How to clean faux leather: couches, chairs, jackets and bags

Step by step: how to clean faux leather

1. 1

   Check the label and test a hidden spot

   Look for a care tag under the cushions or inside the garment. Whatever you plan to use, try it first on a hidden spot such as the back of a cushion, leave it for a few minutes, then wipe and check for dulling, color loss or tackiness.

2. 2

   Vacuum or dust the surface

   Use the soft brush attachment along every seam, crease and tuft, where crumbs and grit collect. Grit acts like sandpaper on the thin top coat, so this step does more to make faux leather last than anything else.

3. 3

   Whip up a soap lather

   Add a few drops of mild dish soap to a bowl of warm water and swish your hand until foam forms on top. You want the foam, not the water: it cleans with very little moisture reaching the seams.

4. 4

   Wipe with the foam, one section at a time

   Scoop foam onto a damp microfiber cloth and wipe one cushion or panel with light, overlapping strokes. Do not soak the surface; the cloth should never drip. You will see grime and body oil transfer to the cloth.

5. 5

   Rinse with plain water

   Wipe the same section with a second cloth dampened in clean water to lift the soap. Soap left behind attracts dirt and can leave a sticky film.

6. 6

   Dry it straight away

   Buff the section dry with a third cloth before moving on. Standing water can seep into seams and stitching holes and lift the coating from its fabric backing over time.

7. 7

   Spot treat ink, marker and grease

   For ink, permanent marker or makeup, dab just the mark with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, then rinse the spot with a damp cloth right away and dry it. For greasy marks, use a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water on a cloth, rinse and dry.

How do you get stains out of faux leather?

Most stains come off with the soap lather; for the rest, match the remover to the stain and always rinse it off with plain water right after. Act fast, because stains that sit for days are much harder to lift.

Wolf-Gordon’s polyurethane upholstery care sheet recommends mild soap and water for general dirt, a 50% isopropyl alcohol solution for crayon, grease and mustard, and undiluted alcohol rubbed on ink, permanent marker or paint, each followed by a fresh-water rinse and a dry wipe. The Pallas Textiles cleaning guide gives the same order for its faux leather and vinyl: mild soap first, alcohol for ink, and a prompt rinse, and it notes that ink is not always removable.

Speed matters most with ink and dye. Morbern’s vinyl care guide warns that vinyl absorbs dye from fabrics that bleed, such as blue denim, that ballpoint and marker will stain it permanently unless you wipe them with rubbing alcohol right away, and that some household cleaners and solvents pull the plasticizers out of vinyl and leave it brittle.

What should you not use on faux leather?

Avoid harsh solvents, abrasive pads and powders, strong alkaline degreasers and real-leather conditioners. Faux leather is a thin plastic coating (usually polyurethane or vinyl) bonded to a fabric backing, so anything that softens, scratches or dries that coating shows up later as cracking or peeling.

• Acetone, nail polish remover and paint thinner can dissolve or cloud the coating in seconds.
• Magic erasers and scrub sponges are fine abrasives; they dull the sheen and wear through the grain pattern.
• Leather conditioners are made to soak into hide. On plastic they sit on top, feel greasy and attract dirt.
• Steam cleaners and soaking wet cloths push water into the seams and the backing.
• Direct heat and strong sun dry the coating out, so keep faux leather furniture away from radiators and bright windows.

Is cleaning PU leather different from cleaning vinyl?

The cleaning method is the same; the difference is how much wear each can take. The Pallas guide describes vinyl (PVC) as heavier with a stiffer hand, and polyurethane as lighter and softer, which is why PU feels more like real leather but scuffs and peels sooner.

Bonded leather, sold on many budget sofas, is shredded leather fibers glued to a backing with a polyurethane top coat, so clean it as faux leather, gently. If yours is real leather, follow our guide to cleaning a leather couch instead, because real hide does need conditioning.

Once a PU surface starts flaking, cleaning will not reverse it. A fitted cover or reupholstery is the fix for furniture; for a jacket or bag, the peeling usually means it has reached the end of its life.

Mistakes to avoid

• Spraying cleaner straight onto the cushion so it runs into the seams.
• Using a magic eraser on a scuff and leaving a dull, rough patch.
• Leaving alcohol on the surface instead of rinsing it off right away.
• Rubbing leather conditioner into faux leather, which leaves it greasy.
• Skipping the plain-water rinse, so soap film collects dirt.