How to Clean Cowhide Furniture and Decor

Cowhide is actually one of the most forgiving surfaces to clean and maintain.  After all, it withstood some pretty rough handling in its previous life protecting a cow.

For basic maintenance, simply vacuum your cowhide with the brush attachment, moving in the direction of the hairs.

If something spills on your cowhide, take the following steps:

1) Blot (don’t rub) immediately with a clean cloth until no more liquid is absorbed.  Often this is all that’s needed.

2) If stains from deeply colored liquids like wine, juice or coffee remain, put a drop of mild dishwashing soap or shampoo in a cup of warm water and continue to blot with a sponge or cloth.  Be sure to do this while the stain is fresh.  You may need to rub gently to reach the base of the hairs.  Continue to dampen the sponge and blot/rub until the stain is removed.  Avoid soaking the hide.

3) Allow the hide to dry naturally.  Do not use a heat source such as a blow dryer to speed up the drying time.

4) If thick or sticky substances, such as peanut butter or jelly, get on the cowhide, scrape off as much as possible with the dull side of a dinner knife, moving in the same direction as the hair, then follow the steps above.

You’ll find that hair-on-hide is not only uniquely beautiful, it’s one of the easiest upholstery types to keep looking new for many years.