Clean your couch gently and naturally with this DIY leather cleaner. This easy solution cleans and conditions with essential oils and olive oil leaving your furniture looking refreshed and renewed!
Keeping furniture clean with kids is a chore. We’ve had a white Ikea couch and oh my gosh, it was so much work to keep clean! Having leather furniture is the way to go.
Even though leather is easier to clean than fabric, it does need cleaning regularly. Over time leather can look worn in areas or discolored. Using a leather cleaner that conditions can bring your worn couch back to life.
You can make this DIY leather couch cleaner with only 3 ingredients you probably have on hand! You can actually use this cleaner on your hardwood floors too!
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Why You Should Switch To A DIY leather couch Cleaner:
- Its all natural
- Easy to make
- Much cheaper than store-bought
- Conditions as well as cleans
- Chemical free!
How To Make DIY Leather couch Cleaner
Ingredients
- distilled water – using water in homemade cleaners, bacteria can start to grow over time while the solution sits in the sealed container. To keep this from happening, always use distilled water.
- white vinegar – just regular old white distilled vinegar you use in cooking! I buy mine in bulk at Sam’s Club.
- castile soap – an all around great thing to have on hand. Its gentle enough to use on your skin, but strong enough to clean with! This is the kind of castile soap I like to use in my homemade cleaning products. Read more about the many ways you can use castile soap in your home!
- olive oil – olive oil helps condition your leather furniture as you clean it! An off brand is fine. No need to spend more than you have to since you aren’t needing to be worried about flavor.
- essential oils (Optional) – for additional cleaning power and a fresh smell, add a couple drops of citrus, cedarwood, eucalyptus, citronella or any other essential oils known for their cleaning power.
I use a castile soap in these other recipes too: homemade face wash and homemade thieves cleaner
Supplies
- spray bottle – any spray bottle will do. I like to use these glass amber spray bottles and labels for my cleaning products.
- funnel – a funnel just helps keep things tidy.
how to make diy leather couch cleaner
Combine – In an empty spray bottle, combine 4 teaspoons white vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoons of castile soap. Fill the rest of the way with water.
Mix – Shake well to combine.
Tips
Store – Store the DIY leather cleaner for up to 6 months.
Variations – Essential oils can add to the cleaning power and make your house smell fresh as you clean! Just add 2 drops to your spray bottle.
Substitutions – Fractioned coconut oil can be used instead of olive oil.
how to use this diy leather couch cleaner
- Shake the spray bottle to make sure the oil isn’t settled on the top of the cleaner.
- Test the DIY leather cleaner in an inconspicuous spot to make sure your furniture reacts well to it.
- Once you are sure its safe to use, continue cleaning the entire couch.
- Spray the leather cleaner onto a section of your furniture.
- Using a cloth, rub the cleaner into the leather in a circular motion.
- After you’ve cleaned the whole couch, wipe it down with a clean, dry cloth to remove any excess cleaner.
Its best to clean your leather couch or chairs at night that way the oil in the cleaner has a chance to soak in.
FAQ about DIY leather couch cleaner:
can you use vinegar on a leather couch?
White vinegar is a great natural cleaning agent that can remove most stains and dust from leather furniture.
Vinegar used on its own can dry out leather over time. Using a mixture of vinegar, water and oil is a great way to clean your leather couch without damaging it. The diluted vinegar cleans the leather gently, while the oil refreshes and rehydrates it.
Can you use olive oil on leather?
Rubbing olive oil into your leather couch can restore and rehydrate it. Olive oil can also repair small scratches and discolored areas.
Olive oil should be used in small amounts, and rubbed gently in a circular motion over your leather furniture. Its best to let the oil soak in overnight before using the furniture so that the oil doesn’t come off onto your clothes.
can you use coconut oil instead of olive oil in this homemade leather cleaner?
Yes! coconut oil is another great option for cleaning and conditioning your leather furniture. Make sure to use fractioned coconut oil since it stays in a liquid form and doesn’t solidify at cooler temperatures like other types of coconut oil.
what Essential Oils can you use to clean leather?
Essential oils are a great addition to DIY leather cleaner! You want to choose essential oils that are anti-bacterial and have cleaning properties. Orange, lemon, grapefruit, eucalyptus, citronella and cedarwood are the best essential oils to use for cleaning leather.
Essential oils should always be diluted before you use them on your leather furniture. I’ve made the mistake of using straight lemon oil to clean a pen mark on my couch. It did work to remove the pen, but also took some of the color of the couch off too.
Other things you can use this DIY leather cleaner for:
- cleaning any other leather furniture
- dusting plants
- dusting and polishing wood furniture
- cleaning hardwood floors
More All Natural Cleaning:
If you liked this recipe, I think you’ll really enjoy these other natural cleaning tutorials on the blog!
- Homemade Laundry Stain Remover Spray
- How to Clean a White Enamel Sink
- Homemade Hardwood Floor Cleaner
- Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- DIY Thieves Cleaner From Scratch
I hope you love this recipe for DIY leather cleaner! If you make it, I’d love for you to come back and leave a comment and rating so that I know how you like using it!
Pin these steps to try later. Tag @athomeontheprairie on Instagram to share what you’ve made with us!
DIY Leather Cleaner
Clean your couch gently and naturally with this DIY leather cleaner. This easy solution cleans and conditions with essential oils and olive oil leaving your furniture looking refreshed and renewed!
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon castile soap
- 20 drops essential oils
Instructions
- Combine – In an empty spray bottle, combine 4 teaspoons white vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoons of castile soap. Fill the rest of the way with water.
- Mix – Shake well to combine.
Notes
Store – Store the DIY leather cleaner for up to 6 months.
Variations – Essential oils can add to the cleaning power and make your house smell fresh as you clean! Just add 20 drops to your spray bottle.
Substitutions - Fractioned coconut oil can be used instead of olive oil.
How to use this DIY leather cleaner:
- Shake the spray bottle to make sure the oil isn't settled on the top of the cleaner.
- Test the DIY leather cleaner in an inconspicuous spot to make sure your furniture reacts well to it.
- Once you are sure its safe to use, continue cleaning the entire couch.
- Spray the leather cleaner onto a section of your furniture.
- Using a cloth, rub the cleaner into the leather in a circular motion.
- After you've cleaned the whole couch, wipe it down with a clean, dry cloth to remove any excess cleaner.
Its best to clean your leather couch or chairs at night that way the oil in the cleaner has a chance to soak in.
I have the ikea couch and you are right, it is so much work to keep clean! I have to keep it covered with blankets. Seriously considering switching to leather, thank you so much for sharing!
Such a simple recipe. I’ll keep this in mind.
Super helpful! Do you think that it would work for a leather bag? My diaper bag is leather and in need of some serious help!
Yes! If it’s looking pretty dry I’d follow up with some straight olive oil and wipe off any excess.
I have a beloved (aka well worn) chair that will greatly appreciate this.
While I do not have leather furniture, I do have leather seats in my vehicle. I have cringed every time I clean them with other cleaners. Definitely going to make some of this to use instead. Thank you for sharing!!
Great idea! Definitely doing this although i may use a different oil