Cleaning upholstery in general is not very easy. You can’t choose a cleaner randomly and try it on your sofa. First of all it is necessary to follow the manufacturer’s indications written on the label. You also have to become aware of the properties of each cleaning products as well as of the peculiarities of the material you need to clean. It is essential to make sure that the cleaner you want to use is safe and won’t ruin your home upholstery. The same procedure has to be followed with leather. This stress resistant, sumptuous material is widely used to cover our home sofas or armchairs and even though is highly resistant to stains it requires a careful, regular cleaning.

Be careful with leather

As for any home fabric, not every cleaning solution is suitable to effectively clean leather. This material is also very vulnerable to cleaners. Very often, when you try to clean leather, the top layer gets damaged even with the softest cleaning treatments. It is not unusual, for example, to ruin a leather sofa using only a simple mixture of water and dish soap.

A home-made remedy is ideal to safely clean your leather. One of the most effective solutions are baby wipes. Unlike specific upholstery cleaners, baby wipes can be used also for a regular and safe leather cleaning. Another household ingredient that you might use to clean leather safely is a little bit of very delicate hands soap.

Getting rid of a stain on leather

To effectively clean leather it is first of all essential to avoid harsh chemicals such as liquid dry cleaners. Specific cleaners as lacquer thinner must be avoided or you will cause a serious damage to your leather upholstery. Other synthetic chemicals should not be used to clean leather. These are nail polish remover and other dry solvents commonly used to clean carpets and upholstery. As leather items are difficult to clean, in case of tough stains you might be tempted to easily get rid of the dirt using one of these chemicals. It is not a very good idea however, as your leather might be seriously damaged.

In case leather is stained by lacquer or other non-water soluble substances you should better opt for a softer treatment. The most effective solution to remove tough stains from leather is using vinegar. Unlike other household ingredients such as water, dish soap and so on, white vinegar can be absorbed by leather and dissolve the stain efficiently without causing any damage to your upholstery. A mixture of white vinegar and linseed oil is the best solution to safely remove a stain from leather and keep its natural softness.

To use vinegar for leather stain removal, you can follow these easy steps:

  • Mix one part of linseed oil with one part of white vinegar
  • Apply the mixture on the stain and let sit for 12 hours
  • Scrape gently the spot with a dry cloth