What Is a Good Cleaning Product to Buy for Leather?

Baseball gloves are often unfinished leather.

Professional Leather Cleaning Product

Many leather items, such as furniture, car seats and clothing, are coated or treated with a finishing product for durability, stain resistance and ease of care. Use a leather cleaning product labeled for finished or treated leather, available in furniture, automotive and super stores, to clean this type of leather effectively.

Saddle Soap

Saddle soap is one of the most common cleaners used to clean unfinished or raw leather items, such as baseball gloves and horse saddles. It also softens the leather. It is available for purchase in many places, such as sport supply stores and online.

Bottom Line

Read the owner's manual and use what is recommended to clean your leather product. If you don't have a manual, test the leather with a drop of water. If it absorbs the water, the leather is not finished and you should use saddle soap to clean it. If the drop of water beads on top, it is finished and you should use a finished leather cleaning product. Test the cleaner in an out-of-the-way spot first to be sure it does not harm your product.

References

• Advanced Leather Solutions: Leather Cleaning & Leather Care Maintenance Information
• Auto Geek: Example Leather Cleaning Products