Guest Author - Julie E. Fletcher
Each day men and women throw away money on having their leather goods cleaned professionally. Often a leather coat, purse, or even an entire set of furniture will be thrown away because it is too expensive to have it cleaned or there is not a professional close enough to their home.
You do not need to lose money or your leather. You can clean your leather at home and in some cases, restore it to near new condition. Often you may hear that you should use saddle soap or mink oil on leather goods, but I am going to steer you a completely different direction.
If your leather is only lightly soiled, go to your nearest dollar store and purchase several containers of baby wipes. If the wipes you buy have a moisturizing agent in their ingredients, this is an added benefit. To clean your leather, wipe or scrub a small section to make sure the dye is not being removed radically. In most situation, your finished leather will lose some dye to the wipes, but only a small amount. Wipes are not recommended for use on suede or raw leather.
Fold the wipe into a small square and rub the leather over the soiled area in circles. You will see the dirt begin to leave the leather surface and transfer to the baby wipe. Once you have cleaned the entire piece, use one last wipe to gently wipe the whole surface to remove any remaining soil.
For tougher stains on dyed and finished leather, a Magic Eraser can work wonders. You will need to use caution trying this method as the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, or store brand, is made from a material that can remove more layers than you wish, damaging the leather. For those who are not very familiar with their leather article or the Magic Eraser, I do not suggest this except as a last resort.
To use the Magic Eraser method find a spot that is soiled, but not where the test area will be visible. With a very light touch, stroke the Magic Eraser over the dirt in one direction. Use short strokes. After five to six strokes, check the area. If it is grainy, with a raised surface, discontinue use of the eraser. If the surface is still smooth and is now clean, continue the same method over the entire soiled area.
Once you have cleaned the soiled area, give the finished item a once over with clean baby wipes to encourage moisture and shine, plus removing remaining loose dirt.
