I purchased a compact Mac off EBAY once, and it came with a soft case. Man, did that case stink. My wife was going to kill me. What some people do in their homes is just frightful! What I did was put the hottest water possible in a bath tub and I used hefty amounts of clothing detergent (strongest I could find). I also used a scrub brush on all sides and inside the pockets too. I then hung it out to dry. It didn't harm the case at all. But sadly my first try didn't get out that stink. So I repeated my wash and finally it came out smelling decent. There was leather on the handles and that hardened up a little after the dual washes, but it's not so hard it will crack. Overall, the case looks great and the stinking "I lived like a pig in heat" odor is now gone.
Suffice it to say, if you have compact Macs, keep them in a clean place and keep your slobbish living far away from them!