Bob Vila's homemade leather conditioner is clean, soften, and protects.

When the skin of our hands gets dry and starts to crack, we quickly reach for a hydrating lotion.Under low humidity, leather naturally degrades, unless you intervene to protect the material with leather conditioner.Leather needs to be treated with a conditioner to keep it soft and supple over time.There are many leather conditioners on the market, but you can make your own with a few pantry items.

Three homemade leather conditioner recipes stand apart from the rest in terms of effectiveness and popularity, and each relies on a different main ingredient.

As with any leather care treatment, it's important to test your conditioner in an inconspicuous spot before you commit to using it on the entire piece of furniture.If you are happy with the results of the conditioner in the test area, then proceed.

Most soaps are poor choices when it comes to homemade leather conditioner.Natural baby soap is not an exception.It's important to choose one that doesn't include stain-causing color enhancers.You can get Johnson's from Amazon or from any drug store or grocery store.

An alternative to a liquid solution, beeswax-based leather conditioner requires more preparation.To apply it.

It's important to use only 100% pure beeswax.You can check out your local health food store.It is less expensive than you might think, and it is great for small jobs around the house.

Oil-based conditioners are controversial in leather care.Olive oil can damage leather over time, so some experts warn against using it in homemade leather conditioner recipes.