How to Clean Leather Furniture

Beautiful, functional leather furniture will last a lifetime if properly cared for. The one thing to remember when cleaning leather is that it is skin, and treat is accordingly. Don't over scrub leather or use harsh, abrasive cleaners on it. A good rule of thumb for cleaning leather - if you would not put the cleaning product on your skin, don't put in on leather.

How To Clean Spills from Leather Furniture

Spills should be cleaned up immediately to prevent staining. Blot as much of the spill up as possible with paper towel or a hand towel. Once all the spill has been blotted, dampen a micro-fiber cloth and blot the area to soak up and remove any lingering liquid.

If the leather needs more than just a blot and a wipe with water to clean up the spill, use baby shampoo. Pour one teaspoon of baby shampoo into one quart of warm water, dip a sponge or micro-cloth into dilute mixture and wring out excess moisture. Wipe the sponge or micro-fiber cloth in circles across the spill - working in circles first in one direction, then the other. Wet a clean cloth with water to wipe off baby shampoo solution then buff with a dry cloth.

How To Remove Oil Stains from Leather

If the bucket of hot wings was turned over on leather couch when a favorite team scored the touchdown, clean up the greasy mess with flour or cornstarch. Cover an oily stain leather with flour or cornstarch and pat it in to absorb the oil. Let the flour or cornstarch sit for 10 minutes, then vacuum away. Several applications of flour or cornstarch may be needed to remove all of the oil stain.

How To Clean Away Ink Stains on Leather Furniture

Removing ink stains from leather furniture is tricky and results depends on how long the pen marks have been on the leather. The fresher the ink stain, the great likelihood all of the ink can be cleaned away.

Moisten a cotton swab, then dip the tip in shampoo. Rub the pen marks with the cotton swab and see if the ink begins lifting. Continue working the shampoo into the leather (change cotton swabs as needed) until pen marks are gone. Blot with a damp micro-fiber cloth to remove shampoo residue.

**Suede leather furniture can be gently spot cleaned with an art gum eraser.