Do you Use Leather Cleaner on Your Seats

[chefwong]

There has been a few leather threads so I am thinking leather these days
For your own vehicles, where one knows their own detailing regimen
Presuming the regimen includes some level of wipe down with an interior cleaner and how potent:strong the interior cleaner is

I don't even use a bristle brush our leather seats. I will use a brush on the steering wheel just to lift and agitate said surface but nothing on the seats.
I do use a detailing brush on the outer bolster even now and it does seem to cut back the sheen by a little bit versus just a -wipe-
Leather is maintained with an interior cleaner and conditioned regularly.

Off to grab some leather cleaner and a brush, just to see if I will see any noticable effects on
- semi daily drivers
- well maintained as such- wiped down often
- slight minor sheen to it, but I attribute that from not being dirty but just the abrasion that one may not see on a micro level that is just making the leather smoother, flatter - appear shiner

Just hit the 2 year mark on the daily driver. Main touch surfaces is steering wheel, and driver side bolster.

The goal. I suppose to see if Leather Cleaner will make what I believe are surfaces that are clean that much more cleaner visually.
I do expect it to remove something since it is stronger.

 

[evo77]

Don't overthink the process. If your leather is maintained regularly as you say it is, there is no reason to go full detail on it aside from a simple wipe down.

For the heavy contact points such as steering wheel and driver seat, use a good quality leather cleaner and mild agitation with a soft brush or bristle sponge. I use the Scrub Ninja for the steering wheel and Gyeon Leather Cleaner. This combo works quite well for me. Mop up with a generic purpose MF towel that is slightly wet with plain water. Then buff with a soft dry MF towel.

 

[PA DETAILER]

I use a AIO on my seats. Blackfire complete leather or TWHS leather mist.

 

[DFB]

As a general guide, shiny leather is dirty leather. Having said that, shine/sheen can vary depending on what the interior colour and trim designers specify. And as you noted, abrasion from contact can indeed polish up the surface.

Well Maintained / Occasional Use - Realistically, very little cleaning ability is required here. In this case, a rinse-less wash or even just a damp towel is all you need.

Daily Drivers - In this case, I wipe down with an interior detailer or rinse-less wash. I love using ADS Pilot or Capro InnerQD for this, both a step up from a damp towel and rinse-less, but still safe to use and offer some UV protection without having to apply a secondary product. I spray these into a towel and wipe the surface, Pilot and InnerQD are nice because they flash away without a trace.

Shiny / Dirty - This would where a dedicated leather cleaner or pH balanced interior cleaner would be needed. Team these with a leather brush, synthetic detail brush, scrub pad or microfiber applicator/towel. For this, I like Koch Chemie Pol Star or ColourLock Mild Leather Cleaner, and if needed I'd step up to the ColourLock Strong Leather Cleaner.

I know that sounds like a lot, but realistically you only need two products; a bottle of ADS Pilot for most applications, then Koch Chemie Pol Star mixed at 1:8 for heavier cleaning.

This is ColourLock Strong Leather Cleaner used with their specific brush. This material has a natural sheen to it, amplified by the abrasion from clothing.

 

[chefwong]

I have that bristle brush. I also bought a EZ detail for the wheel wells. I'm okay with the EZ on wheel wheels since you don't see it

Maybe it's just me but I can't still wrap my head around that is safe for said surfaces........even though I have used my Scrub Ninja 2-3X on a steering wheel as such as well.

Well aware brushing+stronger cleaner will probably Net me a matter finish on seat surface being discussed (even though it is well wiped frequently).
The surface is not shiny....in terms of gloss....just patina.

 

[DFB]

I have that bristle brush. I also bought a EZ detail for the wheel wells. I'm okay with the EZ on wheel wheels since you don't see it

Maybe it's just me but I can't still wrap my head around that is safe for said surfaces........even though I have used my Scrub Ninja 2-3X on a steering wheel as such as well.

If you used that brush on a frequent basis with a strong leather cleaning chemical, then you WILL damage the material over time. Realistically, you only need to use those stronger combinations on a as needed basis, for most of us that might be every few years. A regular wipe down with a towel is doing the real work in preventing the need for stronger measures.

 

[chefwong]

I'm generally on the side of low vs. high as far as strength. At one point, I was thinking chem free, H20 wipe downs on seats was enough . One day I decided to use Interior Cleaner just to compare and it was noticably cleaner with product versus H20. It was slightly an eye opener than H20 was too mild....regardless of frequency of.

Time to pull out the thinking cap.
Would one say Bristle Brush or Scrub Ninja is less aggressive
Bristle brush running across palm of hand is harder to me than a Scrub Ninja