How To: Clean and Condition Ford King Ranch Leather

[Nick McKees37]

How To: Clean and Condition Ford King Ranch Leather

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How To Clean and Condition King Ranch Leather

When you type the question How do you clean and condition King Ranch Leather? into Google, you will find multiple answers based on varying opinions. The answers that come up range from "don't clean it at all" to "I make a home-made serum in my garage, send me $3 and I'll ship a bottle your way."

Enough is enough. I present to you the definitive how-to guide for proper cleaning and conditioning of King Ranch leather, specifically the style found in Ford King Ranch trucks and SUVs.

Here's a brief history of King Ranch, brought to you by Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/####/King_Ranch.

King Ranch, located in South Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, is one of the largest ranches in the world.[3] (The world's largest is the 6,000,000 acre Anna Creek station in Australia, and the largest contiguous U.S. ranch is the Waggoner Ranch near Vernon, Texas.) The King Ranch comprises 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi)[4]and was founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes portions of six Texas counties, including most of Kleberg County and much of Kenedy County, with portions extending into Brooks, Jim Wells, Nueces, and Willacy Counties. The ranch does not consist of one single contiguous plot of land, but rather four large sections called divisions. The divisions are the Santa Gertrudis, the Laureles, the Encino and the Norias. Only two of the four divisions border each other, and that border is relatively short.[5] The ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.[2][6]

In 2001, Ford Motor Company added a King Ranch edition to their F-150 truck line, complete with the King Ranch cattle brand in the logo. In 2003, Ford added King Ranch packages to its Super Duty lineup, as well as the Expedition SUV.

The Pinnacle of Leather Care

2013 brought a host of exciting new car care products, with the latest evolution of the Pinnacle line taking the center stage - Black Label Collection.

Black Label represents a collection of coatings, polishes, and leather care products that represent the best technology that surface care has to offer. The two products featured in this article are Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner and Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner.

• 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.
  
• 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.”

Not All Leather Care Products are Created Equal

Black Label Hide-Soft leather care products are formulated without high-octane cleaners, petroleum distillates, or other harmful ingredients. Simply put, not all leather cleaners are created equal, and you should keep this in mind when picking a leather cleaner or leather conditioner for your application, especially if it's King Ranch style leather.

What Can Go Wrong

What happens if I use the wrong product? Another frequently asked question about King Ranch leather cleaning and conditioning.

You ruin the leather!

King Ranch leather that isn't properly cleaned or conditioned won't look or feel right. If you rub aggressively with the incorrect cleaner, you will create an uneven texture on the surface, along with splotchy, uneven patches. If you use the wrong conditioner on King Ranch leather, it will get stiff in spots, and will not dry to a uniform appearance (more splotchy areas). I created this guide so you can do it right the first time!

King Ranch Leather - What it Looks Like

King Ranch leather doesn't have a protective coating on the surface, like the leather upholstery found in 99.9% of vehicles on the road. The fact that the leather isn't coated makes it more susceptible to UV-induced cracking and fading, stains caused by accidental spills, abrasion caused by getting in and out of the vehicle, etc. The key to keeping King Ranch leather looking and feeling new is to clean it properly, and feed it the essential oils it needs to retain its soft, supple texture and flexibility.

This is what dirty King Ranch leather looks like:

Step 1: Cleaning the King Ranch Leather

While cleaning King Ranch leather, you want to avoid aggressive rubbing or scrubbing. If you get aggressive with it, you will create an unwanted texture that will not look or feel right.

My weapon of choice was a soft microfiber applicator. I applied a small amount of Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner directly onto the microfiber applicator and gently patted the surface. Take your time.

As the cleaner is absorbed into the leather, it will look splotchy at first. This is perfectly normal.

Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner gently removes dirt, soil, and body oil without drying out or discoloring the leather. Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner actually contains a special blend of mink oil, so you're already starting the essential conditioning process.

This is what the applicator looked like after one small section:

Step 2: Conditioning the King Ranch Leather

Once the leather is clean, it's time to condition it with Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner. My applicator of choice for this step was my hand. I prefer to use my hand because it is much quicker than "dabbing" the conditioner on the leather with a foam or microfiber applicator. Since my skin is soft, I can gently massage the conditioner into the King Ranch leather without worrying about creating an uneven texture.

Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner is formulated using a complex blend of mink oil and lanolin. These two essential products feed and condition the leather, helping restore its soft, supple texture and rich brown color.

Apply the conditioner liberally! As you apply the conditioner, the leather will quickly absorb it. Again, if the leather looks splotchy at first, this is perfectly normal.

Don't forget the stitching!

I apply the conditioner extra heavy on all the seams and stitching. Since Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner doesn't contain any petroleum ingredients, it won't cause the stitching to dry out or fray.

During Conditioning...

As you condition the King Ranch leather, it will get dark and have a splotchy appearance in some spots. This is normal.

