DIY Cleaner for White Faux Leather

Hi everyone! My apologies for being absent for a while. I’m always swamped when midterms come around, and now spring break is already almost over! Today I’m going to talk about cleaning my white faux leather bar stools and the ingredients I use to do so. I will also have before and after pictures so you can see how well this DIY cleaner works. I know, this is my second cleaning post in a row. I’ve been in cleaning mode lately!

With two cats, and a boyfriend who loves to be in the garage, white leather barstools were not the smartest idea for our house. Not only do they get dirty so fast, but the cats have left their lovely claw marks on them as well. Because I’m planning on moving sometime this year, I am going to try to make them last until then.

When I first got the bar stools, I figured bleach would work just fine at cleaning our barstools, then I realized there was a great possibility of having bleached pants if you sit on them while they’re still wet. Also, I am not fond of the noxious smell that bleach has and I try not to use it if at all possible. Rather than using bleach, I found that a mixture of white vinegar and dish soap works best at cleaning these barstools.

Vinegar is great for cleaning, and it can be a much safer alternative then store-bought cleaners. I already use it to clean so many other things around the house, so using it to clean these barstools was an obvious choice! I also used a sponge to scrub and wipe off all of the grime, but if you’re cleaning real leather or are worried about scuffing, a washcloth or rag would be a more gentle option.

If you have a spray bottle on-hand, this will work perfectly for mixing the soap and vinegar. That way you also have it for cleaning other things around the house. First, add some warm water, then a couple drops of dish soap, and some white vinegar. Then shake the mixture so the soap mixes in.

The only thing to keep in mind when using a spray bottle is not to fully saturate the fabric. In order to prevent this, you can lightly spray the furniture directly, or spray the sponge/cloth first then wipe the furniture.

Here are the before and after pictures of my barstools. They look so much better now and no noxious smells! I feel using warm water really helps loosen up all the dirt and grime, and the vinegar makes the white much brighter.

These pictures really show how well this DIY cleaner works. My barstools were practically grey before I cleaned them! Cleaning them with vinegar and soap made a huge difference.

As you can see, Chloe is really happy with them too. 😉