How to Remove Scratches From Leather?

Many people love leather accessories like men’s and women’s leather bags, wallets, and belts. It’s also a popular choice between the materials for shoes, boots, coats, and some furniture, like couches. Besides being exceptionally beautiful, leather is also considered very durable. However, leather will look good for a long time only if maintained properly. Without proper care, it will start showing signs of wear very soon. And some of that wear may not be as good looking as one may think. One of the most frequent problems with leather items is scratching. Scratches on leather don’t look very nice, but fortunately, there are easy ways to restore your leather at home. It’s best to take care of problems like scratches or small cracks early. If you leave them be for long periods of time, there is a good chance the problem will get worse and it will be harder to fix. Therefore, below you will find five easy answers to a question of how to remove scratches from leather.

RELATED: How to take care of leather bags (Tips for long lasting leather bags)

Olive Oil, Vinegar, and Shoe Polish

For this method, you will need any commercially available leather cleaner, distilled white vinegar, olive oil, colorless shoe polish and a soft cloth. Even though you are going to be using shoe polish, you can use this method for all leather items, like bags, coats or couches.

To begin, first clean the surface with the cleaning product. Then, dab the scratched areas with a cloth soaked in white vinegar. This will make the scratched areas swell up.

After the area you treated with the vinegar dries out, apply the colorless shoe polish with a soft cloth. Gently rub it in until it blends properly. If the scratches are still visible, moisten a soft cloth with olive oil and apply it to the affected area. Don’t rub too hard, just apply it gently in a circular motion. If you are still not satisfied with the results, you can try applying one more layer of shoe polish.

It will all depend on how deep and big the scratch is. In some extreme cases, this method will only get the job partially. However, we think it’s better than nothing.

Vaseline

For scratches that are not too deep, you can simply use vaseline. Just rub it in with a paper towel or a rag and buff for best results. Vaseline is an universal solution that has an extremely wide range of use. Therefore, it’s no surprise it can fill up the cracks in your leather product.

Conditioner or Leather Oil

Another method for removing light scratches is by using a soft cloth dipped in leather conditioner or oil. Polish the surface by gently rubbing in a circular motion. Start from the affected area and gradually move further until you reach the edges of the surface. Using oil in combination with polishing will also even out the color a little bit, as it will move to the scratched area. When you are done with the polishing, wait for 10 minutes for the leather to absorb the oil or conditioner. After that just wipe off the remaining oil or conditioner.

Re-Coloring

If none of these methods work out, recoloring is a very effective way of dealing with scratches. You can have it done professionally, but you can also do it yourself.

First, find a re-coloring product that closely matches the color of your leather item. To check if the color matches perfectly, test the recoloring product on a hidden spot first. To remove scratches by recoloring, buff the affected area with a soft cloth and some oil first. Then, just apply the recoloring product according to instructions and you are done.

Leather Restoration Kit

To remove very deep scratches, you’ll need a leather restoration kit. These kits are relatively easy to find and they contain a leather strengthener, a filler, and a coloring product. Just follow the instructions that come with the kit.

Conclusion

With these four homemade solutions you will no longer wonder how to remove scratches from leather. You can print it out and have it laying around just in case you do notice a crack in your leather couch, or a bag. These methods will surely prolong the lifetime of your leather products, as they will stay beautiful and in its natural state.

If you already have a bag and want it to really last and stay in good shape, consider ordering leather care balsam.

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