Aniline is soft and comfortable and has a lovely sheen as the natural colour variations of the leather come through. Aniline leather is dyed through and untreated and does not have any protective colour or finish on the surface of the leather. Because there is no protective and treated surface, the leather is extra sensitive to soiling and fading, it is easy for the leather to get stains, and it is not uncommon for grease stains from hair and hands to appear on the armrests and headrests where the head rests.
If furniture made of aniline leather is stained, dirty and faded, you would prefer not to apply a covering leather dye and finish, as the aniline loses its unique properties and instead you get a covering-dyed leather that is a little less soft and comfortable, and also loses the natural color changes.
There is a way to get around this and at the same time retain all the properties that make aniline so pleasant to sit on. After a proper cleaning and possible treatment with a degreaser to remove grease stains, you can re-dye the aniline leather with a pigmented leather conditioner, Furniture Clinic Leather Re-Colouring Balm . This restores the original color luster of the aniline without sacrificing its softness, on the contrary, the colored balm not only recreates the color, it also moisturizes, softens and nourishes the leather, which extends the life of the furniture by many years. Note that this is not a pure leather dye, but primarily a softening balm with color pigments. This means that the re-coloring with the balm is not permanent, over time the aniline will fade again. Then all you have to do is do a new treatment, the leather feels good with regular care.
Here's how to do it:
Step 1: Clean the leather thoroughly. Using a foam cleaner, Leather Mousse, you can remove all dirt from the leather's surface, and also open up the pores so that the leather can more easily absorb the leather conditioner. Use a Tampico brush to get deep down. Read more in our Guide to making pure aniline.
Step 2: If there are grease stains on the aniline leather, remove them with Leather Degreaser. Read more in our Guide to removing grease stains from leather.
Step 3: Rub the pigmented leather conditioner in using circular motions, making sure that the conditioner really penetrates the leather, there should be nothing left on the surface of the leather. This is enough to restore the leather to its original color. If you would like a darker shade, rub in another layer of conditioner (if the leather is not saturated). Since the conditioner intensifies the underlying color, the leather will take on an additional shade of darker color.
When you are satisfied with the appearance, take a dry and clean cloth and thoroughly wipe the surface of the leather and remove any residue of the conditioner. There must be no residue on the surface of the leather, as it may stain clothing.
Step 4: Apply a layer of a protective cream, Furniture Clinic Protection Cream. It provides a protective layer on top of the leather that makes it more difficult to get dirty and stain. The protective cream also contains a UV filter that prevents the leather from fading in the sun.
We have put together a kit that contains Ultra Clean leather cleaner, leather conditioner with color, as well as protective cream, sponge and terry cloth, you will find it here.
