Sunlight can zap leather furniture

Q: My sister-in-law said that my new leather sofa is going to be ruined because it's in a room that's too sunny. I've never heard of such a thing. What do you say? — Chad B., Denver

A: She's right — sunlight can damage leather. The sun's ultraviolet rays have a bleaching effect on leather, drying it out and causing the color to fade and cracks to appear in the surface. That goes for wood furniture, too. Even faux leather, cloth and other furniture materials are at risk from excessive sunlight.

At the same time, there's nothing better than lounging on the sofa on a warm day with the sun streaming in. Having a house with a lot of natural sunlight in the main living areas also is nice, but creates a problem for keeping furniture looking good.

It's not hopeless, though, even if your sister-in-law's advice seemed a bit alarmist. There are a number of things you can do to protect your sofa from sunlight.

First, if you bought your sofa at a large furniture store you may have been offered UV protection as an extra feature. Or, the UV protection could have been added to the leather by the manufacturer. If you're not sure, check your purchase receipt, or contact the store or the manufacturer to find out.

If it wasn't included by the store or manufacturer, you can treat the leather with a conditioner that includes UV protection. Again, check first with the manufacturer (you can almost always find information on its website) to see if any leather conditioners should be avoided for your specific model sofa.

Even with a UV protectant on the leather, you still need to limit the sunlight that actually reaches the surface. It's fine to let the sun stream in while you're using the room that the sofa is in. You can place a throw or afghan over the parts of the sofa that are hit directly by sunlight. But when you're not using the room, close the curtains on windows through which the sun is streaming directly. This not only keeps out light, it helps maintain the temperature of the room — another factor that affects the look and lifespan of your furniture.

TIP: Spilled water on your leather sofa? Blot it up immediately and let the area dry away from direct sunlight.

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