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How to Remove Wrinkles From a Leather Couch

Learn how to remove wrinkles from your wrinkly leather couch

How To Remove Wrinkles From Leather Featured

Incredibly hard-wearing and a real sign of luxury, leather is still being used for all manner of items, from clothes to furniture. But because it’s a natural product, it doesn’t always behave the way we’d like it to. In particular, leather couches and other items can wrinkle and crease with use.

But should you settle for a wrinkly leather couch? No! Thankfully, if your leather sofa is showing wrinkles and creases, there are ways to remove them. Read on to find out more.

(p.s., more than just wrinkles on your couch? Check out our comprehensive guide to couch cleaning!)

How to Remove Wrinkles and Creases From Your Leather Couch

Getting the wrinkles out of leather is important, and not just aesthetically. Over time, the wrinkles and creases can widen and become cracks, eventually causing significant damage to your settee.

That doesn’t mean that all creases have to come out. Some creases are natural, but if your sofa has developed wrinkles post-purchase you should consider treating them. Thankfully, the main item you need to help you is heat. Too much heat, of course, can damage your leather, so use these tips carefully, and don’t let your couch get too hot.

How to Use a Blow Dryer To Remove Wrinkles From Your Leather Couch

A blow dryer won’t get as hot as an iron but it will still heat up your leather enough to remove smaller, shallower wrinkles and creases. Turn the blow dryer onto the maximum heat setting and hold it eight to ten inches away from the leather wrinkles.

Every few seconds, smooth one of your hands over the leather to encourage wrinkles out of leather and repeat the process until the wrinkles have disappeared. If the blow dryer method doesn’t work, try something hotter.

Using a Heat Gun to Get Wrinkles Out of Leather

Getting wrinkles out of leather couches might not work with a hair dryer, so you might want to now try a heat gun. Heat guns look like blow dryers but you certainly wouldn’t want to dry your hair with one. Because heat guns get so hot you must be careful not to get your leather too hot.

First, apply a leather conditioner to the leather furniture to avoid it cracking. Leave this to soak in for an hour. Then, plug in the gun and put on the lowest setting.

Wave the gun over the wrinkled piece of leather furniture, getting no closer than 7 inches to it. Don’t let any one piece get too hot, and continually wipe the leather with a washcloth dampened with water.

You may create a light steam but don’t worry. Steam from a steam cleaner is too intense for leather furniture but a small amount from the heat gun won’t damage the leather. Continue the process

Removing Wrinkles in a Leather Couch with an Iron

If the wrinkles are too deep for the blow dryer or heat gun, it’s time to introduce the iron. But before you plug in your iron and take it to your leather seats with abandon, wait!

First, remove any water from inside the iron and then set it to its lowest temperature setting. Then, place a brown paper bag or sheet of material or cloth over the crease and slowly but steadily move the iron over the creased or wrinkled area.

You don’t want to let the iron heat any one area too much so keep it moving. Remove the paper bag or cloth and check the depth of the wrinkles. If they’re still there, first let the leather cool down and then iron again in the same way as earlier.

Repeat the process as many times as necessary to get the wrinkles out of your leather couch. You may never get a completely smooth surface but you’ll have removed plenty of the wrinkling using this method. Once again: never forget the paper bag or cloth on top of the couch first!

At this point, apply a leather cream or conditioner because an iron can quickly dry out your leather and cause a different kind of damage, so don’t undo all the good you’ve just done.

Should You Use a Steamer on Your Leather Couch? (No)

Using steam to get wrinkles out of a leather jacket, leather skirt, leather purse or even curtains can work by allowing the weight of the leather materials to straighten the wrinkle with the help of the steam. You can’t use a steamer on these items but you can use steam from a hot shower. The same cannot be said of a leather sofa.

To be clear, you should not take a steamer to a leather sofa. One of the reasons you place a paper bag over the leather before you put the iron over it and empty the water reservoir is to reduce the amount of steam that gets near the leather.

How to Remove an Indentation From a Leather Couch or Seat

Sitting in one particular part of the couch will cause indentations over time. That’s why it’s a good idea to turn over the leather seat cushions if they’re removable, to equal out the wear. But if you have an indentation, you can fix it.

First, check that there’s no damage to the seat cushion core. If that’s what’s causing the indentation or sagging, no amount of leather treatment will restore the shape. If you’re happy it’s a leather indentation, then first try the ironing technique.

Like before, run the iron over the affected surface, making sure to put down a brown paper bag or cotton cloth first. When it heats up, move it around, stretching it out gently all over the leather until you’ve restored the shape.

Getting indentations out of leather furniture takes more time than it would getting wrinkles out, but the same methods still apply. If the wrinkle or indentation has caused a crack in the furniture, you can even repair this yourself with a leather repair kit, or if it’s beyond your own expertise, contact a leather furniture professional who will help you restore the material.

Look After Your Leather

In the same way you look after a leather jacket or favorite pair of smart leather shoes, you should also take the time to look after your leather couch. Clean up spills of water and other liquids as soon as they happen, and act before wrinkles get too deep.

Use a leather conditioner every few months, rubbing in the cream to keep it supple and avoid wrinkles and cracks. Prevention is always better than cure, and looking after your leather before the wrinkles appear should always be your aim.

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James Evans

James is a copywriter based in the UK. He writes on sustainability, finance, tech, and anything else that interests him. He likes tea.