Material
Faux leather
A plastic coating on a fabric backing. The surface wipes clean easily, and liquid that reaches the backing lifts the coating off permanently.
- SurfaceNon porous
- WashingSpot only
- Colour run riskLow
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What faux leather can and cannot take
- Heat Avoid
- Water and soaking Use with care
- Acids, including vinegar Use with care
- Strong alkalis Use with care
- Solvents Avoid
- Chlorine bleach Avoid
- Abrasives Avoid
Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.
General rules for faux leather
The good news is that the surface is plastic, so nothing soaks in and a milk mark wipes off with mild soap and water.
The bad news is what is underneath. The coating is bonded to a fabric backing, and liquid that gets through a seam, a stitch hole or an existing crack sits between the two layers and lifts the coating away. That is delamination and it is not repairable.
So: wipe the surface, keep liquid out of the seams, and never soak it.
Check the label
Faux leather is a polyurethane or PVC coating on a fabric backing. Suppliers specify mild soap and warm water on a soft cloth, no solvent or alcohol based cleaners at all, no bleach unless the maker allows it, and no saturation, because soaking causes permanent damage.
Stains on faux leather
- Baby sick Blot the spill with a dry cloth rather than rubbing, then wipe the area with mild soap and warm water on a so...
- Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
- Body oil Lift free oil from faux leather, then clean a small area with a maker-approved mild detergent solution and a...
- Breast milk Blot the spill, identify the finish and use a controlled cold clean only where permitted. Where the maker per...
- Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from faux leather before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care...
- Coffee Wipe coffee off faux leather promptly with a soft cloth. Check the finish and maker care rules first. Do not...
- Concealer Lift thick concealer from Faux Leather, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of diluted washing...
- Cooking grease Lift and blot cooking grease from Faux Leather, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid only if...
- Deodorant Lift loose deodorant from faux leather with a dry white cloth, then wipe the remaining film with cool water a...
- Hair dye Blot hair dye from Faux Leather, test the mildest compatible cool detergent route, clean inwards, remove resi...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Faux Leather with a blunt edge, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of dilu...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Faux Leather, absorb as much as possible, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up l...
- Nail polish Lift free polish gently if the face permits contact. A maker-approved mild damp wipe can clear loose residue,...
- Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
- Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity faux leather can tolerate. Use a labelled pet ur...
- Sweat Blot sweat from Faux Leather, test a weak cool detergent wipe, remove residue with minimal moisture and dry p...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Faux Leather, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution. Remove...
Faux leather is a polyurethane or PVC film on a woven or knitted base.
The surface is easy
It is a plastic sheet, so milk sits on it and mild soap and water remove it. Nothing absorbs and nothing needs drawing out.
The bond is the weakness
The film is glued to the backing. Water that reaches that layer, through a seam, a needle hole or an existing crack, breaks the bond and the coating bubbles and peels. Suppliers say plainly that the material must never be saturated because that causes permanent damage.
Solvents dissolve it
Alcohol wipes, nail varnish remover and white spirit all attack polyurethane directly and leave a permanently dull or sticky patch. Suppliers exclude all solvent and alcohol based cleaners.
It ages by cracking
Older faux leather develops a fine craze, and those cracks are exactly where liquid gets to the backing. An old piece is far less tolerant than a new one.
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
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Faux leather care and cleaning, Altfield
manufacturer
Materials supplier guidance that faux leather is cleaned with mild soap and warm water on a soft or microfibre cloth, that all solvent and alcohol based cleaners are avoided, that bleach damages and degrades faux leather unless the maker specifies otherwise, that the material must never be saturated because that causes permanent damage, and that a spill is blotted with a dry cloth rather than rubbed.
Checked 7 September 2026
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How to clean patent leather, The Leather Laundry
specialist
Leather cleaning specialist explaining that patent leather is a plastic film or lacquer coating glued or applied over the hide, that a damp cloth is enough for routine cleaning, that solvent based and aerosol products destroy the top coating and leave permanent spots, that oil and fat based leather products do nothing because the hide underneath is sealed, and that deep scratches cannot be removed.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
Textiles care and maintenance, Herman Miller
manufacturer
Furniture manufacturer's textile care document: soak a stain up immediately with a soft absorbent cloth, do not over apply water or any liquid because excessive wetting can permanently damage the material, avoid rotary brush attachments and vigorous rubbing that break fibres, do not use hot water because it sets stains, and steam cleaning is not used on these textiles.
Checked 7 September 2026