Leather FAQs

Frequently Asked Leather Questions

What type of leather do I have?

There are a couple of tests you can perform to determine what leather you have. A detailed discussion of leather identification is found on our Leather Identification Manual.

How should I care for my leather?

All leather types should be cleaned with a neutral, water-based cleaner and properly protected every 6 months.

Body contact areas should be maintained more frequently because of the constant wear and tear.

Most leather types can be cleaned with Leather World Leather Cleaner and need to be protected with Leather World Protection Cream.

Can I repair burns, tears or holes?

Leather World offers individual repair items as well as kits that can be used to repair rips, holes and burns in leather.

For detailed repair instructions, please go to our Leather Repair Manual.

Can I change the color of my leather?

In most cases, yes. But we do not recommend recoloring nubuck/suede, wax or oil leathers.

On aniline leather you can change the color of your leather as long as you are taking it to a darker color within the same family.

For top-coated or pigmented leathers you can change the color to any color you wish. For more information, look at our Leather Dyeing Manual.

How do I remove ink stains?

Fresh Ink less than 24 hours can be removed with Leather Master Ink Lifter.

For Ink that is over 24 hours, you will need to strip the ink stain out with Leather Master Ink Killer, which will also remove the color of the leather surrounding the ink stain. The leather will have to be touched-up to match. We recommend using the Touch-Up Recolor Kit.

How do I remove mold?

You can kill mold on leather by using Leather Master Mold Killer Care Kit which contains a germcide, fungicide and bactercide. The Mold Cleaner is conveniently packaged in a kit with all the products needed to remove the mold and clean the leather.

How do I repair scratches?

For light scratches on aniline leather use the Leather Master Scratch Away to make scratches invisible. For deeper scratches you will need to apply Aniline Dye into the scratch to recolor the leather. Using Leather World Protection Cream after dyeing will also help even out the scratch marks.

For scratches on pigmented leather, use Leather Master Leather Filler and recolor the area with a Dye Colorant. You can also add a small amount of the dye to some leather filler to help blend in the scratched area.

How do I keep my leather from fading?

Usually only aniline and unprotected leathers will fade due to sunlight. The leather can be revived using an Aniline Dye followed by Leather Vital Conditioner or Leather World Protection Cream.

On semi-anilines, a Dye Colorant as a new top coat may be needed followed by Leather World Protection Cream.

How do I select the proper color for my leather?

For furniture repair, select a matching dye from our Leather Furniture Color Chart using Tinting Toners to finely adjust the color.

For auto leather, your auto manufacturer or dealer can give you the color code, which can then be matched to our Auto Color Chart. If you cannot find your color online, we can match custom colors - follow our instructions for providing a custom color sample.

For small touch up areas, you can use the Leather Vinyl Touch-up Recoloring Kit.