Be sure to avoid these products when cleaning your leather: Baking soda, white vinegar, cream of tartar, and lemon juice. Some sources online cite these common household products as a DIY solution for cleaning leather. This is actually false as they can be extremely harsh on the material and make stains worse.
How to Clean Leather. You can clean your leather furniture using a simple cleaning solution of 50/50 vinegar and water. Use a microfiber cloth to apply the solution, rubbing the leather in a circular motion to lift the dirt out of the natural fibers.
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.
Because water is chemical-free and pH-appropriate for all varieties of leather, it may be used to clean it. To remove stains, dirt, and debris from the surface of the leather, moisten a piece of microfiber with water and wipe it over the surface.
Make Your Own Solution
The best way to clean a leather couch and the entire surface, mix 2 parts white vinegar with 1 part olive oil in a spray bottle and shake well. (You can also add a few drops of fragrant essential oils to cut the vinegar smell).
Olive oil, and every oily substance for that matter, will not “nourish” your leather, but actually accelerate its deterioration. Leather is extremely permeable, and will soak up any oils you put on it. When oil first saturates leather, it seeps to the back—to the part you can't see.
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.
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.
It's widely agreed that plain old dish soap and water are the best cleaners for all types of leather.
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.
Many people will simply use a regular soap or detergent to tackle the stains, but this is not a good idea – soap residue left on the leather can prevent the material from breathing, causing dry patches and cracking.
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.
Leather — whether this is real leather, or synthetic or plant-based leather — is almost always unsuitable for machine washing and should never be soaked in water during cleaning. Always check the care label before you start to clean any leather item for any special requirements.
We don't recommend cleaning your leather with any sanitizing wipes or sprays as that can damage your leathers finish. Soap and water is the best way to sanitize your hands, and it's perfectly safe and effective for leather seats, too!
A leather cleaner is made to help maintain the leather's natural oil, beauty and softness. Although you do not want to clean your leather in such a way as to damage it, you do definitely want to clean it. Leaving dirt and grime on the leather can also damage it.
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.
You may get darker leather if you use coconut oil, albeit temporarily. But what it's best known for is leaving a spotty, patch-like appearance to the leather and sticky feeling. Treating leather with coconut oil does have a few upsides: it will soften the leather and provide a thin layer of waterproof protection.
What you need to do first to clean any residue on your leather using a soft clean cloth. Next, gently spread coconut oil on the dried surface using circular motions. Make sure to spread the oil evenly on the leather. Don't use too much oil since leather is porous.
Rubbing alcohol
Pour some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or pad and rub in circular motions over the leather school shoe. Then all you need to do is let the boots dry.
Dissolve one part washing-up liquid in five parts lukewarm water. Using a soft, lint-free, white cloth, dab with the solution. Don't wet too much. Leave for a few minutes and wipe off.
As many mothers have discovered from experience, baby wipes can work wonders with stains on your leather sofa, but please test on an inconspicuous area first allowing it to dry, before going tackling vast patches.