Maintain leather furniture

For general cleaning, use a moisturising soap. Lather with a soft cloth and wash to remove dirt and grime. Do not rinse to wash; just buff with a soft cloth, thus allowing the moisturising soap to condition the leather. We bring you the top five tips for keeping your leather furniture clean and stain-free

1 Daily cleaning: For general cleaning, use a moisturising soap. Lather with a soft cloth and wash to remove dirt and grime. Do not rinse to wash; just buff with a soft cloth, thus allowing the moisturising soap to condition the leather.

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2 Get rid of food stains: Remove food stains from light-coloured leather furniture by mixing a paste of one part lemon juice with one part cream of tartar. Rub the paste on the stain and leave for about 10 minutes. Remove with a damp sponge.

3 Remove ink stains: Remove stains such as ink by dipping a cotton swab in alcohol and rubbing over the spot. Run a blow dryer. If the stain remains after drying, apply a thick coat of non-gel, non-oily cuticle remover. Leave overnight and then wipe off with a damp cloth.

4 For road salt: Remove road salt from leather by mixing equal parts of water and white vinegar. Dip a cloth in the mixture and wipe over the leather. Repeated a couple of times more if required. Buff and apply a paste polish.

5 No sunshine: Keep the leather furniture out of direct sunlight to prevent drying and cracking of the leather.

(with inputs from Akshaya Badrinarayan, Stanley Boutique)