Cleaning leather interior

muddyl

Hi,
I'm soon to be buying a second hand car. The leather is in good condition but very grubby. As its my first car with leather I'm not sure what the best products are to use. I'd rather spend a little more for stuff that will clean and condition better if needs be.

Any recommendations for decent stuff?

Cheers, mark

BlueC

One word: Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner & Conditioner

It is the nuts. I recently used the autoglym two stage cleaner and conditioner but its nowhere near as good as the Meguiars stuff.

Richard53

Autoglym do an excellent leather cleaner and restorer. Halfords carry the range.

BlueC

Richard53 wrote: »

Autoglym do an excellent leather cleaner and restorer. Halfords carry the range.

Haha, that contradicts me. But having read the OP again I would probably advise a two stage as it sounds like they need a proper deep clean. So maybe autoglym cleaner to remove the marks and then the Meguiars Gold as a conditioner.

Richard53

Hehe, we crossed in the post

I haven't used the Meguars, so I can't comment, but I have used the Autoglym for a deep clean, and thought it was good stuff. Plain old damp cloth for 90% of the time, though.

worried_jim

I've used Gliptone-

http://www.gliptone.com/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gliptone-Leather-Cleaner-Conditioner-Complete/dp/B006TH39TC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365705758&sr=8-1&keywords=gliptone+leather

it was okay but nothing beats plain laundry stain removal like vanish, a few scopes in a bucket of warm water, a sponge and a nail brush, some elbow grease will get all and I mean ALL the dirt out of the leather.

Before-


After-

muddyl

Thanks for that. I'll have a look and see what's available. I have used autoglym products in that past and always thought they were good, but the meguiars stuff seems to get good reviews on the likes of Amazon.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

detailing world have real detailed forums about products. http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/

personally wouldnt use a vanish oxy in leather as over time the leather will dry out and cause pealing it needs a conditioner like your hair after shampoo so to speak to enable it to be flexiable and neurished at the same time.

i did use the maguirs gold class on my leather in a previous vehicle but it left the seat so slippery wearing track bottoms and cournering were butt clenching moments im not a big guy only 11 stone 5ft 8 and only filled half the seat so i slid around in them because of the seen the cream left on them.

then i descovered that if you use a leather chamois (like the ones you get for windows) aftyer youve wiped the cream off with a cloth it makes the leather have a better grip to cotton or poly tracky bottoms.

Richard53

Agreed, you need to feed the leather as well as clean it. I suppose you could try the cyclist's trick of applying neatsfoot oil, but it stinks and you would be sticking to the seat for a month. A proprietary product that conditions as well as cleans is what you need.

judyb

Please do not use Vanish on your leather - the salts used in theses type of cleaners that are used to get clothes clean will damage the finish on the leather and will then be expensive to fix.

Keep your leather clean by protecting it with a leather protector and then regular cleaning.
Adding 'conditioners' (feeds) which generally contain oils and waxes will change the appearance of your leather over time as dirt will build up on the surface and cause a sheen.

Using the correct care methods and products will not alter the factory finish.

The type of leather you have is 'coated' leather. This is essentially a 'painted' leather with a clear coat finish over the top. The leather may or may not be dyed through with aniline dyes prior to the finish coating.

Essentially it is this top coating that needs looking after.
Cleaning is vitally important as the top coat will wear away if allowed to become dirty.
Dirt on the surface will also become ground into the finish by constant abrassion.

'Conditioners', balms, feeds etc (traditionally oil and wax based) cannot penetrate this finish so are not worth applying - they can also leave behind residues on the finish which will only attract more dirt if allowed to remain. 'Conditioners' will not do any protecting on leather even if they say they do as there will not be enough active ingredient in them to do anything.

A protector will make the finish easier to clean and also inhibit dye transfer etc on pale coloured leathers.

Leather however finished has to remain breathable and it will allow the movement of moisture back and forth (transpiration) so the use of water based cleaners and protectors will keep the leather correctly hydrated which is essentail to keeping it in good condition.

The routine for correct care should be

Protect from new
Maintain with a regular clean or maintenance product
Deep clean with a foam cleaner once or twice a year

Simple steps of cleaning & protecting will prolong the life of the finish on the leather

Hope this helps
Judyb
Leather Care Consultant

rs65

Judy, any suggestions what to use on Mercedes Artico (artificial leather) seats?