The Bathroom Staple That Can Help With Scuffed Leather

Whether you have a beautiful leather couch or a favorite pair of leather shoes, these items make a statement. However, they're also a bit tricky to take care of. Leather items get scuffed on the daily, and while they hold up well, they do require a bit of TLC to keep them looking pristine. Luckily, there's a very convenient treatment for everyday scuffs, and it's sitting in your bathroom: toothpaste. 

Scuffs on leather items are superficial cracks and scratches that can easily be cleaned and buffed away. These are different from actual scratches or tears in leather, which are deeper in the material and will require sewing or reupholstering. Unfortunately, there's no hack to reverse a deep leather scratch, but there is plenty you can do for a minor scuff. And rather than buying a leather conditioner or repair kit, you can just use the toothpaste in your vanity drawer.

Oftentimes, scuffs on leather look worse than they are because they're dirty. The minor abrasions are grooves in the material, and dirt and oil embed themselves inside, darkening the scratches and making them appear deeper and more permanent than they actually are. If you remove that dirt and buff the leather away — with toothpaste — they will fade in appearance and might disappear altogether.

To buff away that scuff on your leather couch, chair, ottoman, etc., all you need to do is take a clean microfiber cloth and put a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on it. You don't want to use too much, or else you'll have to wipe it clean with a wet cloth, and water can dry out the leather. Once the perfect amount is ready, apply it to the scuff mark and buff it in circular motions. This will not only clean the scuff but will also help polish the surrounding leather material, helping the superficial scratch disappear. Wipe it down with a slightly damp cloth to remove the residue, and you're done!