Top Five Super Bowl Party Spills and How to Clean Them

Fibrenew
Published: February 3rd, 2011

Local Experts Show the Dos and Don'ts of Proper Party Cleanup!

February 03, 2011 // Franchising.com // On Super Bowl Sunday, it's not just the players who take a beating. During our Super Bowl parties, our furniture gets ran-SACKED more than a quarterback with food and drink spills. It's all got to be cleaned up, but where do you start?

The local leather expert from Fibrenew, a leather and plastics refurbishing specialist, warns consumers of the Top Five Super Bowl Party Spills and arms them with The Do's and Don'ts of Super Bowl Party Clean Up.

"We see a big increase in the damage of leather furniture this time of year with all the Super Bowl parties" says Michael Wilson, CEO of Fibrenew. "Clumsy guests cause damage, but the worst disasters are caused by homeowners who don't know the best ways to clean up a mess and repair a problem."

TOP FIVE SUPERBOWL SPILLS (and how to clean them!)*

1) FOOD OR WINE STAIN: Your brother-in-law eats an entire pizza and drops a slice and his fifth glass of wine on your leather loveseat.

• DON'T use window/mirror cleaner because it contains alcohol which will dissolve and destroy the surface coating on your leather.
• DO use a damp towel to wipe up the mess and a dry one to finish the job. Fully-finished leather is pretty much water proof, so a little spill isn't going to hurt as long as you clean it up quickly, before it soaks through.

2) INK : The spoiled rotten ... we mean darling … neighbor's kid, is keeping score on your leather couch with his new marker set.

• DON'T use dish soap or hair spray to remove the marks. The degreasing agent in dish soap can permanently de-gloss and damage the top coating on the leather surface. Hair spray, another commonly recommended remedy, has alcohol in it and will ruin the surface coating on your leather.
• DO use a soft sponge and specialized leather cleaner. Buy it at most leather furniture retailers – but, for serious problems, your local Fibrenew franchise can help.

3) NAIL POLISH: You try out OPI's Affair in Red Square red to sexy up those toenails pre-game, but you end up polishing a couch cushion instead.

• DON'T use nail polish remover because it will take all of the color out of your leather and leave a bleached spot bigger than the nail polish spot.
• DO, once again, use a soft sponge and leather cleaner.

4) ANIMAL SCRATCHES AND PICKS: Your new dog gets all excited when Big Ben or Aaron Rodgers throws a touchdown and scratches the heck out of your couch.

• DON'T touch up the spots with shoe polish because it makes an ugly, sticky mess.
• DO try to reduce the visibility of the problem by snipping off the cotton interior strands that often get pulled out when leather gets picked. DO use a hair dryer and massage minor scratches with leather cleaner to try to rub it out. Call a professional to fix larger scratches and holes - this is not a DIY kind of job.

5) BURNS AND DISCOLORATION: Those candles, strategically placed to keep the house smelling fresh, get knocked over when your father-in-law high-fives your nephew because his favorite team won. You lose with a dried out heat spot and a cracked couch cushion.

• DON'T try to rub it out and blend it with the surrounding area, you'll only make the problem bigger.
• DO bring in some help. When leather or faux leather gets damaged by heat, the only solution is to call in a professional. Regardless of size, a professional repair can make that burn look brand new and can be done on the spot in your own home.

"We hate to see people damaging their leather furniture further by trying to fix minor problems," says Wilson. "Part of our job as leather and plastics experts is to serve as a resource, helping people understand what problems they can handle on their own and when they need to call a professional."

*There are several types of leather, and the following tips apply to all fully-finished leather, which makes up 85 percent of the leather market.

Tell this story with a Fibrenew Leather Expert in your town who can damage leather and demonstrate the different DOs and DON'Ts of proper cleanup.

About Fibrenew:

Fibrenew, founded in 1985 in Canada, is an international franchise company that specializes in the renewal of leather and plastics, servicing five major markets: aviation, automotive, commercial, marine and residential. There are nearly 200 Fibrenew locations in 9 countries around the world. As a global leader in the environmental movement, Fibrenew prevents thousands of tons of leather and plastics from entering landfills. Fibrenew also supports initiatives that give opportunities to women in third world countries. For more information visit www.fibrenew.com