Mild soap and water. If you can, use saddle soap to give your leather a deeper clean. But if you can't get your hands on it, dilute mild unscented hand soap or dish soap in water as a replacement. You can then dampen a washcloth with the soapy solution to gently remove stains.
Mix 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup coconut oil or EVOO, 1 tsp dish soap, and ten drops of an essential oil. This amount will do a chair of this size. Wipe on and wipe off with a clean cloth.
Regular maintenance cleaning:
Olive oil + white vinegar: shake together in a spray bottle, lightly mist leather bag, and wipe clean with a dry cloth.
If the stain persists, try blotting with a towel dipped in a mixture of water and a mild dish soap (like Palmolive or Dawn). Be sure to blot gently; scrubbing rigorously can cause permanent damage to the leather. When you're done, thoroughly dry the spot with a fresh cloth.
Household items like vinegar and oil can be used to repair small scratches on your favorite leather goods, while glue and sub-patches can be used to fix small tears in your leather furniture.
For leather work boots use WD-40® Multi-Use Product to restore your boots to good condition. Spray the formula directly onto areas with stains, grease, or other grime and let the product sit for several minutes.
Mild dish soap, on the other hand, possesses a basic pH level between 7-8, and other general cleaners, such as Borax, usually find their way to around a basic 10. The contrast between leather pH levels and the cleaners' during contact damages leather fibers and can weaken its integrity over time.
Quite possibly the safest way to wash your leather clothes is by using a solution of soap and water. Handwashing with this solution should even help with difficult stains, and it won't damage the leather. Make sure you are using mild baby soap or a fabric softener, instead of regular soap or laundry detergent.
The jury is out whether soapy water or vinegary water solution is best, but both work wonders. For a quick leather cleaning, you can gently wipe down the surface using a microfiber cloth and equal parts vinegar and water to remove light dirt. For a deeper cleaning, it's helpful to incorporate mild soap.
For tough dirt and grime, use a gentle moisturizing soap like Dove or baby shampoo. Lather the soap on with a cloth, being sure not to over-wet the leather, which can damage it.
You can use a commercial leather cleaner, or you can make your own. Mix warm water and Castile soap or liquid dish washing soap together in a bucket. Use a ratio of 5 parts water to 1 part soap. Dampen a cloth with the solution and wipe down the seat surfaces.
Vinegar & Olive Oil Solution for Deeper Cleaning
Mix together vinegar and olive oil in 1:1 ratio. You can mix it in a small container or - better yet - put it in a spray bottle. The liquids have different consistencies so they will separate if left standing, so mix again or shake the bottle before every application!
Using household oils — like olive oil or mink oil — on your leather will damage it. Instead, use a leather cleaning and conditioner product, like Leather Honey Leather Cleaner and Leather Honey Leather Conditioner.
You should not use Windex on leather. It will ruin your leather product because it usually contains alcohol. Alcohol will dry out your leather, eventually making it unusable.
In a nutshell, baby wipes are possibly the worst thing you can use to clean leather; they're an alkaline product designed to neutralise acid on urine, and destroy the finish on your suite (even if it isn't apparent while you're doing it!).
How to clean leather with vinegar: This may sound surprising, but vinegar can work wonders on leather. If the stain is older, tougher, and the leather is more durable, grab a cleaning cloth and dampen it thoroughly with white vinegar, then gently rub the stained area.
You don't even need harsh chemicals for certain types of leather. However, you may truly degrade the color of your leather by just applying water. So, if you have a colorful piece of leather and clean it with water, the color of your leather will fade.
Mix equal parts water and distilled white vinegar in a small bowl, then using a clean rag with a touch of the solution, rub the stains in small circular motions with light pressure until the salt lifts from the leather. Once they're gone, use a clean damp cloth to remove the excess vinegar.
When cleaning your leather NEVER use strong detergents such as laundry detergent. Always choose a product that helps preserve the leather's natural lubricating oils rather than strip them away. Most cleaning products sold in department and shoe stores are safe.
To tackle light, mild stains, dip a clean, damp washcloth in soapy, warm water and use it to wipe away the stain on your leather. You may need a specialty soap. “Specific leather soaps exist, [they're] usually called saddle soaps,” Pourny says. Don't leave wet spots as you clean leather furniture.
Clean with care
Any cleaning product with a high pH, like vinegar or lemon juice, damages leather fibers and results in excessive drying that creates unsightly cracks. Also avoid products like olive or coconut oil and furniture polishes.
However, accidents do happen when a splash of hand sanitisers end up on our leather shoes and create serious stains. The high alcohol concentration immediately breaks the finish on smooth leather, dissolves dyes and in worst cases even damage the actual grain of the leather.
So, to answer the question, baking soda can be used to clean leather. Its pH level allows it to remove any tough stains and dirt on the material without harming it.