How to Clean and Preserve Leather-Bound Books

How to Clean and Preserve Leather-Bound Books thumbnail
Turn an old beat-up leather book into a beautiful heirloom.

Leather books can be quite attractive on your bookshelf, but if you have one that has become worn or is in rough shape, there are some things you can do to clean the book cover as well as preserve it for years to come.

Things You'll Need

  • Neat's-foot oil
  • Lanolin
  • Lint-free cotton cloth
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Instructions

    • 1

      Mix 1 ½ ounces of neat's-foot oil with 1 ounce of lanolin.

    • 2

      Dip a lint-free cotton cloth into the mixture. Start in the middle of the front cover of the book, and rub the mixture over the front cover. Do the same for the spine and the back cover.

    • 3

      Wipe any excess mixture away, then rub the remaining residue into the leather.

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References

  • Photo Credit Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images

Comments

  • Pixie1976 Jul 11, 2008
    Great tip!
  • Dusty Mills Jul 10, 2008
    I don't have many books with leather covers but will try this on the few I have. Thanks for the info.....

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