People love faux leather for one very important reason: it’s cheap. The problem is, people don’t know how to take care of their faux leather and end up with a couch that looks like crinkled paper or a coat that feels like cardboard.
Can you use a leather conditioner on faux leather? You can use leather conditioner on faux leather items to give it a natural leathery feel, look, and smell. It is also a great way to protect your faux leather items from stains and harsh weather conditions like UV rays.
However, using some leather conditioners on your faux leather items can bring about some downsides such as making the surface of the faux leather feel sticky and making it easy to attract dust and debris.
Read this article to learn more about the pros and cons of caring for your fake (yet expensive!) leather using a leather conditioner.
The Pros Of Using Leather Conditioner On Faux Leather
1. Protects The Faux Leather
It’s no secret that leather is expensive. Having a coat or purse made of that stuff means you have to take good care of it, and that means protecting it from the elements.
When you use a leather conditioner on your faux fur, the product will help protect it from sun damage and can also help prevent staining.
Usually, most leather conditioners have UV protection properties which allow them to work as sunscreen for the material.
So when you use a leather conditioner on your faux leather, you’ll be protecting it from the elements.
2. Makes The Faux Leather Feel More Realistic
If you’ve ever felt faux leather, then you know that it can feel plastic and synthetic right of the back. That’s because the material is not living and breathing in any way as real leather does.
Applying leather conditioner to the faux leather upholstery of your couch will help it look and feel a lot more realistic and at home.
Meaning the leather conditioner will feel better to touch, will look better, and in some cases will smell better. More on this later.
3. Prevents The Faux Leather From Cracking
Not only will applying a leather conditioner gives the faux fur some life, but it will also help protect against cracking and flaking.
This means that instead of having your faux leather feel dry causing abrasion, you will rather have a nice smooth faux leather surface that is not only easier to clean, but also more comfortable and natural feeling.
4. Leather Conditioner Helps To Reduce The Chemical Smell Of Faux Leather
You’ve probably noticed that some faux leather material has a chemical smell right off the back.
This is typical because of all of the chemicals used in the processing of faux leather.
When you apply a quality leather conditioner, it will help to reduce how strong that smell is and make it so you don’t have to hold your breath every time you sit on the couch.
This leaves the faux leather item smelling more like leather and not chemicals.
5. Leather Conditioner Will Help Remove Dirt From Faux Leather
Some leather conditioners will come with cleaning agents that can help remove dirt and stains from the surface of your faux leather.
This means that you will be able to clean your faux leather without having the fear of damaging it with harmful chemicals or using more chemicals to remove the dirt.
All you have to do is apply a small amount of leather conditioner and gently rub it into the stain. Let it sit for a few minutes before wiping it off.
Most faux leather material has a finish on it to help protect against stains and dirt. However, this can mean that even when you’re trying to clean the material, you get little streaks and marks that look like dirt.
However, when you use a quality leather conditioner, that layer will be removed, allowing you to clean the faux leather material much better.
This will help prevent those streaks and marks that look like dirt because they will get removed when cleaned properly.
6. Leather Conditioner Will Put A Clean Shine On The Faux Leather
Leather conditioners often contain oils and moisturizing ingredients that can help re-hydrate the faux leather material and leave behind a nice clean shine.
Because faux leather is synthetic and has no pores unlike real leather, all the essential oils in the leather conditioner remain on the surface of the faux leather, and even after you have buffed the surface of the leather, there will be a little shine left behind.
This is perfect because it adds to the beauty of the faux leather and helps to give it a new look.
The Cons Of Using Leather Conditioner On Faux Leather
1. May Cause The Faux Leather To Feel Sticky
If you use a quality leather conditioner on your faux leather, it will help protect and moisturize the faux leather.
However, using too much leather conditioner can cause the faux leather to feel sticky and greasy.
This is because there are so many moisturizing ingredients in the leather conditioner that it can cause the faux leather to feel a bit greasy.
While this will help protect against cracking and flaking, you will probably not want to use this option if you don’t like how it feels.
Additional Ingredients May Cause Damage To The Faux Leather If You Don’t Know What They Are
2. May Cause Faux Leather To Attract Dirt And Debris Easily
As mentioned before, faux leather does not have any pores so anything you apply on it will stay on its surface until they evaporate or dries out.
So when you apply the leather conditioner to the surface of the faux leather and you do not buff off the oil residue well or allow it to dry thoroughly, you will begin to notice that your faux leather will attract a lot of dust and debris.
This will then cause the surface of your faux leather to be dirty all the time and you will have to get other products to help remove the build-up.
3. Constant Application
If you resort to using only leather conditioners for your faux leather items, you should be ready to apply more often than expected.
This is because technically when leather conditioners are applied, they are to seep into the natural pores of the leather and remain nourishing the leather fibers for up to 6 months before any additional application may be needed.
However, because faux leather does not have any pores or fibers, all the ingredients of the leather conditioner simply linger on the surface of the faux leather for a little while and then evaporate.
Final Thoughts
The decision to use leather conditioners on your faux leather items ultimately comes down to personal preference.
However, if you are looking for a more professional way of cleaning your faux leather items then there are specially made products that are meant for use on only faux leather products.
Just make sure you go for something that is suitable for the polyvinyl or polyurethane materials used to make faux leather.
Take time to read the labels and make sure you are also not allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients used in the product before considering plastic materials
These products are designed to help clean the faux leather without affecting its protective qualities or causing damage to the chemical structure of the faux leather.
I hope this article has been useful in some way and that you will find the information helpful.
FAQ
Q: Is leather conditioner good for all types of faux leather?
A: No, it is important to read the label on your specific brand of faux leather to make sure it is safe for use on your type of faux leather. For example, the leather conditioner will not do so well on faux suede leather