I need a homemade leather upholstery cleaning recipe that will clean but also leave the leather soft with a satiny shine. Any help is greatly appreciated. Please and Thank You.
For ink-based leather stains like ballpoint pen and marker try rubbing alcohol. Dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol, and gently rub along the mark until ink begins to lift. Change cotton swabs often to reduce bleeding. Once the leather stain is removed, wipe away excess alcohol with clean, damp cloth.
For protein-based leather stains like food and blood, try a paste of 2 parts cornstarch to 1 parts lemon juice as you learn how to clean a leather couch and leather furniture.
For surface scratches, try erasing with a mild oil, like olive or baby oil. Dip a cotton swab in oil and gently massage along the scratch until well covered. Let sit for 5 minutes and gently buff away excess oil with a clean, dry cloth.
The best way to clean a leather couch and the entire surface, mix 2 parts white vinegar with 1 part olive oil in a spray bottle and shake well. You can also add a few drops of fragrant essential oils to cut the vinegar smell.
To clean leather naturally, make a cleaning solution by mixing together 2 parts coconut oil or olive oil and 1 part lemon juice.
To revive the luster of leather furniture and buff out small scratches and fading, try a natural leather cleaner like coconut oil. Use a clean, dry cloth to rub coconut oil into leather in a circular motion, much like shoe polish. Let it penetrate for 10 minutes, and buff out excess oil with a new, clean cloth.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I FINALLY got a new sofa and its leather. With 4 kids I hope I will be glad that we got leather. I need suggestions on how to care for and clean the sofa. I like to clean my home using baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice so I would rather not use the leather cleaners that are on the market if possible. Thanks.
Do you have a recipe for homemade leather furniture cleaner? The item is a sofa. It has an smell to it that is not offensive but maybe just old and used. I would like to clean and condition the sofa using ordinary products, not a leather cleaning kit for $80. Thanks for your help.
Shirley from Leesburg, VA
Answers:
Absolutely the best product on the market for most leather furniture is at this link NO BULL!
And it is NOT $80 You can get an 8 oz bottle of the cleaner and an 8 oz bottle of the high quality treatment for a combined total of $24.95 MUST SEE
http://www.mobileleatherservice.com/NOBULL.html (03/15/2007)
By MR. Leather Helper
Thanks for the info but my concern is not saving money on the cleaners. I just really worry about exposing my family to unnecessary chemicals. I'll check out the website you listed to read about their products.
Homemade cleaners for leather can sometimes ruin leather. Go to an Auto Store. They have leather cleaners and conditions for leather car seats at reasonable prices.
So much hype and paranoia posted here!
Leather is wonderful and I have several chairs and a couch that I have cleaned for over 20+ years with a simple solution of ......
1 tablespoon Murphy's oil soap diluted with 1 qt water.
Nothing magical or expensive. But it does the job without drying out the leather or costing you buko bucks$$
AND yes they all survived kids, popcorn movie nights, animals and pretty much anything else a family can dish out.
The premade stuff is outrageously expensive and not any better.
We have used a bar of ivory soap & water. Any cleaning you do on leather will eventually take away the top layer. Leather is supposed to be "worn" - that's different than dirty, obviously.
Recipes for leather cleaners. Post your ideas.
If you need to wash leather furniture, combine 1/4 cup vodka, 1/4 cup distilled vinegar, and 3-4 drops of jojoba or olive oil in a container. Pour mixture onto a soft rag and rub into leather. Do not rinse.
By Brenda Cole
Editor's Note: Warning - As with any cleaner homemade or store bought, test in an out of the way first to see how it reacts with your furniture before applying to the whole piece.
I'm wondering if this formula will work on leather coats and jackets also??
Goop waterless hand cleaner. I have used this for about 15 years now, I have used it on coats, chairs, all of the horse tack, saddles, bridles, halters, shoes, car dashs. You just put it on rub it in and let it sit for a few min, rub with a clean towel, you may need to get a new towel when that one gets yucky after its off take a clean towel and buff a little.
I used Goop on my leather sofa and it came so clean. I'm going to keep a jar of Goop for cleaning my leather furniture.
I tried Mr.Clean Magic Eraser and it does work; however, it would be too expensive for an entire sofa. All the other uses listed on the packaging work like magic.
