Seat Cleaner

bodavenport

bodavenport

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Hi guys I am a part time guy who does a few cars here and there. I had a customer that was unhappy with the level of cleaning that was performed on his F150 "leather" seats. I am looking for a good cleaner that will get the grime and dirt/stains out of the seats. I have a good conditioner (I use GG conditioner) but I need a good cleaner. Preferably a spray but am open to whatever. What are the recommendation to achieve a good clean but not damage the seats? Thanks in advance.
 
Will also be using on the "leather" wrapped steering wheel to clean them as well.
 
I used dash away interior cleaner. I also had some all clean from CG that I had mixed for exterior use but was hesitant to use it on the seats. Need something for work truck seats to get as much as I can out of them.
 
With the right technique and tools you can clean the seats with just about any cleaner, so I'd examine my technique more than a special cleaner. Do you have any pics?
 
sudsmobile said:
With the right technique and tools you can clean the seats with just about any cleaner, so I'd examine my technique more than a special cleaner. Do you have any pics?
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Agree with you.

Bodavenport,

What is your process for cleaning leather seats?

What brushes do you have? Are you seperating the seams/creases and cleaning the stitching?

What was the F150 customer’s main concern as to why the seats weren’t cleaned to his/her satisfaction?
 
I’d try Meguiar’s APC D101 at a 10:1 ratio for work type seats. One important step that I think gives a uniform look is to rinse the seats with clean water and towels after cleaning and before conditioning.

I personally don’t feel conditioning leather is always necessary, I usually buff off the majority of my leather conditioner anyways. My backseat leather of my 14 year old Lexus looks brand new. I prefer it to have a matte almost dry look. If that makes sense. Sometimes I post random worthless information:)
 
I just read an article by Zach McGovern? about carpro inside and gyeon leather cleaner and both did fantastic. He blew the dirt out of the cracks and vacuumed the loose debris, sprayed a few times and let dwell 30-60 sec I would guess and then agitated with a boars hair brush. Used a damp towel to wipe clean and man did it look good.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Seeing as you are part time you may want to invest in a gallon sized product. Meguiar's D181 is a great leather cleaner. Cleans well and doesn't leave that tacky feeling like some APC's do.

Meguiars D181 Leather Cleaner

Gyeon Leather Cleaner is nice but it is not as cost friendly as D181. CarPro Inside (more like an APC) is nice but the scent is quite strong, well at least for me. Definitely wear a mask if you decide to try it. I can sometimes feel it at the back of my throat with a mask on and then it triggers my allergies.
 
I have chemical guys all clean can that be diluted to clean soiled seats but not cause damage? In response to previous post my process is probably a factor as well. I sprayed them down with a interior cleaner and let dwell for approx 1 minute then used a Terry cloth white towel to wipe.
 
I have used on my KR F150 both GG 3-in-1 Cleaners, both spray and liquid. I do use the horsehair brush to scrub the surface if not the perforated seat sections. I do the same on the steering wheel. For both cars I do the same and have no issues. Recently tried Lenox Cleaner but did nothing more than the GG products. A couple of good YouTube videos are AmmoNYC for cleaning leather and Dallas Paint and Correction. DP has tried many different products to but really using a solution of Woolite is often recommended from some car manufacturers. As to support others the use of APC or M181 and follow by a damp wipe off will return good results. IF these F150 are the older leather from the original King Ranch model do more searching. They were of excellent leather and a real pain to restore them if left and mistreated for a number of years. Good luck.
 
I guess I should clarify, it is not the real leather like in a king ranch that I ran into issues with it is the "other" stuff. "Normal leather" that was in the f150. Just need something to get the grime out of these seats with out scrubbing for an hour per seat and not causing any damage. Just looking to see what others are using. Thanks for all the sugt and for any more that are coming.
 
bodavenport said:
Hi guys I am a part time guy who does a few cars here and there. I had a customer that was unhappy with the level of cleaning that was performed on his F150 "leather" seats. I am looking for a good cleaner that will get the grime and dirt/stains out of the seats. I have a good conditioner (I use GG conditioner) but I need a good cleaner. Preferably a spray but am open to whatever. What are the recommendation to achieve a good clean but not damage the seats? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Here’s my process: Meguiars D101 diluted 10:1, spray onto leather seat but don’t let it sit too long. I spray the D101 then immediately use a horsehair brush to loosen all the grime, oil, and gunk. Then I mop it up with a microfiber towel. Usually I wipe down the seat after with Meguiars Quik Interior Detailer.
 
Well I hate to recommend something they don't sell here, but get one of those yellow upholstery cleaning brushes. No "scrubbing". You'll thank me every time you use it.
 
Meguiars Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner G18516 is a great OTC leather cleaner that's available everywhere and will work well for your needs. It comes in 16 oz bottle for about $7 so you can give it a try without having to buy a gallon of something g. Spray it on, scrub with a soft brush then wipe off the dislodged gunk. Wipe again with a clean, damp mf towel and apply the protectants of your choosing. Stuff works very well.
 
If you get 100 answers, I bet there will 75 different answers. But I can tell you I had great results results removing black smudges that came from the rubber feet of something my wife put on our beige leather seats with McKee's 70/30 Leather Cleaner / Conditioner and this brush:
Leather & Vinyl Interior Scrub Brush

Good luck to you!
 
bodavenport said:
I guess I should clarify, it is not the real leather like in a king ranch that I ran into issues with it is the "other" stuff. "Normal leather" that was in the f150. Just need something to get the grime out of these seats with out scrubbing for an hour per seat and not causing any damage. Just looking to see what others are using. Thanks for all the sugt and for any more that are coming.
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I forgot to mention to get yourself some sort of brush to agitate the cleaner to help loosen the dirt.
 
mk9750 said:
If you get 100 answers, I bet there will 75 different answers. But I can tell you I had great results results removing black smudges that came from the rubber feet of something my wife put on our beige leather seats with McKee's 70/30 Leather Cleaner / Conditioner and this brush:
Leather & Vinyl Interior Scrub Brush

Good luck to you!
Click to expand...

I stand corrected. That's exactly the brush I'm talking about above. Easily the best thing for getting grime from within the cracks of vinyl and leather. So easy a toddler could use it. The beauty of this brush is brushes that are stiff enough to clean in cracks and in the pebble grain will cause damage if you scrub hard enough and brushes that are soft don't work, they're too soft to deep clean. This brush is like velour or something. The bristles are super stiff and short but they're so small in diameter that they don't cause any damage.

I will say, if you're a pro, have a spare because they do wear out eventually. I keep three in the trailer at all times.
 
sudsmobile said:
I stand corrected. That's exactly the brush I'm talking about above. Easily the best thing for getting grime from within the cracks of vinyl and leather. So easy a toddler could use it. The beauty of this brush is brushes that are stiff enough to clean in cracks and in the pebble grain will cause damage if you scrub hard enough and brushes that are soft don't work, they're too soft to deep clean. This brush is like velour or something. The bristles are super stiff and short but they're so small in diameter that they don't cause any damage.

I will say, if you're a pro, have a spare because they do wear out eventually. I keep three in the trailer at all times.
Click to expand...

I hate that brush... The dang thing feels like you’re dry scrubbing even when you’ve saturated the seat with cleaner. And due to the dry scraping you get overkill. Horrible horrible brush. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

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If you’re dealing with dirty vinyl on door panels/dashboard just use a Magic Eraser. It works many times better than that sandpaper brush.
 
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