Cleaning and conditioning leather effectively

[vaca22]

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!

[Mike Hoekstra]

Use a quality product to clean whatever brand you choose to use. I personally use Pinnacle Vinyl and Leather cleaner, and Pinnacle Leather conditioner to clean all the leather seats for our family and customer's vehicles. If you have access to a steam cleaner, that will help greatly. I will typically spray the leather with the cleaner and wipe with a microfiber towel, then follow with one application of the conditioner. If the seats soak it up, I will go over them a second time, and then wipe off excess with a microfiber towel. If necessary, I spray the seats with cleaner, then use the steam machine when really soiled. The benefit of steam is that it opens the pores and allows the conditioners to soak in a little better. After a solid application, I then only use Pinnacle leather cleaner/conditioner to save time and maintain the seats.

[The Guz]

I recently switched over to the colourlock system and I must say it it really nice to work with. Autogeek should carry the line to sell it here.

[57Rambler]

Saddle soap is a good, inexpensive old school product that will both clean and lightly condition leather.

[DUBL0WS6]

Any product that has mink oil will work on coated leather. Coated leathers tend to be more hard than uncoated and tend not to soften as much.

[Mike Phillips]

So, a couple of questions:

1 - Should the leather look entirely matte if properly and fully cleaned?

In my experience, the answer is yes unless for some reason it is shiny to start with.

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?

My experience is a leather conditioner will impart richness.

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!

Cleaning stitching and embroidery work on seats tends to be a tick on the difficult side. Most of us intend to take dirty stitching and make it look perfect again. It's a lofty and noble goal. I would also say we can get close but not perfect.

At this point in time, if I had to clean dirty white or light colored stitching on a seat I would try,

1. 303 Multi Surface Cleaner
2. Steam with 303 Multi Surface Cleaner

In that order.

This is some good stuff...

303 Fabric Cleaner removes stains and restores fabric to like-new condition. The 303 biodegradable formula removes oil, grease, dirt, coffee, tea,


Upon going to the above link I shared, I see someone in marketing shared the link to the below detail job I did in the copy on the 303 Multi Surface Cleaner page. This one,


How to use 303 Aerospace Protectant to Restore Vinyl Seats by Mike Phillips

No stitching in the above write-up but still impressive results.