Vegan leather or faux leather is more affordable than real leather and certainly the humane option. It is more prone to wear and cracks but there are easy preventative ways to make vegan leather last longer.
The key to preventing vegan leather from cracking is to regularly care for your products without using harsh treatments. Keeping leather soft and durable with the aid of conditioners will provide extra protection against cracking.
The care required to maintain vegan leather is simple and affordable. The animals you will be saving from cruel practices are exponential.
What is Vegan Leather?
Vegan leather is any manmade material that is made to replicate leather. Traditional leather is made from the skin of animals and is the result of the same cruelty and exploitation as the meat industry.
Vegan leather can be made out of synthetic materials such as plastic or recycled plastic.
Other types of vegan leather are naturally derived from unique materials such as cork, mushrooms, algae, pineapple, and walnuts.
Besides being better for the animals, vegan leather is better for the environment as well.
Vegan leather requires less treatment from harmful chemicals and the production emits less CO2 into the air.
Natural vegan leathers made from CO2 or pineapple offer the lowest carbon footprint.
How to Take Care of Vegan Leather
The best way to care for vegan leather is to protect it right away so that it is easier and gentler to clean when it does get dirty are scruffed up.
A gentle leather conditioner will cleanse the dirt from your vegan leather products and offer an extra layer of protection on the outside of the product to prevent damage.
A leather cleaner will remove tougher dirt but you should still apply conditioner afterward. Stain protection will prevent further discoloration and the need for intense cleaning.
Sunlight can dry out vegan leather. If you cannot keep a vegan leather product out of the direct sunlight, rotating the product so a different chair or area of the couch hits the sunlight will keep your product protected for longer.
Is Vegan Leather Easy to Clean
The good news is that vegan leather is easy to clean.
However, it can be easy to overclean vegan leather which can result in damaged leather that can become dry and cracked.
The best way to prevent over-cleaning is to not use a solution that is overly powerful and to not clean too often or harshly. When wiping down vegan leather, don’t use a rough cloth or sponge that could cause abrasion.
Can You Wash Vegan Leather
You can wash vegan leather and it is recommended to regularly clean vegan leather products.
But, the key is to do regular mild cleans rather than periodic intense cleans. Do not use harsh detergents as they will cause drying and cracking.
An alternative is to simply use warm water and mild soap. Ring out the rag so it is not soaking wet and wipe down the surface.
Make sure to dry the vegan leather with a microfiber cloth.