Hints for Cleaning Leather Furniture

Condition and Clean

• To condition and clean your leather, buy a commercial leather cleaner, or, as Mrs. Clean recommends, make your own. To make Mrs. Clean's formula blend 1 cup vinegar and 2 cups linseed oil. Use a white, lint-free cloth to apply the mixture in a circular motion. Leave the cleaner on overnight and buff to a shine with a dry, lint-free cloth in the morning.

Remove Mold and Mildew

• Remove mold and mildew from leather furniture with a solvent-based cleaner. Mrs. Clean recommends making a cleaner of 1 cup rubbing alcohol and 1 cup water. Apply the cleaner to a white, lint-free cloth. Wipe on to the areas of the furniture that have mold and mildew. Let the furniture air-dry with a fan directed on it.

Spot Cleaning

• Spot clean leather furniture when stains occur. Ink- and dye-based stains can be cleaned with hairspray. Spray the hairspray on the stain, then blot the stain up with a white, lint-free cloth. Mrs. Clean also recommends trying toothpaste to remove stains. Dab toothpaste directly on the stain, gently scrub it, then blot it up with a white, lint-free cloth that is moistened with water.

Revitalize

• When leather is looking old and dull, Reader's Digest suggest using a mixture of vinegar and boiled linseed oil. Simply mix 1 cup vinegar with 1 cup boiled linseed oil in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray on your furniture and use a white, lint-free cloth to smooth it into the leather. Leave the mixture on your leather furniture for about three minutes, then wipe it off with a white, lint-free cloth.