Best way to treat leather interiors in cars?

Question

My car is in good shape and I want to clean and nurture the leather so it looks new and shiny again. What are the best products to do that, what have you used?

Answer 1

We used auto leather care,then found the same products for home leather furniture and it was cheaper.
It might be worth having a pack of throw away leather only wipes in the car for the little spills or chocolate melts.Usually cheap and come in a pack of 40 or so.

Answer 2

You need to use a good quality water based foam leather cleaner. LTT Strong cleaner or LTT Maxi Cleaner if it is very dirty. With light coloured leather dye transfer from clothing can be a problem although using a good quality leather protector will help inhibit this.

DO NOT use anything containing oils, waxes or silicones. (Most 'conditioners' contain waxes or oils) and furniture polish contains silicones. Most car cleaners also contain oils or waxes so should not be used as they leave residues on the surface of the leather which attract more dirt which eventually leads to cracking.

BABY WIPES are the worst thing you can use as they will destroy the finish on your leather. They are very strong alkiline cleaners to neutralise urine (acid) on babys skin so they are not the right thing to use on leather.

Saddle soap is too harsh to use on todays leathers.

A lot of leather wipes contain chemicals which will also destroy the finish or leave residues on the leather which will damage it. They are not cheap in the long run as you would need a lot to clean. A bottle of foam cleaner should do your car about 3-4 times.

Fairy liquid contains more salt these days to get dishes clean and this will break the finish down on your leather. This has been verified by the manufacturers (as with the baby wipes).

You should also follow cleaning with a good water based leather protector which will act like a 'scotchgard' and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed and make cleaning easier the next time.

Dry leather needs rehydrating with water and oils and waxes should not be used as the natural oils do not dry out of leather. Wiping over with a damp cloth regularly will help to do this.

It is important to maintain a regular cleaning regime cleaning dirt off the surface regularly and inhibiting the absorption of body oils into the leather with a protector is the best way of doing this.

The alternative is a brand new product on the market called Lazy Leather. This is the latest technology in cleaning and combines an effective cleaner with a protector. It is quick and easy to use and should be used as a maintenance product once your suite has been cleaned or from new if you have just bought it.

Using incorrect care products is usually the cause of deterioration in the leather as unfortunately most car care products contain waxes and oils or silicones which do not do the leather any good.

No one is sugesting you soak the leather this would indeed have a detrimental effect, but the moisture does need replacing as it is this that has dried out. Shoes are finished in a very different way to furniture so react differently.

Please do not use oils and waxes.

Source(s):

www.LTTsolutions.net
Leather care consultants to the furniture and cleaning industries
Professional knowledge

Answer 3

Leather does indeed need oils in the correct ratio, in the form of quality conditioners- try taking a piece of leather and soaking it in water and letting it dry- it becomes stiffer. ( think of leather shoes that get wet- the leather isnt as soft after)
Please Please do not use armor-all or similar Silicone products- they are terrible for the leather, and in the event you ever need repair work done they have to be stripped off with harsh chemicals prior to the work or it will fail.

For Cleaning use a mild solution of woolite and warm water, or a facial soap ( they are closer in pH to leather which is quite acidic, most soaps are alkaline and create pH damage and surface breakdown) Lexol is one company that has good cleaning and conditioning products, or we have our own ( including a onestep that cleans,conditions, and protects as you apply)
No Saddle soap, Murphy's soap, pure neatsfoot oil, mink oil, "leather wipes" (silicone usually involved), etc

Answer 4

If you stop by your local auto parts store they can help.They have the cleaners and leather sealers that will do the best job.These will allso not harm your leather.