These are the best leather cleaners to use on sofas, car seats and shoes
LEATHER furniture is a wonderful thing: it looks amazing, it’s super comfy to sit on and – best of all – it’s really easy to clean.
Provided you have a good leather cleaner, that is.
Unlike, say, your oven, your leather items don’t typically require a ton of chemicals and elbow grease to look sparkling and new. In fact, you can mostly get away with wiping down your leather with leather-safe wipes every now and again.
Just don’t use baby wipes, which can contain chemicals that break down leather over time and cause it to peel and crack.
Some people swear that a simple DIY recipe of dish soap mixed into warm water will do the trick of getting rid of everyday dirt and leave your leather looking shiny again.
Or you can combine one part white vinegar with one part water for a spruce-up. White vinegar is a handy ingredient to have around the house since it’ll clean virtually anything.
For more substantial leather cleaning, or to clean specific leather items, like your shoes, you’re going to want to rely on a specialist leather cleaner to get any stains out and keep leather soft and supple – here are our top picks.
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1. Best leather cleaner for cars: Dodo Juice Supernatural Leather Cleaner Spray
- (AD) Dodo Juice SNLC500 Supernatural Leather Cleaner Spray for Vinyl and Leather, 500 ml, £14.90 from Amazon –
This award-winning water-based leather and vinyl cleaner blends soaps and solvents to remove dirt and dye stains from your car interior – just apply with a soft brush or colourfast cloth.
The non-sticky formula is developed by chemists specifically for car interiors – it repels dirt excellently and fans love it.
As one says, the ‘seats are now restored back to a factory finish,’ adding ‘these products have lived up to the hype.’
2. Best leather cleaner for sofas: Leather Honey Leather Cleaner
- (AD) Leather Honey leather cleaner, £20.95 from Amazon –
Leather Honey is a top-rated leather cleaning brand whose leather conditioner has been a favourite for decades to soften treasured leather pieces and furniture.
This newer leather cleaner can be used on everything from furniture to apparel and is ultra concentrated – this 4 oz. bottle becomes 32 ounces of cleaner once it’s diluted. It’s particularly effective at removing the build-up of dirt and grime on leather surfaces.
Those who use it on sofas are impressed with the results. As one fan explains: ‘I found that using this leather cleaner actually works wonders in seconds.
‘I followed the instructions and I started cleaning (I have cream/off white leather sofas) the dirt was coming off so easily and now my sofas look like new. It’s truly amazing.’
3. Best all rounder leather cleaner: Renapur Leather Balsam
- (AD) Renapur Leather Balsam 200ml plus 2 x Application Sponges, £12 from Amazon –
This ultra-versatile leather care cleaner can be used on everything, from your antique furniture to your golf shoes, and not only cleans and restores leather but also helps to waterproof it.
Containing natural ingredients like beeswax, carnauba wax, avocado oil and jojoba oil, all it takes it a small swipe of Renapur – a 200ml pot contains enough to clean 200 leather sofas or 500 pairs of leather shoes, buffing the leather without leaving any greasy residue.
Fans who use it have been swearing by the stuff for decades.
4. Best leather cleaner for shoes: Kiwi Saddle Soap
- (AD) Kiwi Saddle Soap, 100g, £14.51 from Amazon –
Kiwi Saddle Soap is a trusted leather goods cleaner that’s suitable for use on all leather clothing, including leather boots, shoes, bags, gloves, jackets – and saddles, of course.
It cleans leather effectively and also softens it, and it can get snow stains and even permanent marker out from leather.
‘I use this on the leather seats in my Mercedes SLS AMG show car, that’s how much confidence I have in it. Put a tablespoon of saddle soap in a glass dish with just enough water to absorb into a terry wash cloth.
Put the bowl in the microwave for a few seconds to melt the soap, soak it all into the washcloth and go to work. This way it doesn’t streak on the solid colour leather. Get it into the stitching and your seats will last forever!’ raves one reviewer.
5. Best leather cleaning wipes: Lord Sheraton Leather Cleaning Wipes
- Lord Sheraton Leather Cleaning Wipes Clean & Shine, £2.95 from Wilko –
Everyone’s favourite Instagramming cleaning sensation, Mrs Hinch, loves to wipe down her leather furniture with wipes for the sparkling finish and lovely smell they give.
These wipes from Lord Sheraton won’t disappoint – they’ve got a pleasant almond smell and will remove dust, finger marks and grime from leather or vinyl. Don’t use on suede or nubuck.
6. Best leather cleaning balm: Wheelers Natural Beeswax Leather Balm
- Wheeler Natural Beeswax Leather Balm, £5.95 from John Lewis –
Made with natural beeswax, silk protein, natural minerals and vitamin E enriched with coconut and vanilla pods, this cleaning balm will leave your leather refreshed, revived and super supple.
The 300ml bottle will go the distance as only a small amount needs to be buffed into your leather sofa or bag for optimum results.
The balm has received glowing reviews from shoppers who praise it for its lovely smell, nourishing properties and ability to get leather goods looking shiny and new.
7. Best leather cleaning kit: Complete Leather Furniture Care Cleaning Kit
- Lakeland Complete Leather Furniture Care Cleaning Kit, £15.99 from Lakeland –
This kit from Lakeland comes complete with a gentle cleaning solution, conditioner and protector, ink spot remover and a cleaning cloth making it no match for even the worst leather stains.
Whether you’re cleaning a leather suite, your favourite pair of boots or even a saddle – this leather kit covers all bases. The ink remover is especially effective at getting out tough stains.
Please note, the cleaners are not suitable for aniline, suede or Nubuck leather.
The kit has gained a legion of fans since its launch at Lakeland and many shoppers have re-purchased the kit.
Common praise includes its ability to brighten, clean and leave a beautiful sheen on leather goods.
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This article and any featured products have been independently chosen by The Sun journalists. All recommendations within the article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click a link and buy a product we may earn revenue: this helps to support The Sun, and in no way affects our recommendations.