What is a Good Natural Leather Cleaner?
- Details
- Category: Homemade Cleaning Products
From Salad to Sofa
For the cleaning of leather furniture, vinegar and olive oil offer many choices. Dab vinegar directly over soiled areas, dry it off; then add a dab of olive oil to a soft cloth to help keep the material soft and supple and buff the leather with it. By mixing equal portions of vinegar and olive oil in a tub, whip up an all-round leather cleaner and whisk them together to blend them together. Dip the mixture with a simple paper towel or soft cloth and then rub it all over the leather. With a fresh paper towel or rag, wipe the furniture down again to remove excess oil.
As Basic as Water and Soap
For leather furniture, a gentle hand or dish soap acts as a general cleaner. In a bowl of warm water, mixed together, a squirt or two of soap cleans away the essential dirt and dust. To remove loose dirt, clean the furniture first; then dip a soft white cloth into the soapy water, wringing out much of the water so that the cloth is moist. This way, rub all the leather down, then wipe it with a damp white soap-free cloth again. Immediately afterwards, buff it dry with another white, fluffy fabric. Use a drop or two of the gentle soap directly onto the damp cloth for a deeply soiled area; then rub the soapy cloth over the stain. Use a damp cloth to clean the leather again; then buff dry.
Solution from Stain-Busting
Right out of the medicine box, rubbing alcohol extracts all kinds of stains from leather furniture. On a damp white cloth, spritz a little rubbing alcohol and blot over mildew to prevent mildew stains. To dab away the dye, add alcohol to a cotton ball. Do not rub ink stains, as the ink can spread—just blot and dab, until the ink is gone, using a fresh area of the cotton ball. To ensure that alcohol is compatible with the leather finish, first test alcohol on an inconspicuous region of the leather.
Hot Cleaning Facilities
A lasting mess on the furniture should not be produced by chewing gum, candle wax or chewy substances such as taffy. In a zippered sandwich bag, put some ice cubes and rest the bag over the problem area for a few minutes. With your finger or the bowl of a plastic spoon, pick away the hardened material; it should pry right up. Reapply the ice bag as many times as needed to remove the problem completely.