One really cool thing about cleaning and conditioning King Ranch leather is that scratches and scuff marks are easily removed. If there's a part of the seat where your belt or phone clip may have scratched the seat, simply apply the conditioner a little heavier in that spot and spend some extra time massaging it.

Step 3: Sit Back & Relax

It will take several hours for the King Ranch leather to return to an even consistency, so go inside and have cold one. If you have an air mover available, you can place that inside the vehicle. I simply checked the forecast and put the windows down.

This is what the King Ranch leather seats looked like about 2 hours after the conditioning step:

Finished!

After about 6 hours with the windows down and air circulating through the truck, it was time to say goodbye as the owner was on his way to pick it up. At this point the seats were about 90% dry. This is how it turned out:

Remember how bad the armrest was?

Before:

After:

If I had a little more time with the truck, I could have got it in even better shape.

There you have it...the definitive how-to guide for cleaning and conditioning King Ranch leather. With the right products, and a couple hours of your time, you can restore the supple texture and rich brown color of King Ranch leather seats.

If you own a Ford King Ranch edition truck or SUV, you should perform this 2-step process at least twice a year.

You can find all the featured products at Autogeek.net

Pinnacle Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Cleaner

Pinnacle Black Label Hide-Soft Leather Conditioner

 

[Just02896]

Excellent write up! I have an F150 KR coming in January for correction and interior and your write came just in time! Guess I'll be placing yet another order for some BL products!

 

[Dr_Pain]

Now that is some exciting news. I HATE KR leather!

 

[van185]

Great info on cleaning King Ranch leather. I have a 2005 King Ranch that the leather was in really bad shape. I've used several conditioners with good success, but you have sold me on the Pinnacle for my next order. I'll try to post a review with pics to see how mine will turn out.

 

[jayshut11]

Thanks for the "How To." I've always been curious about the correct procedure.

 

[CowboyTruckn]

I'm a little concerned about the product you're using. You state that it's contains mink oil. Mink oil should never be used on leather, at least not leather of this caliber. I was in the western wear/tack business for several years. All boot companies and saddle manufacturers that we carried highly advised against mink oil. It is fine for work boots or something along that line, something you don't expect to be permanent. Mink oil itself is essentially an animal fat. Because of this it will go rancid and when it does it will begin to rot leather. It is great for waterproofing work boots, and other leather work wear. However being a leather interior or exotic boot or high end saddle you want to stay far away from it. Lanolin is a great product. No harm there but mink oil stay far away. I'm not trying to bash a product but I do know a thing or two about leather. A boot company that is one of the best called Rios of Mercedes recommends lexol, and another company called Lucchesse recommends a product called Bickmore Bick 4. Any quality leather product without mink oil should be fine however. Take my word for it.

 

[TundraPower]

I've never worked on King Ranch leather. I've used Leatherique for all of my leather work and it's always performed fantastic.

 

[TheRosser]

Lexol leather conditioner worked wonders on my super duty when I hade it! It took 3 applications to look fantastic. But, for how cheap it is, it is amazing! Just don't get discouraged while applying it. The leather will drink it up if it's super dry!

 

[pikiki]

Waoo!!!
I did one of this King Ranch on Saturday and my option was to use a cleaner/conditioning product. It was not as bad as the one on the picture above but I did not encounter may difficulties to get it done nice and clean. I charge $300 for an interior cleaning and wax. The owner of the truck was extremely happy and satisfied with my job.
So it came out good I think, lol !!!!
Bad from me I did not took any pictures of the truck. But this thread definitely answer all my questions for a next time. Thanks Nick for this info.

 

[Nick McKees37]

Great info on cleaning King Ranch leather. I have a 2005 King Ranch that the leather was in really bad shape. I've used several conditioners with good success, but you have sold me on the Pinnacle for my next order. I'll try to post a review with pics to see how mine will turn out.

Be sure to post before and after pictures!

I'm a little concerned about the product you're using. You state that it's contains mink oil. Mink oil should never be used on leather, at least not leather of this caliber. I was in the western wear/tack business for several years. All boot companies and saddle manufacturers that we carried highly advised against mink oil. It is fine for work boots or something along that line, something you don't expect to be permanent. Mink oil itself is essentially an animal fat. Because of this it will go rancid and when it does it will begin to rot leather. It is great for waterproofing work boots, and other leather work wear. However being a leather interior or exotic boot or high end saddle you want to stay far away from it. Lanolin is a great product. No harm there but mink oil stay far away. I'm not trying to bash a product but I do know a thing or two about leather. A boot company that is one of the best called Rios of Mercedes recommends lexol, and another company called Lucchesse recommends a product called Bickmore Bick 4. Any quality leather product without mink oil should be fine however.

