The best way to remember what you can and can't use on your leather is to keep this in mind: The two most commonly used chemicals that will cause severe damage to your leather are alcohol and acetone. Stay away from products that contain these substances at all costs, regardless of what you read online.
Since leather is such a delicate material, a lot of household cleaners we normally use to keep tidy can actually cause harm to this material. Be sure to avoid these products when cleaning your leather: Baking soda, white vinegar, cream of tartar, and lemon juice.
Water strips leather of its natural oils and when wet leather dries, you'll often find that it has become dry and brittle. While rain can ruin leather, the following steps can help you treat and fix water-damaged leatherto help preserve your valuable leather apparel.
Mice and rats sometimes nibble on leather. Wood wasp and larder beetles pierce it. There are also insect larvae which eat leather, resulting in small little holes.
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.
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.
The best way to remember what you can and can't use on your leather is to keep this in mind: The two most commonly used chemicals that will cause severe damage to your leather are alcohol and acetone. Stay away from products that contain these substances at all costs, regardless of what you read online.
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.
Salt is particularly damaging to leather, so wipe it off as soon as possible, even if the item has already been treated. Mag chloride ice melt is an excellent melter for both residential and commercial applications. Wipe off all of the salt from the leather with a damp, clean cloth and blot dry.
Not only can leather absorb water/liquid and leave behind stain marks, but getting wet can even detract from the leather's durability.
Vaseline can be used for softening leather. Before applying Vaseline to leather, start by dabbing a small cotton pad with rubbing alcohol over the leather surface. You'll want to dab each section of the surface until it starts to shine. Try to make the shine even across the entire surface.
The result can be a spotty, stained appearance and a loss of the suppleness of the leather, leaving it brittle… even cracked. If the water takes a long time to evaporate, the leather can even begin to rot.
Baby oil is a pretty light lubricant (it's mineral oil with some fragrance added) but will still over-soften the leather, much like mink oil would do.
Exposure to Sunlight
Too much exposure to direct sunlight can not only affect the color of your leather, but also cause damaged leather that looks old and worn. Keep note if your leather furniture is exposed to sunlight on a daily basis through a window, or if the sunlight beams through your car windows.
When it comes to leather, you're better off using either water or cleaning products specifically designed for leather. Popular home remedies like baking soda, white vinegar, cream of tartar, and lemon juice can be harsh on delicate leathers and make the problem even worse.
Acetone not only destroys the wear layer (upper side - i.e. grain side) of the leather, but also the tanning components and the fibre structure. The leather becomes brittle, cracks can occur and even holes. After treatment with acetone, the leather cannot be "saved" any more!
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.
As body oils build up on leather furniture from daily use, those oils can build up and weaken the fibers of leather. This type of slow accumulation of damage can result in something as small as a dark spot on your furniture to your leather actually cracking and tearing.
Using household oils on your leather will damage it. Instead, use a leather cleaning and conditioner product, like Leather Honey Leather Cleaner and Leather Honey Leather Conditioner.
If your vehicle has a leather interior, it probably has a thin protective coating to prevent discoloration. Isopropyl alcohol can deteriorate that coating and even remove the dye from the leather itself.
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.
Isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol, can be used to clean leather but it can also potentially damage it if not used properly. Isopropyl alcohol can dry out leather, causing it to become brittle and crack over time. It can also remove the natural oils that keep the leather supple and moisturized.
Methylated Spirits is used to remove any oils and dirt, a quality white polish brings the leather back to life. Repeat seasonally as necessary to look more like proper lady than bag lady. Dampen a rag with methylated spirits, gently dab over any dirty areas to remove oils and grime.
However, you need to be aware that leather isn't your typical material. It's sensitive and porous, which can easily get affected by harsh chemicals. This means that traditional nail polish removal methods such as soaps and acetone-based nail polish removers will only end up damaging your leather.
We don't recommend using pure coconut oil to condition leather because it's easy to over condition leather goods. It's difficult to apply the right amount of pure coconut oil to the type of leather you have. Too much oil may over soften and weaken the leather, causing your boots to wear out faster.