What is Leatherette?
Leatherette isn’t leather; it’s a synthetic material made of vinyl and is designed specifically to mimic leather. It’s typically made from natural or synthetic fibers that are coated in PVC or polyurethane and contains no animal by-products. Leatherette has become a popular leather alternative and is commonly used in furniture and clothing. Are you considering storing your leatherette furniture or clothing? Read on for five tips for storing leatherette so you can make it last forever!
How Do I Store Leatherette?
Prolong its life
Leatherette is a super durable synthetic material. With the proper care, leatherette can easily last 10+ years. It only requires minimal maintenance—unlike the more finicky animal hide leather: Simply wipe the leatherette clean with a damp cloth.
Hang leatherette clothing on a rack
When storing leatherette clothing, make sure you hang it on a rack so it doesn’t deform or end up with large creases. Even though leatherette is more durable than leather, its plastic outer layer can be damaged with deep cracks if it is left bunched up or folded for a long time. And these cracks and creases can’t really be massaged or conditioned out—so take care and hang up your leatherette clothing!
Climate control
Leatherette furniture and clothing should be stored in a cool dry place. Compared to leather, leatherette doesn’t have as many requirements for keeping it in good condition. Climate-controlled storage units are recommended but are not necessary for leatherette items. Simply store them in a dry place and out of the sun and the leatherette will last forever.
Keep out of sunlight
Since leatherette has a plastic finish, it doesn’t fade the way leather does. However, sunlight can dull leatherette’s finish over time so it is recommended to store all leatherette furniture and clothing away from direct sunlight.
Condition it
For additional care, use a leatherette cleaner or conditioner product. Just be sure to check that it is for leatherette and not leather as certain leather conditioners will not work with leatherette.
Thinking of storing leatherette furniture or clothing long term? Trust the premier self storage facility in the Northeast: Secure Self Storage. It offers a wide range of climate-controlled storage unit sizes at an affordable price to meet all your storage needs.