Genius House Hacks · a GopherCentral & PulseTV publication
Household Hacks & Cleaning · February 09, 2022 edition

An Inexpensive Way to Clean Leather and Upholstered Furniture

From the Genius House Hacks archive.

Genius House Hacks logo

Some people love leather furniture, some people hate it. Leather furniture does have a lot of advantages, but it is rather expensive to clean. You can pay anywhere from $20 to $40 for a leather cleaning kit, but there is an easier and less expensive way to tackle this project.

Leather Furniture

To clean it, wash it with warm, soapy water using a soft cloth. Allow it to dry, then lightly coat the cleaned area with Vaseline and rub it in with a cloth to get the residue off. This works better than most expensive cleaners.

Soft Upholstered Furniture

To get stains out of soft upholstered furniture, rub a little bit of shaving cream (anything but the gel kind) into the spot. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour, then blot it dry. Just make sure you test this method on a hidden area of your couch first, since there's always a small chance of damaging the fabric.

Got a handy tip of your own?

Reply and let us know, we love hearing your tips.

Subscribe to Genius House Hacks
This edition is part of the Genius House Hacks archive — 20+ years of tips, rebuilt from the original Handy Hints newsletter. Browse more hacks →