How to clean leather? Leather is a very beautiful material but it needs a good cleaning and maintenance from time to time. Sofa, shoes, boots or leather bag, you will find several cleaning solutions to test on this page.
I present to you 10 effective tips and tricks for cleaning leather. Happy cleaning!
1. Clean the leather with an egg white
As leather is a material that can be fragile, it is important not to use any natural product for its cleaning.
This trick allows you to clean but above all to polish and shine the leather as if it were new.
Egg white is a 100% natural and effective tool for cleaning and maintaining leather. Here’s how to use it on leather:
- Beat 2 or 3 egg whites until stiff.
- Apply and rub the leather with this solution with a soft cloth.
If you are looking for other products to shine, quickly read these other tips and tricks: How to make leather shine?
2. Marseille soap to clean leather
Another product you can use for leather cleaning is Marseille soap. This soap is very popular and can replace commercial cleaning products.
So here is how to use Marseille soap on leather:
- Remove dust and other small dry dirt from the leather.
- Once dusted, rub the leather with a damp cloth and Marseille soap.
- Use a new damp cloth to rub and rinse the Marseille soap.
- Quickly dry the leather with a dry, soft microfiber cloth.
Marseille soap is really very effective for cleaning leather seats, also for cleaning white leather.
3. Clean leather with milk
Did you know that cleansing milk or cleansing milk can be used as a cleanser to clean and shine leather?
Here is how to use this baby milk on leather: (toilet milk and cleansing milk)
- Pour a little makeup remover milk on a soft cloth.
- Rub the leather with this solution (bag, sofa, leather coat, etc.)
- Rub the leather again with a soft cloth and cleansing milk.
Cleansing milk and cleansing milk nourish the leather in addition to making it shiny and very clean.
4. A mixture of white vinegar and cleansing milk
If you notice stubborn stains on a leather sofa or on your handbag, we have a tip for you!
- Add a little white vinegar (a few drops) to cleansing milk.
- Soak a cotton swab or cotton ball in this solution and rub the stain.
- Once the stain is removed rinse with a damp cloth.
This mixture of white vinegar and cleansing milk is also very effective in removing the smell of perspiration on leather.
Also effective for cleaning varnish stains!
Indeed, cleansing milk is also effective against varnish stains as you can read here: How to remove varnish from leather?
A grease stain on leather is not always easy to remove but not impossible believe me!
Talc can come to your aid as you will discover here:
- Dust the entire grease stain with talcum powder.
- Leave on for ten minutes and rub gently with a soft cloth.
- Rinse and rub again with a damp cloth to remove all traces of the talc.
6. Remove a stain embedded in leather
If you can’t clean a well-encrusted stain in leather, we might have a tip for you… The clay stone!
Indeed, the clay stone is a cleaning product that can be used everywhere in the house to clean it from stains.
- Soak a microfiber cloth with water and white clay stone (a small amount).
- Gently dab the stain with this solution.
- Rinse gently with a damp sponge and dry with a soft, clean cloth.
Warning: it is important not to rub (dab only) the leather with the clay stone as you risk damaging the leather.
7. Glycerine for leather cleaning
Glycerin is effectively effective in cleaning leather but it also helps nourish and soften it.
Here’s how:
- Soak a cloth or sponge in lukewarm water and add glycerine soap (you can also make a mixture of water and glycerine).
- Apply to the surface to thoroughly clean the leather and leave to act for several hours.
- Apply a nourishing product to revive smooth leather the next morning.
If your leather is fragile and very worn, dab it gently with a cloth soaked in glycerin. Really very effective!
8. Remove a blood stain from leather
A blood stain is not always easy to remove, especially on certain surfaces. If you have just noticed a blood stain on leather here is what to do:
- Dilute a little white vinegar with lukewarm water.
- Rub the blood stain with this solution and a sponge (or soft cloth).
If the blood stain is more on suede or suede type leather, dilute the water with a little ammonia before dabbing the stain.
9. Prevent stains with a leather dusting
To prevent dirt from becoming embedded in the leather and causing stains to form, it is important to dust the leather frequently.
If you have a leather sofa or even leather car seats, dusting once a week is necessary.
What to use to dust a leather sofa or armchair?
- a microfiber cloth
- a chamois skin
If you let dust and dirt accumulate on a leather sofa, you risk quickly finding yourself with stains that are much more difficult to clean!
10. Leather cleaner
If you don’t like to try natural tips and tricks then we have a product to suggest: The Renapur leather kit!
This leather set includes leather care balm and cleaner to remove stains and dirt.
You can use these 2 products for:
- boots and shoes
- jacket, coat and garment
- leather car seat
- sofa and leather furniture etc.
If you’re more looking for nubuck cleaning tips, read these other tips: How to clean nubuck shoes?