Thrift Store Leather Ottoman

~ Levi, checking out the ottoman ~

Dave always hated thrift stores but he enjoyed the great bargains I'd find. Like this ottoman; it was made in Malasia and was purchased at a thrift store for $15. It had a couple of stains on the top but the bones were good and, living in a household with cats, dogs and people who like to actually use their furniture...iow, put their feet up, it was a great buy. 

The ottoman is leather, quite nice leather, and is in the living room which is where the wood stove is located. That means unless I do a monthly nourishment treatment, the leather will age well before it's time. I'm guessing the reason the ottoman was donated to a thrift store in the first place is because of the stains. It's funny...some people see stains and I see character. 

~ neats foot oil that I've had for almost twenty years ~

There are a lot of leather cleaners on the market but I use the same thing in the house, I use in the barn...neatsfoot oil. I also have other leather cleaners but, until this gallon jug is empty, it's neatsfoot oil for me. Neatsfoot oil is rendered from the shin bones and feet, but not the hooves, of cattle. "Neat" is an old name for cattle and neatsfoot oil conditions, softens and preserves leather. If the words "prime" or "compound" are used, it's, probably, petroleum based; not what you want. 
Fat from warm blooded animals, such as cattle, has a higher melting point and becomes hard when cold but not neatsfoot oil. It remains liquid and darkens leather which is not a bad thing, in my opinion. Especially when it's a $15 thrift store bargain!

The sides aren't all that darker but the top is a lot darker.

The more neatsfoot oil I use, the more uniform the top will become until, eventually, it's all the same color. Neatsfoot oil is found at hardware stores, big box stores and specialty stores but I shop at tack shops, places where horse supplies are sold and the price is a lot better. Not as good, mind, as the $6 you see on my gallon jug but still a good buy. 

I'm a crazy woman smile ...posting twice on the same day; this time it's with Miss Mustard Seed and her Furniture Feature Friday. 

"There are only two ways to live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~ Albert Einstein ~

Today's Miracles ~ thrift store finds ~ Levi ~ neatsfoot oil ~ Godly women ~