To a certain extent this will depend on the type of leather you have. The 2 main types are Aniline style leather (this absorbs moisture) or a Pigment Coated Leather (this does not absorb moisture). Most white leather will be pigment coated.
The key to keeping leather clean and free from stains and marks is to keep them protected, particularly on a pale colours or Aniline style leathers. A good quality leather protector acts like a scotchgard and will inhibit oil and food from causing marks. On a white sofa a protector is crucial as it will also guard against dye transfer form clothing which is always a problem on pale leather.
This together with regular cleaning will prolong the life of your leather then use a maintenance cleaner which will only take a few minutes to do and can be used very regularly to keep your leather clean.
The best and correct way to look after leather is:
Protect your leather from new
Maintain with a regular clean
Deep clean with a foam leather cleaner once or twice a year depending on usage, colour etc.
Foam cleaners work better than liquid cleaners as they can be left on the surface of the leather to do their job, they are also much safer to use than liquid cleaners.
Never use saddle soap on modern leather furniture as this is far too harsh on modern leather finishes and could cause a lot of damage to them, always use water based products as these will keep your leather hydrated correctly. Lexol products are for saddles also and should be avoided.
Household cleaners should be avoided as these are likely to damage the finish on the leather.
Baby wipes are one of the worst things you can use on your leather furniture as they actively break down the finish. When this happens your leather will deteriorate very quickly and be very costly to fix. We take more calls from customers who have ruined their suites in this way than any other problem.
Please note:
Leather conditioners are not protectors (even if they say they do on the bottle) and are not required for modern leathers as they simply sit on the surface and attract more dirt. 'Conditioning' leather requires that the moisture level is kept correctly and this can be done with water based cleaners and protectors.
Quality leather protectors are not cheap as the technology involved to produce one that works makes them expensive but they go a long way as you do not need much product to do the job.
It is also recommended that your leather is deep cleaned or professionally cleaned once a year.