WHAT TYPE OF LEATHER DO YOU HAVE?

Before cleaning leather, you must first determine what type of leather you have:  At Clean Bee we can clean your Aniline, Pigmented, or Nubuck leather furniture.

Caution! When cleaning any type of leather, please test on an inconspicuous area first to prevent permanent damage.

ANILINE LEATHER

Cleaning Code: A

Aniline leather may also be called: “Unprotected”, “Naked”, “Natural” or “Pure”. Some manufacturers may call leather products by company names to separate themselves from other company’s terms.
Aniline leather is defined as a hide that has been·treated with aniline dye. Aniline dye can be both organic and inorganic material used to impart color to the hide. Aniline dying is carried on in the wet end of the processing stage. The dye is transparent and allows the grain and natural characteristic to show through. This leather has a soft “hand” or feel and has been described as buttery soft.

 

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SPECIFICATION AND CONCERNS

This leather is very susceptible to sun fading, spills soaking in creating areas that look like stains but are not removable. It is also susceptible to body and head ‘oil penetration. Oil penetration has soaked in like body lotion and is not removable without creating blotchy areas. This should be kept in mind when choosing where to use it. Bad specification for use will equate to a poor performance and dissatisfaction both with the leather and the specifiers.

NUBUCK LEATHER

 Cleaning Code: N

Nubuck leather may also be called: “Reverse Suede”, “Suede”, “Distressed” or “Bomber”. Some manufacturers may call leather products by company names to separate themselves from otbercompany’s terms.

Nubuck is aniline leather that the grain surface bas been sanded or buffed to create a velvet-like texture or nap. Many times nubuck is confused with suede. Suede is actually the flesh side of the hide or both sides of a split.

Nubuck is defined as a hide that has been treated with aniline dye. Aniline dye can be both organic and inorganic material used to impart color to the hide. Aniline dying is applied on in the wet-end of the processing stage. The dye is transparent and allows the grain and natural characteristic to show through. This leather has the softest “hand” feel due to its velvet like texture.

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SPECIFICATION AND CONCERNS

Nubuck is the most sensitive of leathers.  Nubuck is very susceptible to sun fading, spills soaking in creating areas that look like stains but are not removable. It is also susceptible to body and head oil penetration. Oil penetration has soaked in like body lotion and is not removable without creating blotchy areas. This should be kept in mind when choosing where to use it. Bad specification for use will equate to a poor performance and dissatisfaction both with the leather and the specifiers.

 PIGMENTED OR “PROTECTED” LEATHER

Cleaning Code: P

Pigmented leather may also be called: “Painted”, “Protected”, “Finished” or “Semi-Aniline”. Some manufacturers may call leather products by company names to separate themselves from other company’s terms.

Pigmented is aniline leather that has had a finish and topcoat containing pigment applied to the top-grain side of the hide. The finish and topcoat are applied to add a protective coating that assist in water repellency and cleanibility. It is also used to enhance the esthetics of the leathers’ appearance. This leather has a smooth or slick “hand” feel due to its finish system.

 

protected-leather

SPECIFICATION AND CONCERNS

This leather is very easy to clean. Many times it is called kid and pet friendly;  however kids like to write on things and this will not come off any type of leather. If that occurs the finish system normally has to be removed in that area and be replaced by a specialist in leather repair. Dogs and cats can cause damage with nails and body oils.

The most common issue we see is the finish system not adhering. This can be caused by numerous reasons including bad surface prep, not enough resins in the finish, inter-coat adhesion issues and more. It should suffice to say that when a finish system fails it normally is a manufacturing issue. There exceptions such as abuse or body oils degrading the finish. This should be kept in mind when choosing where to use it. Bad specification for use will equate to a poor performance and dissatisfaction both with the leather and the specifiers.

David Meintz

David Meintz
Owner, Operations Manager

I am the owner of Clean Bee, the husband of Michelle Meintz and proud father to two sets of twins. I am hard working, driven, caring and passionate, I live my life to hopefully inspire others and to lead by example.

Prior to starting Clean Bee, I was an aircraft mechanic for 15 years where I learned the value of structure, attention to detail, having a team you can count on, and knowing that having and following procedures is critical to being successful.

As one of the leaders of Clean Bee, one of my main goals is to provide a valued skill set to our employees, instilling pride in the job performed and making sure that each employee knows they are valued.

I enjoy weight lifting, cross fit and Obstacle course racing, as well as traveling with my wife and family.

 

Michelle Meintz

Michelle Meintz
AKA The Queen Bee

I am the owner of Clean Bee, the wife of David Meintz, proud mom of two sets of twins and a proud pet owner. I am passionate, loving, caring, enthusiastic, have a big heart and love helping others be the best they can be.

I love being a local family-owned and operated company, working alongside my husband David and my mother-in-law Kathleen daily. I am grateful for our phenomenal crew we have. I have enjoyed watching them grow as individuals, create their own families and helping them successfully reaching their dreams.

Some of my favorite things to do are gardening, card crafting, OCR (obstacle course racing) racing with my family and traveling. I am  also the head of our marketing department. I go out making long lasting relationships with clients and business partners.

I am passionate about helping our local community whenever I can. We have also participated in helping with the Damyak raising funds for the KIN (Kids in Need) the last four years, we have helped with collecting diapers for our local diaper bank and helping with other varies community events.

Our mission is to provide the most outstanding service experience ever by treating our team and clients like family, giving them the freedom to do the things they value most.

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