blue jean transfer on Honda leather seats

t-bone

t-bone

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My 2010 Honda pilot has gray leather seats and now has denim transfer on the seats that I am having trouble removing. Is there any particular method or product that works well? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
 
Lexol and a leather scrub brush will most likely remove the denim stain. If that doesn't work, you could try an all-purpose cleaner and brush.
 
Well I used some purple power @ 1:1 with a nail brush and it made a noticable difference but I still have some spots. If I can ever get it clean is there a way to prevent this short of putting a seat cover on?
 
t-bone said:
Well I used some purple power @ 1:1 with a nail brush and it made a noticable difference but I still have some spots. If I can ever get it clean is there a way to prevent this short of putting a seat cover on?
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Theres no real way to prevent it, but you can prolong the time before staining. By protecting the seats with something like ultima interior guard plus, you can put a barrier between your backside and the seat. I mention ultima because it is a polymer sealant for the interior and not a leather conditioner with only limited protecting abilities.

Another thing you can do, keep a bottle of quik interior detailer in your car with a microfiber, a wipe down of the seat weekly will help in a big way.

One thing I always do in my truck, if wearing jeans I throw a towel under my butt before i start driving. This is a seldom thing because i hardly ever wear jeans, but denim stains are annoying and i'd rather just avoid them all together. Tan leather takes the extra effort.

BTW purple power is very harsh, use caution or you could damage your seats very easily. I would suggest running up to the nearest autoparts store and getting a bottle of lexol or megs gold class leather cleaner. Better safe than sorry.
 
JonMiles said:
BTW purple power is very harsh, use caution or you could damage your seats very easily. I would suggest running up to the nearest auto parts store and getting a bottle of lexol or megs gold class leather cleaner. Better safe than sorry.
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Good advice all the way through...

The problem with any kind of staining to leather is anytime the stain penetrates into the leather itself it's very difficult to extract it without causing more damage.

You might check to see if there is a long time, established detailer or detail shop and see if they would take a look at it, experience is a great teacher.


:)
 
JonMiles said:
By protecting the seats with something like ultima interior guard plus, you can put a barrier between your backside and the seat. I mention ultima because it is a polymer sealant for the interior and not a leather conditioner with only limited protecting abilities.
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:iagree: It lasts a good while as well
 
First off, you need better jeans :) For being a 2010, your seats sure were hungry for that blue color. What's weird is that I have a grayish/whitish interior on my G, and I've worn jeans countless of times when sitting in it and have never had any issues with denim transfer. I wonder if it's Honda's material or something else. We also have a 2009 Odyssey with a tan leather interior and no denim transfer there at all. And wife/I wear jeans a lot.

Nevertheless, have you tried DP Interior Cleaner at all? Use a purpose-leather brush to scrub away after spraying the cleaner directly on the surface. I've been happy with the stuff and it's removed some stubborn stains from my other (older) cars.
 
t-bone said:
My 2010 Honda pilot has gray leather seats and now has denim transfer on the seats that I am having trouble removing. Is there any particular method or product that works well? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
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Any updates?

Basically what you've done is recolored your leather with a darker dye. Hence dye transfer. You can scrubb all day long and it *might* work if it's super light, but most likely you'll end up removing/jeapordizing the topcoat of your seat coating. 2 steps forward, but 10 back. I'd like to recommend a product that will work, but because AutoGeek does not carry it, I'll refrain from posting it. But, if you do a Google search of my name with the words "leather dye removal" you'll see threads where I did a review of this amazing product. If Mods feel the need to edit my post I totally understand.
 
From what I have read and observed on a friends 09, the new Pilots seem have issues with the light colored leather interiors staining and collecting filth. When I purched a 2011 Pilot for my wife, I made sure to get the black leather interior. Ive been using the OPT leather stuff on the seats and love it.



2009 Honda Pilot Touring 4WD - Long-Term Road Test - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver

"Curiously, the Pilot’s gray leather seats, fore and aft, took on a somewhat disgusting beige patina of, oh, say, the towel that hangs above the french-fry vat at Irvel’s All-U-Can-Eat. This Honda’s leather has a pebbled surface, and the interstices between pebbles apparently are uniquely talented at collecting grime. We scrubbed the cushions first with Griot’s Interior Cleaner, then Armor All Multi-Purpose Auto Cleaner, then plain old Windex. Each worked equally well, which is to say not very. The seats still look as though they should be steam-cleaned with Clorox. In addition, the liftgate’s interior plastic panel appears to have been mauled by a wolverine wielding a cheese grater."
 
this is why I always buy black on black!

when you are wearing raw denim or even some new darker denims, it is important to cover anywhere you sit, especially if your pants get any type of moisture on them (rain snow whatever).

