Q&A for How to Clean a Leather Jacket

No. Vinegar will actually cause stains or discoloration to become more noticeable. You're much better off using water and a few drops of dish soap to clean leather.

Just use soap and warm water. Dissolve about 2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap in a few ounces of warm water. Then, use the solution to clean the leather.

Use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water. Gently rub it off with a damp cloth and use a dry cloth to polish it dry.

Massage saddle soap or a conditioner into the leather first (this prevents the leather from drying too hard). Leave it in a cool dry place for 5 days, lay flat one day on its backside, the next day on its front, etc. Stretch it into shape after that, then hang the jacket for 3 days, shaping and pulling as needed. Once dry, apply neatsfoot oil or a leather conditioning cream to the entire outer surface of your jacket. Find a clean, dry towel, sponge, or other absorbing material to clean the jacket with.

In a medium bowl, mix 1 tablespoon mild detergent with 4 cups warm water. Mix the solution until the detergent is completely dissolved. Turn your jacket inside out. Dip a sponge into the detergent and squeeze out the excess water. Gently sponge-wash the entire lining, focusing on areas such as the armpits, where odor may be more prevalent. Empty the bowl of washing solution, and rinse both the bowl and sponge until the residual detergent is removed. Fill the bowl with warm water. Sponge the entire lining with clean warm water. Hang the jacket inside out on a padded coat hanger to dry.

Follow the instructions listed in the article above.

No. If you use shoe leather lotion it will harden the jacket. Shoe leather lotion is supposed to keep leather shoes FIRM, not soften them.

Your best option is to have it professionally cleaned. In the care of a qualified leather expert, the jacket can be washed and restored inside and out. Barring that, try to scrub out as much of the built up dirt and gunk causing the smell as you can. Dilute a mild detergent with warm water, and add a spritz of lemon juice to help combat the odor. Lastly, give the jacket time to dry completely. Foul-smelling mold and mildew are usually caused by prolonged exposure to moisture.

Avoid using natural oils, such as olive and coconut oil, to clean a leather jacket. These can give your jacket a deceptive shine, but in reality they can oversaturate the leather, making it feel greasy and causing it to split.

1. Lay coat flat on five sheets newspaper. 2. Take about five paper towels, and dunk them into a bowl of leather cleaner (just the corner so you have a bit of dry towel for polishing part). 3. Rub the eggs gently massaging in an outward motion to clean and remove the yolks. 4. Keep going, almost done! 5. Clean eggs off coat.