Leather cleaned and conditioned rather than extracted, with the hide type identified first, because water-based methods strip and crack leather.
Leather is not fabric and must never be treated as such. Hot-water extraction on a hide removes the finish along with the soil and leaves it dry, tight and prone to cracking within months.
The method is identification first — aniline, semi-aniline, pigmented or bonded all respond differently — then cleaning appropriate to the finish, then conditioning to replace what cleaning removes.
What the visit covers
- Hide type and finish identified, tested on a hidden panel
- Soil removed with a leather-safe cleaner, not extraction
- Seams, piping and crevices worked by hand
- Conditioning to restore suppleness after cleaning
- Ink, dye-transfer and body-oil marks assessed honestly
- Guidance on sunlight and air conditioning, which dry leather fastest
Asked about this
Sometimes, on pigmented leather, with a specialist product. On aniline it usually cannot, and attempting it makes it worse.
Dry, cooled air and direct sun. Conditioning slows it; once the finish has cracked it is a restoration job.
Household and office furniture only.
In writing after an inspection, with every item named. The visit costs nothing and commits you to nothing.