Whether you want to protect your shoes, fix up your handbag or give life back to a belt, cleaning leather is actually a lot easier than you might think. You won’t need to pay someone else to do it once you learn just how easy it is to do at home.
All you need is some non-toxic dishwashing liquid (such as the eco store brand, available from the supermarket). That’s right, the stuff you use to scrub your dishes work perfectly well to clean your leather items as well.
You will need:
- 1 tbsp non-toxic dishwashing liquid
- 2 large mixing bowls or buckets
- 2 clean cloths
- Leather conditioner to protect the item (optional)
How to:
- Squeeze one tablespoon of liquid into a mixing bowl and add warm water to mix it together.
- Fill a second bowl with warm water.
- Dip one cloth into the soapy water, squeeze to remove excess water, and use it to wipe down the leather with gentle strokes.
- Dip one corner of the second cloth into the fresh water, give it a squeeze and then use it to wipe the leather again to remove the soapy water.
- Use the dry part of the clean cloth to thoroughly dry the leather item and then place somewhere out of the elements to air dry completely before use.
- Once dry you can opt to protect your leather goods by applying a water-resistant leather conditioner, such as Dubbin, which you can buy from the supermarket.
What’s your favourite leather item that you’ve ever bought? We would to hear from you in the comments.
Article created in partnership with Over60