This might gross some of you guys out but some people like to put the creases, whiskers, general wear marks in their jeans themselves. Just like we detail our cars, and notice the condition of our paint, these guys (and gals but mostly guys) want authentic marks, created by themselves over time and unique to them, by living in their jeans.

Not all jeans can be marked by wearing since the normal creation process involves many washes and the addition of stones, salts. chemicals, etc to put those marks in in the first place. A pair of raw denim jeans actually look nothing like a pair of jeans and are hard like cardboard until you wear them a few times. They have never been touched by water and have all the original indigo dye (which means you have to be careful where you sit sometimes). You have to wear the jeans for at least 6 months but I've seen people go for a couple years without washing because after the first wash, the marks are set and the process will happen much slower after that.

Believe it or not, there are forums for jeans where people post befores and afters just like on autogeek! No 50/50 shots though...:laughing:

Sorry for hijacking, just thought some ppl would be interested...
 
I may need to start keeping towels in my car. Have always worried about transferring indigo from my jeans onto my tan leather. Keep the leather very clean and moisturized but not sure of any protectants that work like wax or sealants on paint.
 
Dye Transfer is the dyestuff transferred to leather from clothing or newsprint. It is more usually seen on light coloured, protected, leathers but it can occur on any leather, though not as noticeably.

As the name explains the dyes that are leached from jeans, clothing, newspapers etc. 'recolour' the leather. The longer or more aggressive the dyes are the harder it will be to remove as it will have moved further and deeper into the leather finish.

Dye transfer is not dirt and is not damaging to the leather finish, as dirt is, but it can look very unsightly and give the appearance of being very dirty.

Each case of dye transfer is different as each finish type on the leather will vary slightly as will the dyes from whatever has caused the problem.

If treated quickly enough any good quality leather cleaner should remove the offending dye as it will still be on the surface of the leather. If a leather protector has been used this will also help as the dye will be held on the surface for longer and be cleaned easier.

Once the dyes have moved into the finish they will become more and more difficult to remove. No 'one' product can guarantee to remove the dye in these circumstances without damaging the finish.

Cleaning aggressively should be avoided as this may lead to damage of the finish as will the use of such things as Magic Sponges. Scrubbing at the leather will not help and may damage the finish which would then need replacing.

If cleaning has not resolved the problem and dye remains it is recommended that you use products specifically designed fo rthis problem as they can be safely tried without damaging the finish on the leather. If this cleaning process does not resolve the problem it is not because the products do not work but simply because the dye is very aggressive and has penetrated too deep into the finish for 'cleaning' processes to work. It will then be necessary to recolour/refinish the leather to completely resolve the problem.

Owners of pale and off-white leathers are recommended to adopt a gentle regular cleaning and protecting regime which will help inhibit this problem.

Hope this helps
 
krisandarcy said:
From what I have read and observed on a friends 09, the new Pilots seem have issues with the light colored leather interiors staining and collecting filth. When I purched a 2011 Pilot for my wife, I made sure to get the black leather interior. Ive been using the OPT leather stuff on the seats and love it.



2009 Honda Pilot Touring 4WD - Long-Term Road Test - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver

"Curiously, the Pilot’s gray leather seats, fore and aft, took on a somewhat disgusting beige patina of, oh, say, the towel that hangs above the french-fry vat at Irvel’s All-U-Can-Eat. This Honda’s leather has a pebbled surface, and the interstices between pebbles apparently are uniquely talented at collecting grime. We scrubbed the cushions first with Griot’s Interior Cleaner, then Armor All Multi-Purpose Auto Cleaner, then plain old Windex. Each worked equally well, which is to say not very. The seats still look as though they should be steam-cleaned with Clorox. In addition, the liftgate’s interior plastic panel appears to have been mauled by a wolverine wielding a cheese grater."
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Ive also heard of this being a problem with the new MDX's.
 
Woolite and water cut 6 to 1. Use a microfiber towel dipped in it or you may need a soft scrub brush. It has never failed me nor the members of an Accord forum I told about it some years ago. That's 6 parts water to one part Woolite.....the old style Woolite when they only made one.
 
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