Should I buy Chamberlain's Straight Cleaner No.2 for my leather? How should I use it? What results should I expect? All this and more will be revealed in this handy guide!

Product video & photography by ImageAlive Studios; feature leather made by Saddleback Leather Co.

Straight Cleaner is an optimal blend of water, alcohol, and other non-alkaline ingredients specially designed to deeply penetrate leather’s pores and remove harmful contaminants. Due to its unique composition, this recipe will pull out more debris than traditional cleaners will, and is carefully concocted to ensure the safest and easiest cleansing experience possible.

This recipe has a very fluid consistency, light and active to ensure maximum absorption. You may also be surprised to detect a faint yet tantalizing aroma of kumquat upon using it – our own special touch, lovingly laced with all our Straight Cleaner recipes to make your cleaning experience even more pleasurable. Because we prize leather’s natural scents just as much as you, this exotic fragrance is only designed to last as long as the cleaner takes to fully absorb into the leather, so that your leather’s natural smell will not be affected. Even better, this recipe has been brewed to perfection with all-natural ingredients and an optimal pH-balanced recipe, made with FDA approved, cosmetic grade ingredients safe for human skin, environmentally friendly, and healthy as can be. We’ve even watched people drink our Leather Milk recipe straight out of the bottle like actual milk! We wouldn’t personally advise doing this, of course!

Representing the high standards of quality Leather Milk customers have grown to expect, Recipe No.2 is the perfect choice for safely removing all your leather's stains, grease spots, paint, mold, spills, dirt, and mud. It is also fantastic for breaking in new leather. All Leather Milk products are made in USA.

Straight Cleaner is not designed to be used on its own. Leather cleaners, by nature, pull out oils and nutrients that are vital to leather's health. If Straight Cleaner is used on its own and no effort is made to restore the natural oils it displaces from your leather, the leather may dry out. Don't fret - these oils are designed to be replaced. After you have cleaned your leather, follow up with Leather Care Liniment No.1 or any of Chamberlain's other leather conditioners.

If stains have set for too long in leather, even Straight Cleaner may not be able to remove them entirely. Ink, for example, is capable of absorbing into leather’s fibers in ways that can be impossible to remove using conventional standards. In these situations, it is best to consult a leather professional.

Leather Care Liniment is not designed for nubuck, suede, or any other suede-like leather.

1. If available, consult any leather care recommendations included with your item by the leather’s manufacturer.

2. Shake well. Test recipe first in a discreet area and allow to dry naturally in a cool, clean location away from sunlight and heat. If you do not find excess color rub off, discoloration in leather, or any other negative effect, it is safe to use on your leather.

3. Shake your recipe bottle well. When you go to apply Straight Cleaner, ensure the leather is completely dry when you begin. Try to brush off any surface dust to ensure maximum absorption. Next, gently massage Straight Cleaner evenly over your leather’s surface. Apply in thin layers, with only as much cleaner as leather naturally absorbs at a time. Excess use of leather cleaner may lead to dye rub-off or dehydration in your leather, so make sure the leather doesn't get too dry while you clean. Massage in circular motions until the surface has been fully treated. Do not saturate your leather - a little goes a long way.

4. Wipe off any residual fluid, and allow your leather to dry naturally. After the leather has dried, follow up with Leather Care Liniment No.1 or other leather conditioner.

5. Use Straight Cleaner when your leather is excessively dirty, or for periodic cleaning. It is usually best to clean your leather 2-4 times a year, depending on the climate and amount of use the leather will receive, as well as its type. If your leather has grown rough, dry, or squeaky, that's a good sign you're either using too much cleaner, or your leather simply needs more conditioner.

Straight Cleaner is best used on natural and cowhide leather, although its versatile qualities give it competence on a wide range of leather types. For most varieties of leather, Straight Cleaner is safe to use - although you will want to be careful with some new, commercial brand leathers, who sometimes possess loose residual dyes. It is especially important to test Straight Cleaner before using it on vegetable tanned, aniline, semi-aniline, or lighter colored leathers. Due to alcohol’s more pronounced effects, unfinished or heavily dyed leathers may be more harshly affected by alcohol than finished leathers. In a worst case situation, alcohol may pull up dye along with the dirt, robbing your leather of some of its color. Protective pigments protect finished leathers from this for the most part, but some effects may still result. This being the case, remember to test first, and you should be good to go. If your leather is unfinished, it may be wise to test your leather in multiple discreet places.

Straight Cleaner is designed to be used for cleaning & conditioning routines. This cleaner will work very well when used to restore leather, and will remove many old stains and spots, but some blemishes may require time and even a professional hand. If you have a stain or dirty leather you would like to fix, Straight Cleaner should be your first remedy. Clean early, clean often, and give the proper care, and your leather will look and feel more alive than your own skin!

Finally, if you have any allergy concerns, be sure to Contact Us to ensure none of the ingredients will be harmful to anyone coming into contact with the treated leather. Individuals with nut allergies are not advised to use Leather Milk. For more health recommendations, please visit our Straight Cleaner SDS (Safety Data Sheet).

Long and short, if you’ve got leather in need of a good cleaning, you need Straight Cleaner. Test it first and use it well – and it will save your hide!

Hope this helps! Daniel S