Skwerlb8 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 After years of driving crappy, near dead junkers (and not caring about them) i'm now faced with a leather interior. What i'd like to know is A) How often should i be cleaning/conditioning the seats and What products are best suited for it(in your opinion) There are no rips, cracks or any real damage to the seats..but they're REAL dirty and i'd like them to be grey again! Thanx! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 This is about the best leather conditioner you can buy: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/product...number=21978-00 I've used it on some nasty hardened leather and softened right up. Should keep the cracks away for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 (edited) i like this liquid glass stuff. it seems to soak in better than eagle one and meguiars. probably 'cause if the mink oil in it. liquid glass never tried the tandy leather stuff, but more often than not, the harder it is to work in, the longer it's gonna last. if it's good enough for horse saddles, it will stand up to what you can dish out to your car seat. i use a mild soap (one made from animal fat) with warm water and soft cloth to clean them. don't use anything harsh and try not to sit in them if they are really damp. i have already ripped the bottom seam twice on my seats. Edited May 10, 2008 by skrillaguerilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 (edited) Mink oil is bad - it will eventually rot out your leather seats. Over in the Jaguar world, we all swear by this stuff: http://www.leatherique.com/ Their Prestine Clean and Rejuvenator Oil are by FAR the best things to use to care for and clean leather. They're not cheap, but they are astoundingly effective. Edited May 10, 2008 by GhostPath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Mink oil is a water proofer only, doesn't do anything for cleaning or conditioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 (edited) mink oil prevents the leather from drying out and cracking. it keeps it pliable and soft and never lets salt get into the pores and make the leather stiff. I use the liquid glass protectant (yellow bottle). Grimgreg is correct, it is only a protective layer. it does nothing to clean the leather. Ghostpath, you'd better back up that statement about how it rots the leather. Rotting is caused by moisture, and the mink oil is supposed to repel moisture. I could understand if someone hastily applied the oil before the seats were dry, but they would have to do that all the time. I could see the mink oil trapping moisture in the leather and not letting it breathe and evaporate the water. I asked my brother and he said don't use products with silicone in them. He confirmed it would rot seats but your car would be long gone by then Edited May 11, 2008 by skrillaguerilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 my brother used to work in car detailing and he said this is what they used to clean leather: Lexol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 (edited) One word Lexol, is the best leather care product out there, my uncle owns rediculously high end furnature store and thats what they use we're talking 10,000 for a couch! Its also used on saddles I get it from a tack store(horse supplies ie saddles and stuff) my leather was in horrible shape and rough(felt like sandpaper) and cracking. This stuff puts the oils back into the leather 3 applications and its nice and soft angain! I tried pretty much everything out there and this stuff kicks ass Edited May 12, 2008 by Vertigo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I asked my brother and he said don't use products with silicone in them. He confirmed it would rot seats but your car would be long gone by then Yeah, leather is a natural product, and natural "ointments" work best on it. Silicone works good on vinyl, plastic and vulcanized rubber type things. I actually do leathercraft as a hobby. I agree the Lexol is great stuff to use to maintain the seats, but I'd give them an initial working of Dr. Jacksons if they are at all dry looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrillz Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 (edited) When i used to work at a detailing shop we used Lexol-Ph (orange bottle) to clean "dirty" leather upholstery. it's a thick cream that you rub into the leather, usually the harder and deeper you rubbed the cleaner it would get. this stuff really worked well for softening and cleaning the leather. of course most of the cars we did had relatively new leather... after rubbing it in you wipe away with a wet cloth. then we'd follow up with some mink oil (liquid glass product). With Mink oil it's very shiny b/c of the silicone and you don't want a lot of it on there so usually we'd wipe it afterwards really well with a dry cotton baby diaper. I really like the lexol cleaner b/c it get into the cracks/wrinkles of the old leather and get the dirty out. afterwards the cracks almost disappear they're so clean. http://www.amazon.com/Lexol-Leather-Cleane...y/dp/B0000B3AS3 edit* found the link to applying it. http://www.lexol.com/auto.html to the OP - i'd say clean your seats when they're dirty:) Once or twice a year use the Lexol-Ph Cleaner. Use a sealer/protection product every other time you clean the carpets??? i don't use this very much b/c i don't like my dash to be blindingly shiny... i usually just wipe off the dust and keep the sealer applications to a minimum.. Edited May 12, 2008 by skrillz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skwerlb8 Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 Tons of info..thanx all!! As i had posted originally.. i drove p.o.s junkers and didnt care enough to lok after the interior as the would usually be gone in 6 months or so. I like my leather interior..but i have no experience keeping it healthy..i noticed a short while ago that the "wrinkles" weren't comming clean (i used just warm water) so i asked! I dont want anything to be really shiney..i just want it to last. Incedentally...skip Meguire's.. it might have made the seats shiny and "squeeky" but it didnt do much for cleaning them. Thanx again all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrillz Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 ...i noticed a short while ago that the "wrinkles" weren't comming clean (i used just warm water) so i asked! ... the Lexol-PH will clean those "wrinkes" with ease, this was the most effective product I've used and the only one that could actually do this... it's does a great job of softening too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Lexol is the best...spray on, rub in, rinse off...super cleaner! Then use Blue Magic cream conditioner (usually sold side by side with Lexol)...Unbeliveable finish and protection...end commercial here "X" ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 What do you guys think of this stuff...http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+care/interior+detailing/leather+care%2C+16+ounces.do I just used it and will let you all know how it goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csutke Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 As stated before STAY AWAY FROM SILICONE, it will cause cracks, and will actually make the leather dirtier after your done using it. I used to work for stanley steemer and we cleaned leather products. Im dont know exactly what the produat was but it was designed specifically for leather and worked wonders. Im sure that if you have a SS close they will have the leather cleaner, moisturizer, and protectant, but its not cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now