When you purchase a leather sofa you might just find that its surface can be very slippery.
This is a side effect of a wax coating that is applied to your sofa to make it more appealing before you decide to purchase it. This coating makes your sofa look shinier and ‘new’, but it can have some unfortunate side effects such as making the surface slippery.
It is a common problem shared by many leather sofa owners, and in this article, we will take you through the steps to help reduce this effect.
What actually makes your sofa so slippery?
The shiny and slippery surface of your sofa is because of a coating applied to the surface of the sofa, which is heavy in carnauba wax and beeswax. The actual purpose of applying this shiny layer of wax is to make the sofa look more aesthetic when it is placed in the showroom. Another reason is to protect the sofa from dust and damage in later use and to help moisturize the leather.
Although this layer can protect your leather, it also makes the experience of using the sofa itself dissatisfying. Who wants to buy a sofa that is awkward to sit on due to how slippery it is?
To overcome this matter, we first need to confirm the presence of the wax layer. This is because if you attempt to treat your sofa and it doesn’t contain this layer you can potentially cause damage to the leather.
You can do this by carrying out a simple test. Simply put a small amount of water on a part of the leather and if it soaks and gets dark, it means that it doesn’t have a wax layer and can therefore be treated differently. However, if it does not soak and does not get dark, then you should try the following tips to remove the wax layer.
Make your sofa less slippery using these tips
1. Use rubbing alcohol: A simple and easy way to remove the wax layer from the surface of your leather sofa is to make a solution of rubbing alcohol and water with 1 part water to 1 part of rubbing alcohol. Now dip a soft, damp cloth in this solution and rub it on the surface of the leather. Be careful of not over scratching or rubbing, because it might fade the colour of the leather. You can rinse your cloth in a solution of water and then wring it out and use this to quickly clean the sofa to make sure non of the alcohol solution remains.
Leave your sofa to dry after this for a few hours, or use a dry cloth to remove the water.
Once you’ve got rid of this layer, you can use a leather conditioning product that will also work to protect your sofa but it will importantly not make it as slippery. You can see some of our recommendations
Important note: Always use a damp, soft, cotton cloth to clean or condition your leather sofa to prevent the dust on the surface from damaging the leather.
2. Rubbing alcohol + Vinegar + neatfoot’s oil: If you prefer to use a natural product rather than an artificial leather conditioner then you can use neatsfoot oil, an animal-based product. To make the grease and wax cutting solution, add equal amounts of water and rubbing alcohol in a bowl as before. Follow the previous steps to wash and dry your sofa.
To make the conditioner solution, make a mixture of 1 tablespoon of neat foot’s oil and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Give this mixture a thorough stir.
Now dip a damp cloth in this mixture and apply it all over the leather of the sofa. Vinegar helps remove any remaining wax, while neat foot’s oil moisturizes the leather without damaging it. Finally, wipe up any excess oil and vinegar using a clean cloth.
4. Other options: There are other options as well, to tackle the problem of slipping on your sofa. There are many sprays available in the market that are used to increase the friction of leather making it less slippery. For example, the glove gripping sprays that are usually used for improving the grip of gloves may also be used to increase friction. You can see some of our recommendations for leather sofa cleaning products here.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, we hope you’ve learnt a few tricks to make your leather sofa less slippery.
Please remember that we are not responsible for any damage you may cause to your sofa and that you should always spot test any product you want to use on your sofa before you use it fully.
