Cleaning Leather

Leather products, be it upholstery or handbags or clothes, look very chic and stylish. The only issue is that most of the people do not have an idea how to go about cleaning them and very often, end up ruining their leather products in the process. One basic thing that you have to keep in mind while cleaning leather products is that the cleaning process will depend upon the type of product. For example, the cleaning procedure for leather upholstery will be very different from the one for leather jackets. In the following lines, we have provided some tips that will help you in cleaning various leather products.

How to Clean Leather

Leather Upholstery

In case of leather upholstery, you can use soap and water to give a light cleaning. However, it is better to try soap and water on a small and unnoticeable area, before proceeding with the cleaning of the complete furniture. For the purpose, make use of a light soap, even mild dish washing liquid is pretty good. In case soap is not recommended by the furniture manufacturer or leads to discoloration, it is better to go for a proper leather-cleaning kit that does not contain water-based cleaning agents. Check out how to clean leather upholstery with soap and water.

Put one part dish washing liquid into five parts water.
First use the solution on a small area.
Gently rub the solution onto the area, while going in a circular motion.
If you are satisfied with the cleaning, proceed with the entire furniture.

Leather Jackets

Soap and water is good for cleaning only upholstery, that too of some types only. It is not recommended in case of some other leather products, like leather jackets, and at times, might damage them severely. The exceptions are jackets made of processed leather, like motorcycle and aviation jackets. In case you want to give a simple touch-up to your leather jackets, make use of a light cloth and a light spray cleaner. If the jackets needs more than a light cleaning, it is advisable to take it to the dry cleaner for a professional cleaning. For the jackets made of brushed leather, brushing with mohair brush or even an old-fashioned shoe brush will work just fine.

Miscellaneous Leather Items

Leather items like leather handbags, attaché cases, luggage, leather pants, leather vests and leather capes are best cleaned with the help of a leather cleaning kit. You will find the kit with almost all the good department stores, usually including the one you bought the products from. The kit usually contains a brush, a cloth and a cleaning solution. You will also find the cleaning instructions within the kit itself.

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