Nubuck: Do you have the before and the after pictures of Cleaning Restoration on Nubuck?

Picture #1 shows animal urine contamination that turns to a black stain.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/DSC06009.jpg

Picture #2 shows the close-up.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/DSC06011.jpg

Picture #3 shows decontamination without need of coloring.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/DSC06089.jpg

Picture #A1 shows human adult female stain, send in by customer.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/IMG_0660.jpg

Picture #A2 shows close-up.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/IMG_0657.jpg

Picture #A3 shows dry soil removal on stain
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...oInBox1141.jpg

Picture #A4 shows the finishing touch to create a “finger writing effect”.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...oInBox1395.jpg

Picture #A5 shows leather safe (pH 3-5) wet cleaning soaking into the leather structure.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...oInBox1414.jpg

Picture #A6 shows further fatliquoring to balance the color tone difference between panels without resorting to coloring.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...oInBox1628.jpg

And here is the testimony from the elated customer:

We have owned our Nubuck sofa and liove seat for 8 years now. We bought it at the Bay and at the time were not told how to care for it or really how precious a leather it was. We had just spotted it, liked the design and colour and as it happened to be on sale, we bought it. We didn't think much about it until it seemed time we should have it cleaned, as one would periodically clean any furniture. It happened that we were having our carpets cleaned so I asked the fellow if he could also clean the sofa and love seat. He informed me as it was suede, it could not be cleaned, that any kind of cleaning treatment would ruin it. So that was that, we took his word as gospel and just vacuumed it regularly and bought covers for it when our little relatives came to visit. For eight years we had no incidents other than our cat walked on the back of the sofa with wet paws and left tiny little prints, hardly even noticable. Of course over time the colour faded and there were usage marks as in any furniture that gets sat upon on a regular basis, however it didn't bother us and after all it was eight years old.

A couple of months ago we had some guests come and stay with us a for a few days. Upon their arrival we all sat in the living room and enjoyed some wine and catch up conversation. Our guests sat on the sofa, one on the center cushion, the other on the end. After about three hours of a most enjoyable visit and too much wine we decided to call it a night. I got up to take the glasses to the kitchen and when I returned the one guest had got up and come around the coffee table to say good night to me and as I glanced over to where that guest had been sitting I noticed a rather dark triangular "spill ?" The other guest also noticed it and then looked at the guest standing up and with jaw dropped to the floor said...........you've wet yourself! Sure enough, the guest looked down and did indeed see wet pants! I quickly in a panic got some paper towel and tried desperately to soak it up but the sofa had soaked it up like a sponge! Absolutely nothing was coming up on the paper towel. My guest was very sorry and asked if it would be ok, and I said well, it's suede and it will probably stain. But I said it's ok, just go on up to bed.

I was devestated & sure it was ruined and would have to be chucked out. I knew my husband would be horrified, he had gone up to bed befor this had happened, and so I just told him the guest had spilt some wine in order to save some embarrassment on the behalf of our guest, and not to gross him out! My God, I suddenly realized I was living an episode from Sienfeld!
Poppy peed on my sofa!!!!! One could really not help but laugh.

In the morning our guests came downstairs and again appologized for the accident and offered to have it cleaned. I said that was fine, but I had been told because it's suede, it could not be cleaned. But that I would try to call around and see if someone or something can't be done. I went through the phone book and called the first cleaner I found, he said it could be done, but when he showed up and saw it was nubuck leather, told me it could not be done. I couldn't give up, so kept calling different cleaners, same response. I called the Bay where it was bought to see if they could do something, they could not. My sister had asked her carpet cleaner Chem Dry, if he could do it and he said he could. He came to the house to look at it and told me he could not guarantee getting the stain out, but recommended we tint it to cover it up. We really didn't want to change the look of the furniture, as it would then look like shiney leather and not suede.

I finally accepted that it could not be cleaned and my brother in law suggested having the center cushion reupholstered with a piece from the back of the sofa. What a brilliant idea!! The cushions are sewn right into the sofa, so they couldn't even be turned over. So I called an upholsterer who asked if the back of the sofa was done in strips of leather and not one piece. It was, and so that cancelled out reupholstering! There was no way she would ever be able to get another piece of nubuck to match but she gave me the number of the Leather Doctor and suggested I call him.

This is now three weeks after it orignally happend, it took that long to finally find someone who might be able to help. I phoned Roger and explained a guest had peed on my sofa and could he get the stain out? Right away in talking with him I felt at ease because of his extensive knowledge about leather care and especially the Nubuck. Roger explained how the ph levels in the urine could effect the ph levels in the Nubuck and needed to see the stain. He asked me to take a photo of it under regular light, and under a black light.......thankfully my teenage daughter had asked for one a couple of Christmas's ago, because who has a black light sitting around the house??? Anyway, we were able to send him the photos and he called me telling me he absolutely COULD get the stain out! What a relief! I thought our furniture was ruined and now it was saved!

We took our sofa to his place and left it in his professional capable hands.
We were amazed when he sent the photo of the center cushion, stain removed!
When we picked up the finished product a few weeks later, we were thrilled!
It looked amazing! The stain completely gone, the finish like new, the colour back to the original colour! The feel soft and supple again, he had renapped them, and the natural grains were brought out once more. Our furniture looked brand spanking new and it's eight years old and was peed on! The Leather Doctor did an amazing job and I would highly recommend him for any kind of leather care. He was professional, funny and honest. He could not give me a definate cost at the beginning because it was too unpredictable as to how much product he'd need to restore the furniture, but he gave me a rough estimate and the end result was well within it.

Thank you Roger, the Leather Doctor!

Sincerely,

Karen

White Rock, B.C.