How to Clean Leather at Home
The expensive cost of real leather has led most of us to believe that leather must be taken to a dry cleaner or otherwise professionally cleaned to avoid damages to the material from inexperienced cleaning attempts. Actually, leather is incredibly easy to clean at home, without the worry of damaging the rugged fabric. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Saddle or leather soap
- Soft-bristled scrub brush
- Damp cloth
- Dry cloth
- Leather conditioner
Instructions
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Wipe the entire surface of the leather with a lightly damp cloth to remove dust and dirt. Do this often to prevent the leather from growing excessively dingy or dirty.
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2
Identify any stains and remove large particles of the stain. For example, when gum is stuck on a leather surface, remove all the gum you can with a smooth, blunt-edged tool such as a spoon. Certain stains will require special cleaning methods to remove the stains; you may consider researching how to remove the stains specifically from leather, if you can identify the stain source.
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3
Apply a small amount of saddle soap or a gentle dish detergent to the soft-bristled scrub brush or dry wash cloth; the washcloth should only be used on slick, finished leather, not napped or unfinished, rough leather. Rub the cloth together or your hand across the bristles of the brush to create a foam lather to apply on the leather; you will need a thick lather, so avoid adding much water to the soap.
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4
Scrub the stains and dirty spots on the leather with the lathered cloth or brush. Continue to rub until the spots disappear.
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Rinse out the cloth and wring the water out. Wipe the lather from the surface of the leather with the damp cloth. For napped leather, blot and rub the leather with a dry cloth to retain the nap as the leather dries.
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6
Apply leather conditioner to the entire surface. The conditioner will help replace natural oils that the soap may have removed. Apply only a tiny dot of conditioner and rub into the surface; a dime-size dot applied to a dry rag should cover an entire leather sofa.
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Tips & Warnings
Before giving in and taking a leather item to a dry cleaning service, check that the dry cleaners are equipped to clean leathers before you entrust them with your items.
Test this method on a small, hidden area of the leather piece beforehand to prevent damaging the piece.
