Stain Solutions: How to Clean Leather

Cleaning leather—much less lifting stains from it—can be a tricky business. Should you stain your leather, whether it be a fancy Prada purse, your retro leather pants or your beloved Manolos, you may be in trouble, however, here are a few need-to-know tips for when tossing out your clothes and acessories is not an option.

* Always spot test! Leather has a tendency to discolor and stain even worse when treated improperly. When in doubt — take your goods to a pro who can dry clean your leather products safely.

For Treated Leather: Lather up a little bit of moisturizing soap (like Dove) and water on a washcloth. Rub, wipe away the suds with a damp cloth, then buff to finish with another dry towel, preferably a microfiber one.

For Untreated Leather: For most types of leather-cleaning, there is clearly one solution: Murphy's Oil Soap. Used by saddlers and fancy handbag-wielders alike, its gentle formula does a fabulous job of cleaning and conditioning your leather without affecting its tan. And, it works beautifully on wooden floors to boot. 

For more fabulous tips on how to clean leather (like using rubbing alcohol on ink marks), check out this great guide from The Queen of Clean at DIY. And you might also be interested in our posts on How to Care for Your Handbags, Cleaning Patent Leather and our new Laundry Solutions guide.