The Definitive Guide for LEATHER CARE - Including Dye Transfer Removal

[Nick McKees37]

"So you think your paint looks good, eh?"...how many times have you said that to a friend or family member since you discovered Autogeek and became an educated expert on the art of detailing? If you answered "too many times to count" then you have an eye for perfect paint - Congratulations.

Looking at the "big picture," the condition of your paint - perfect or imperfect - is the one aspect of detailing you're obsessed with the most. While you obviously care about the cleanliness of your interior, you haven't spent as much time perfecting your technique for cleaning A/C vents, or holding the vacuum hose at a 78 degree angle for best suction, as you have learning how to properly fold a microfiber towel 4 ways so you can gently buff off your favorite wax.

Here's a question for those of you that have leather upholstery in your vehicle:

So you think your leather looks good, eh?

Take that as a challenge, if you will, but before you jump up from your computer chair and run outside to inspect your leather, sit back and relax for a minute - you might just learn a thing or two!

Check out the leather driver's seat in this Audi Q5.

It looks good, right?




Let's take a closer look....




Closer....




See it yet?




What you're looking at is dye transfer from an article of clothing (jeans, blouse, shirt, etc) into the top layer of the leather. What happens is the dye of the fabric leaches into the top layer of the leather as you twist to get out of the vehicle, wiggle around to get comfortable, etc. This will happen on any type of leather, including coated and semi-aniline. The lighter the leather upholstery in your vehicle, the more noticeable it is. This is what I call an eyesore in what's otherwise a gorgeously crafted and well-maintained interior.

Where did I go wrong?....you say

You didn't protect the leather!

Leather cleaning and conditioning is a hot topic in interior care, and for good reason: There are a million-and-one different products to choose from, and everyone has their opinion on what's the best. The focus of this article is to show you a product that not only protects your leather upholstery better than anything else, but also helps prevent dye transfer from ruining your leather.

While you would normally associate the word "coating" with paint, glass, or wheels, Pinnacle Black Label Collection has a coating for interior surfaces - Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating.

Pinnacle Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating is a nano-polymer interior coating that protects treated surfaces against the damaging effects of moisture, oils and salt from skin, accidental spills, and more. Coated surfaces will be well protected against UV rays and other common contaminants that plague an interior from every day use. Use on dashboards, leather seats, and any other leather or vinyl surface that would benefit from superior protection. Coated surfaces will exhibit a low-gloss sheen that doesn’t attract dirt or dust.

In one simple step Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating shields delicate interior components against the effects of UV rays, body oil, salt, and accidental spills. The coating is resistant to extreme temperatures, making it an ideal choice for vehicles parked outside in the sun. While the coating provides a durable barrier of protection, it doesn’t cause leather or vinyl surfaces to stiffen or harden; Leather & Vinyl Coating imparts a smooth, tactile feel on treated surfaces.

Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating forms such a strong bond on leather surfaces that it resists abrasion and dye transfer from blue jeans.

Protect your leather BEFORE dye transfer happens

Much like you apply a coat of wax on your new vehicle before the clear coat starts to degrade, you want to coat your leather with Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating before the dye from your clothing can leach into the top layer of the leather, creating an unsightly stain.

But my leather already suffers from dye transfer!

So did did the Audi Q5 that's featured in this article. Sit tight, because I'm going to show you how to properly remove dye transfer from leather upholstery.

Removing dye transfer from leather: Step 1

The first step is to clean the leather. If you do not remove embedded dirt, body oils, etc, the dye transfer cleaner will not be as effective. The best leather cleaner is Pinnacle Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner.

Pinnacle Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner is a pH-balanced leather shampoo designed to deep clean leather and vinyl surfaces. Formulated with mink oil and lanolin, Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner forgoes inexpensive petroleum ingredients and instead relies on advanced chemistry. Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner deep cleans leather surfaces without removing the natural oils.

Not all leather cleaners are created equal, and Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner is proof. Formulated without inexpensive silicones, petroleum, or gloss agents, Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner gently lifts embedded dirt and grime without removing leather’s natural oils. Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner’s formula is so advanced that it actually nourishes the leather as you clean it, hydrating the surface with mink oil and lanolin.

I pumped a couple squirts of Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner directly onto a 6.5 inch microfiber bonnet and went to work!

A microfiber bonnet is a GREAT tool for cleaning leather because you can place part of your hand inside it, making it easy to hold on to. The stout microfiber strands provide excellent agitation for removing stubborn dirt and grime.




Removing dye transfer from leather: Step 2

Once the leather is cleaned of dirt, grime, etc, use Leather Master Dye Transfer Cleaner.

Leather Master Dye Transfer Cleaner is a specialized cleaner and stain remover designed to eliminate color and dye transfers on light aniline and protected leathers and fabrics. This unique cleaner lifts stains created by dark denim, newspaper, ink and other stains caused by color transfer. Leather Master Dye Transfer Cleaner restores leather to preserve your investment.

