How to clean a leather couch and leather furniture

Step by step

1. 1

   Check the finish and the maker's instructions

   Find out whether your leather has a protective finish or is unfinished (aniline-type), using the maker's care guide or tag. Test anything new on a hidden spot, such as the back or under a cushion.

   Why: Unfinished leathers absorb liquids much faster and stain more easily, so their makers often allow less.

2. 2

   Vacuum and dust

   Vacuum the seams, crevices and the gaps around cushions with a soft brush or crevice tool, then dust the surfaces with a dry soft cloth.

   Why: Grit is abrasive and wears through the finish where people sit.

3. 3

   Wipe with distilled water

   Dampen a soft cloth very lightly with distilled water, wring it out well and wipe the leather section by section. One furniture maker suggests doing this weekly.

   Why: It lifts surface soil and body oil. Distilled water has no minerals to leave spots.

4. 4

   Use mild soap foam for grime

   For soiled areas, mix a little mild soap into distilled water, work up a foam, and apply only the foam with a barely damp cloth. Then blot the area with a cloth dampened only with distilled water to remove the soap.

   Why: The foam cleans with very little moisture, and rinsing stops soap residue from building up. Saturating leather can move the dye and leave rings.

5. 5

   Dry and condition

   Blot off any moisture with a dry cloth and let the couch air-dry at room temperature. Once it's fully dry, use a leather conditioner if the maker recommends one.

   Why: Cleaning removes some of the tanning oils that keep leather supple. Heat or a hair dryer would dry it further and crack it.

What leather is, and what that rules out

Leather is tanned animal hide. Oils added during tanning keep it soft, and it's very absorbent, so spills sink in rather than sitting on top, especially on unfinished leather. Water left on it can harden and shrink it as it dries; liquids can also move the dye and leave a ring.

That rules out soaking or saturating it, harsh alkaline cleaners (alkalis strip oils), ammonia, chlorine bleach, acetone and other strong solvents, and general-purpose polishes and waxes. It also rules out heat: one furniture maker says to keep leather at least 12 inches from radiators and heat sources and out of direct sun, which fades it. The American Cleaning Institute's advice is simply to use a cleaner and conditioner made for leather and to follow the furniture maker's directions.

Stains on leather: what you can do at home

Spills: blot right away with a dry, soft cloth. Don't rub, which spreads the liquid and the dye. Hand cream, body oil, hair products and cosmetics with alcohol: wipe them off straight away, since they can darken or damage the finish if they sit.

Ink, pen and oil stains: extension guidance from Kentucky and Iowa State is not to treat these on leather at home, because stain removal on leather can take the dye out with the stain. Blot fresh oil with a dry cloth and take set stains to a leather-care specialist. See ink on leather and grease on leather. For more on the material, see leather.

By situation

Pen or ink stain on a leather couch

Don't reach for rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover: both can lift color and finish along with the ink. Blot fresh ink with a dry cloth to stop it spreading, then call a leather-care specialist, especially for unfinished leather.

Oil or grease stain

Blot it immediately with a dry, soft cloth to take up what's still on the surface. Don't add water or soap, which can spread it. If a dark mark remains, a leather specialist is the safe route.

A leather couch that smells musty

That's usually mildew from humidity or a spill that never dried. University of Georgia Extension's guidance for surface mold on leather is to brush it off, wipe with water and mild detergent, then with a 50/50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol, dry it, and condition it. Do this outdoors or with windows open, and lower the room's humidity. Mold that has gone deeper than the surface needs a professional.

Wrinkles in leather

Iowa State's AnswerLine explains that wrinkles come from naturally loose areas of the hide relaxing with age, and that cleaning and agitation can make them more visible. No authoritative home method for removing them was found. Keeping leather conditioned and away from heat helps it age evenly; for upholstery, ask the furniture maker or a leather specialist.

Scratches and scuffs

No sourced home method for repairing scratches was found. Light marks on finished leather may soften after cleaning and conditioning, but color loss or deep scratches are a job for a leather repair specialist or the maker.

Faux leather (vinyl or polyurethane)

It's a plastic, not hide, so it doesn't need conditioning. Clean it with mild soap and water as its maker directs, and dry it.

What not to do

• Don't saturate leather with water or cleaner. Liquid moves the dye and leaves rings, and water left on leather hardens and shrinks it.
• Don't use harsh alkaline cleaners, ammonia, bleach or solvents. They strip the tanning oils, finish and color that keep leather supple.
• Don't dry leather with heat or place it near heaters or in direct sun. Heat dries and cracks leather; sun fades it.
• Don't spot-treat ink or old stains with home solvents. Stain removal on leather can remove the dye too.
• Don't cover leather in plastic or keep it somewhere hot and humid. Leather needs ventilation, and humidity invites mildew.

Other methods that work

Leather cleaner and conditioner

Wipes, foams or creams made for cleaning and conditioning leather furniture are the American Cleaning Institute's suggestion.

Caution: Choose one made for your type of leather and test it on a hidden area.

Professional leather cleaning

For ink, dye transfer, oil on unfinished leather, large water marks, cracking or color loss.

Caution: Even professional cleaning can change color or texture or make wrinkles more visible.

Stain still there?

A water ring appeared after wiping

The leather got too wet in one spot. Next time, wring the cloth almost dry and wipe whole sections evenly so they dry at the same rate. A persistent ring on unfinished leather needs a specialist.

The leather feels stiff or dry after cleaning

Cleaning removed some of its oils. Apply a leather conditioner once it's fully dry, if the maker recommends one, and keep it away from heat.

Soap left a dull film

Wipe again with a cloth dampened only with distilled water, then dry with a soft cloth.

Safety

• Ventilate when wiping mildew with an alcohol and water mix, and keep it away from flames.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

More guides for this room

• How to clean baseboards (painted or stained wood)
• How to clean blinds: vinyl, metal, wood and bamboo
• How to clean a couch, including stains and smells
• How to clean curtains, washing them or not
• How to clean wallpaper, and wallpaper glue off walls
• How to clean painted walls without damaging the paint
• How to remove water stains and rings from wood and fabric
• How to clean windows without streaks, and remove water spots