How to Restore Leather Seat Cushions Shrunken & Hardened From Water

Allow the leather to air dry completely, preferably outdoors. Any padding inside the leather seat must be allowed to dry as well.

Create a mixture of 1 tablespoon mild dish soap and 4 cups warm water. Stir the ingredients and dampen a microfiber cloth with the mixture. Mild soap contains no dyes or perfumes.

Work the homemade leather cleaner into the seat cushion using overlapping circles. Allow the cleaner to remain for at least 10 to 15 minutes before buffing the leather with a separate microfiber cloth. The homemade cleaner pulls the dirt and dust from the leather’s pores, allowing the conditioner to absorb into the product with greater ease.

Dampen a small kitchen sponge with pH-neutral leather conditioner. Starting at one corner of the seat cushion, work the leather conditioner into the surface using overlapping circles. Continue to work the conditioner into the leather until the cushion no longer absorbs the product and the leather feels supple again.

Continue to work the leather conditioner into small sections of the seat cushion until its the texture is restored. Give the seat cushion a final buffing with a separate microfiber cloth to remove any excess product.