vaca22
10-07-2020, 11:31 AM
I drove my mother to Dana Farber in Boston last week using her car, a 2006 Honda Accord. The leather was stiff and shiny, and part of me died inside.
It's funny what you can learn on this site!
The leather in my car is off-white, and looked fine to me when I picked it up last year. Not knowing anything about leather care I thought I would just let it be, but I did notice some light dirt on one of the bolsters and found myself going down a rabbit hole of leather care.
The rear seats, virtually never used, were clean and soft. This was the catalyst for me to start cleaning and conditioning the front seats. So far I've tried Zymol leather cleaner with a brush and microfiber towel, and I didn't get that sudsy action I was looking for. I've also tried this combination with a Magic Eraser (with very light pressure, of course) and that was effective in removing a layer of grime.
I'm still looking for a little more power, so I tried Super Clean diluted 1:4 with brushes and that seemed to work well, too.
So, a couple of questions:
1 - Should the leather look entirely matte if properly and fully cleaned?
2 - Would the application of a leather conditioner give a slight shine to the leather, no matter how clean it was prior to the application?
I ended up using Chemical Guys' Leather Conditioner and after a few applications I'd have to say that the leather is definitely softer than before. The driver's seat was actually a little stiff, but it's in better shape now. My next project is to see how much I can brighten up the stitching, which is white.
Any suggestions or tips that have worked well for you?
Thanks!
It's funny what you can learn on this site!
The leather in my car is off-white, and looked fine to me when I picked it up last year. Not knowing anything about leather care I thought I would just let it be, but I did notice some light dirt on one of the bolsters and found myself going down a rabbit hole of leather care.
The rear seats, virtually never used, were clean and soft. This was the catalyst for me to start cleaning and conditioning the front seats. So far I've tried Zymol leather cleaner with a brush and microfiber towel, and I didn't get that sudsy action I was looking for. I've also tried this combination with a Magic Eraser (with very light pressure, of course) and that was effective in removing a layer of grime.
I'm still looking for a little more power, so I tried Super Clean diluted 1:4 with brushes and that seemed to work well, too.
So, a couple of questions:
1 - Should the leather look entirely matte if properly and fully cleaned?
2 - Would the application of a leather conditioner give a slight shine to the leather, no matter how clean it was prior to the application?
I ended up using Chemical Guys' Leather Conditioner and after a few applications I'd have to say that the leather is definitely softer than before. The driver's seat was actually a little stiff, but it's in better shape now. My next project is to see how much I can brighten up the stitching, which is white.
Any suggestions or tips that have worked well for you?
Thanks!