How to Remove Stickers From Leather Furniture

Leather furniture requires special cleaning.

Leather is a natural product with benefits over manmade compositions like vinyl. Leather does not get as hot or as cold as imitation counterparts do and makes great seating for the home, but leather takes some special care. The special care is most obvious if you have stickers or sticky substances on leather. Remove stickers with caution and without damaging the leather furniture.

Things You'll Need

• Portable hair dryer

Instructions

1. Move the furniture to a location where you can work on the sticky label with lighting and room to work, and where there is an outlet for the portable hair dryer. Alternatively, move lighting to the area of the furniture.

2. Plug in the hair dryer and turn it to low heat. Turn the dryer on, and hold it 8 inches from the sticker. Work from one end of the sticker and warm it for about 30 seconds. Turn the dryer off.

3. Use your thumbnail to get under the edge of the sticker and lift gently. Do not use any tool that might cut the leather. Pull lightly on the sticker and stop as soon as you meet resistance to avoid stretching the leather.

4. Direct the hair dryer to the area under the lifted edge of the sticker, keeping the nozzle about 8 inches away from the leather. Hold it to the area for about 30 seconds, and turn the hair dryer off. See if the sticker loosens by pulling lightly on the end.

5. Repeat heating and pulling on the sticker as many times as necessary until it comes off. If a sticky residue remains, wipe with a soapy cloth and wipe dry with a dry soft cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Look for and read any labels on the furniture that give indications as to the treatment and care, and that reveal the composition of the outer products and inner products in the area where the sticker to be removed is located. Furniture labels are usually on the inside of a chair or sofa under the cushions, or on the underside on the framework. If you find a label for composition, treatment and care of the item, make sure the item is leather and that heat will not harm it.

• Once the sticker is removed, use a leather conditioner in the area where the sticker was located. Avoid shoe cleaner, furniture polish, ammonia, household cleaners, nail polish remover, saddle soap or mink oil on leather furniture, according to Good Housekeeping.

References

• Apartment Therapy: How to Remove Unwanted Stickers Using a Hairdryer
• Good Housekeeping: Maintaining a Leather Recliner

Resources

• Good Housekeeping: How to Clean a Leather Sofa
• Good Housekeeping: Leather Care Tips