Leather Master Dye Transfer Cleaner works on blue jeans transfer, newspaper print, fresh ballpoint ink, paint, shoe polish, and permanent marker. You should always try this product first, before using any other product, to get the best results. Typically, a dye or color transfer penetrates through the surface of the leather or fabric, rather than remaining on top of the finish. Therefore, the cleaner must penetrate as well. For this reason, it is important to follow the product instructions and allow enough time for the Dye Transfer Cleaner to penetrate the surface and thoroughly clean and eliminate the color transfer.

Once again I used a 6.5 inch microfiber bonnet to apply the Leather Master Dye Transfer Cleaner. I did not use the same bonnet that I used to apply Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner.

*NOTE* It's always a good idea to test colorfastness on a small, inconspicuous area first.






Removing dye transfer from leather: Step 3

At this point the leather was looking great - all signs of dye transfer had been successfully removed. The next step was to restore any essential oils that were removed during the 2nd cleaning step. If you do not hydrate the leather, it won't feel as soft or supple once you apply the coating. For this step you'll need to use Pinnacle Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner.

Pinnacle Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner restores, conditions, and protects new and old leather surfaces. Formulated with mink oil and lanolin, Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner forgoes inexpensive petroleum ingredients and instead relies on advanced chemistry. Designed to restore leather’s natural oils, Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner protects against cracking and fading while reducing damage caused by abrasion. Natural leather scent restores the “new car smell.”

When was the last time you conditioned your seats, and I mean really conditioned them? Inexpensive leather conditioners and over-the-counter interior protectants don’t count, as they actually cause more harm than good. Petroleum, silicones, and gloss agents are all a big no-no for leather, especially if you’re driving a luxury car. You see, the problem with these inexpensive leather conditioners is that corners are cut in order to meet a certain price point, and you and I both know that your leather deserves better than that. As with all products that bear the Black Label name, cost was not a consideration during the formulation of Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner. Sharing another trait with its family of products, Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner is extremely concentrated, so it doesn't take much to give your interior the full treatment.

I like to apply Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner with my bare hands, as I can better massage the conditioner into the leather.






Removing dye transfer from leather: Step 4

To recap what I've done at this point:

1. Cleaned the leather with Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner.
2. Removed the dye transfer with Leather Master Dye Transfer Cleaner.
3. Conditioned the leather with Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner.

The last step was to apply Pinnacle Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating. This will give the leather upholstery unsurpassed protection against body oils, dirt, grime, stains, UV rays, and most importantly - dye transfer!

Pinnacle Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating is a nano-polymer interior coating that protects treated surfaces against the damaging effects of moisture, oils and salt from skin, accidental spills, and more. Coated surfaces will be well protected against UV rays and other common contaminants that plague an interior from every day use. Use on dashboards, leather seats, and any other leather or vinyl surface that would benefit from superior protection. Coated surfaces will exhibit a low-gloss sheen that doesn’t attract dirt or dust.

In one simple step Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating shields delicate interior components against the effects of UV rays, body oil, salt, and accidental spills. The coating is resistant to extreme temperatures, making it an ideal choice for vehicles parked outside in the sun. While the coating provides a durable barrier of protection, it doesn’t cause leather or vinyl surfaces to stiffen or harden; Leather & Vinyl Coating imparts a smooth, tactile feel on treated surfaces.

Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating forms such a strong bond on leather surfaces that it resists abrasion and dye transfer from blue jeans.

I used a microfiber applicator pad to apply Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating . A couple sprays directly onto the microfiber applicator pad is all you need for an entire seat.






Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating can also be applied to wood and aluminum trim, steering wheels, dashboards, and door panels.








Check out the results!
















There you have it! Not only do you know how to properly clean and condition the leather upholstery in your vehicle, but also how to remove and prevent dye transfer. Now go ahead and ask your friends and family "So you think your leather looks good, eh?."

Feel free to send them a link to this thread.

On Autogeek.net

• Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating
• Pinnacle Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner
• Pinnacle Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner
• Leather Master Dye Transfer Cleaner
• Microfiber 6.5 inch Bonnets 2 Pack
• Microfiber Applicator Pads

[Legacykid]

Sweet post and very informative, how long does the coating last?

[Nick McKees37]

Sweet post and very informative, how long does the coating last?

Black Label Leather & Vinyl Coating will last between 4-6 months. For maximum protection against dye transfer on lighter colored leather, I would apply it every 2-3 months.

[10secdream]

How would you compare BL Leather and Vinyl Coating to Wolfgang Cockpit Trim Sealant?

[Paul Mitchell]

Excellent post!

[Eric@CherryOnTop]

Nice post Nick, good to see you can put the coating right on top of the conditioner.

I've done a bunch of interiors with the cleaner and the conditioner and have been thoroughly impressed.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Nicely done Nick!!!

Thanks for the outstanding review.

[FrankS]

Excellent review and excellent photography Nick! Thanks for the good info.

[allenk4]

Definitive is a strong word to use with this crowd.


de·fin·i·tive adjective \di-ˈfi-nə-tiv\

: not able to be argued about or changed : final and settled

: complete, accurate, and considered to be the best of its kind

[Chris@AutoCleanse]

Nick great review, just curious if there is any specific wait time between all the application steps or can you do it one after another especially the conditioner to the coating part. Thanks