Today’s leather furniture is available in a wide range of styles and colours. When you buy a new leather sofa it may come with care instructions attached and a description of the type of leather used. If you don’t have this information, it may be difficult to tell what type of leather is on the furniture and you will need to know this in order to obtain the correct products for cleaning and protection. If you are in any doubt you should consult a professional but here is a quick guide to the three main categories of leather.

Aniline

The correct name is aniline dyed leather and is usually produced from a better quality hide. It will have very little surface protection and will have a luxurious natural feel and look. It is very porous so one way of identifying this type of leather would be to drop a small amount of water onto an inconspicuous area – if the water absorbs quickly and it leaves a dark patch, it is probably aniline leather. The surface of the leather will also scratch quite easily and will tend to absorb stains and grease which can penetrate right through to the back of the leather. Under a microscope or a strong magnifier you should be able to see many small indentations which are hair follicles. Only use cleaning products which are specifically recommended for aniline leather.

Nubuck

This is similar to aniline leather but the surface of the leather is abraded to give a very fine nap. On a fresh piece of nubuck you can rub your finger over the nap to leave a visible mark. Use only nubuck cleaning products and, generally speaking, dry cleaning techniques are recommended…probably one for the experts!

Pigmented

This type of leather is the easiest to care for. As it’s name suggests, it has a layer of coloured pigment and is finished with a polyurethane top coat to seal it. It doesn’t scratch too easily and will not absorb moisture quickly (so you can try the water drop test). Under a magnifier you will not see many hair follicles as they will be mostly hidden by the pigment coat. There are many cleaning products available for pigmented leather but generally foam cleaners are best. After cleaning or when brand new, this type of leather would benefit from a coat of leather protector. This will increase the life of the leather and make future cleaning easier.

There are many variations of the three types of leather described here but from a cleaning and restoration point of view, most of them will fit into one of the categories above with the exception of Bicast. Bicast is typically quite shiny and has a stiff un-natural feel. It is produced by laminating a lower quality split leather with a polyurethane top layer to add strength and durability. It should be described as a composite or laminated leather.