you would have with lesser coverings. Caring for your leather seat is important, however. Here are a few tips you can use to extend the life of your bar stool even further.

Cleaning

In most cases, leather products will either come with a small bottle of cleaner or the manufacturer will specifically request that a particular cleaning agent be used. In lieu of that, your local supermarket or hardware store will have a wide range of leather cleaners you can choose from. It is important that you use a designated leather cleaner and not something like soap and water or Windex because leather needs to be conditioned while it is being cleaned. Other cleaners can dry out leather and cause it to crack and degrade. If you need help finding the right leather cleaner for your bar stool, simply find out what kind of leather you have and speak to someone at your local hardware store for more information.

Conditioning

While you are at your friendly neighbourhood hardware store, you may want to ask about conditioning your leather. When you condition leather, you reintroduce moisture, and often times oils, back into the fabric. Think of a fine, old saddle that needs to be cleaned and spruced up on a regular basis or the leather will crack and lose its lustre. You want to avoid cleaners that contain petroleum products, so make sure you read the label before you make your purchase.

Polishing

If you are having a dinner party or some other kind of special event, you may want to go the extra mile and polish your leather furniture. Be careful, however, some leather polishes will actually come off on clothing, so unless you want to cause a scene, make sure the polish you choose doesn't have any color in it. In most cases, a simple conditioning will add enough shine to your leather to suffice. If you do choose to polish, pick one that uses natural ingredients to add that extra bright lustre.

Cleaning

Just like with any other surface, the sooner you can get to a stain in your leather, the better. First, attack each stain with damp cloth. Be sure not to use soap or any kind of cleaner that is not specifically made for leather. If a simple damp cloth doesn't seem to work, use a store bought leather cleaner to get out the stain. You may want to read the instructions, however, as some leather cleaners are only for a particular colour (black, brown, etc). Always follow the instructions on the bottle and never leave a cleaning product on your leather for extended periods of time unless specifically told to do so.