Mink oil serves a purpose in the formulation of these products. Just like carnauba wax and synthetic polymers, there are various ways to formulate a product and utilize certain ingredients. Sometimes you just have to trust the name on the bottle.

Take my word for it.

Take my word for it when I say the chemists at Pinnacle are that good. :dblthumb2:

 

[vet]

Great write up, Nick! I made the mistake of sitting in a KR at the dealership, now I want one, not that it will happen any time soon, lol.

 

[brondondolon]

i had a f350 king ranch. It was the nicest truck ive ever owned 4 door long bed white on gold paint lifted diesel 37" tires on 20" rims tvs subs the whole shebang ( it was a ca truck hence the large impractical rims but it was nice damn it lol) any way, the leather was in better condition then most ive seen but still not the condition id like it in. I tried those home made products and absolutely nothing worked and the scariest part is that leather was so easy to absolutely destroy i tried some lenox leather cleaner in an inconspicuous test spot and it looked terrible so after that i was like hell with it ill just leave it alone. After owning a king ranch and seeing your pics that is the only product that seems to work and not destroy it. unfortunately i personally dont think that the king ranch leather can ever be restored once its damaged even with the black label. I think the black label makes it look 10x better but not perfect if that makes sense. At the same time i think its the best product out there for the job as its such a sensitive leather and arguably the hardest leather to work with.

For those who are in the market to buy a king ranch id recommend using black label on the leather with ever exterior wash so it never gets to the point of no return.

 

[reckbates]

Great article and mind blowed so in my fav. bookmarked

 

[05krsd]

I am using this stuff now on my 2005 F250 King Ranch. Is there anything else I can use to apply the cleaner? My microfiber clothe I am using seems like it just drinks the cleaner.

 

[Nick McKees37]

I am using this stuff now on my 2005 F250 King Ranch. Is there anything else I can use to apply the cleaner? My microfiber clothe I am using seems like it just drinks the cleaner.

Once you've applied the cleaner to the applicator a couple times it will become saturated, which is what you want. That way when you need more you can simply squeeze the applicator. rops:

 

[van185]

Since I read the article I bought the Pinnacle Black Label Cleaner and Conditioner. I wish I had of took pics of my vehicle before and after. I had tried everything on the seats. When I got the 2005 King Ranch in 2013 it was a 2005 with 23,000 miles. The vehicle had been parked inside a barn for the past couple of years. The interior was very dusty and the seats were very dried out and cracked. I tried several different kinds of cleaning products and conditioners after reading your post got eh BlackLabel. The products were applied to the seats with great results. The seats are still not in the best shape but look much better. In the summer I applied the conditioner about once a month, but since cold weather set in I haven't applied it in a couple of months. I will start with the re-application in about April. The seats area a lot softer and look much better. The Black Label is a great product. Thanks to Nick for the initial post.

 

[rwright]

Excellent write up and responses Nick. rops:

 

[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

Interesting that I'm seeing this article now, after I worked on a King Ranch F150 (2013) over the weekend.

First question is, are the seats used in newer trucks different from what you mention here? The leather seemed like the same run-o-the mill leather found in other Ford's. It was almost identical to my Mustang. Same feel, texture and even had perforated seats...

The leather looked nothing like the hide leather in your post...

Secondly, I did use some APC to get the soiled spots (grease, etc...) It's used as a work truck. Then I used Pinnacle Vinyl Leather Cleaner, then Pinnacle Leather Conditioner. After having the truck several days the leather looked great.

I'm still perplexed at the differences in the types of leather used, what you show above, and what was in the truck I worked on. This looks nothing like the hide-leather you discussed above Nick. However, with that said, perhaps Ford is doing some cost cutting? I now see that the tops of the chairs have a different leather than the rest of the seat.

 

[EWtheDETAILER]

Nice write up Nick! I too prefer to work the hide style leather via bare hand leather conditioning. I've found the first time around the leather seams to almost drink the conditioner, but this decreases as you continue to maintain the leather over time.

 

[Nick McKees37]

Interesting that I'm seeing this article now, after I worked on a King Ranch F150 (2013) over the weekend.

First question is, are the seats used in newer trucks different from what you mention here? The leather seemed like the same run-o-the mill leather found in other Ford's. It was almost identical to my Mustang. Same feel, texture and even had perforated seats...

The leather looked nothing like the hide leather in your post...

Secondly, I did use some APC to get the soiled spots (grease, etc...) It's used as a work truck. Then I used Pinnacle Vinyl Leather Cleaner, then Pinnacle Leather Conditioner. After having the truck several days the leather looked great.

I'm still perplexed at the differences in the types of leather used, what you show above, and what was in the truck I worked on. This looks nothing like the hide-leather you discussed above Nick. However, with that said, perhaps Ford is doing some cost cutting? I now see that the tops of the chairs have a different leather than the rest of the seat.

I don't recall the exact year, but Ford did stop using the genuine (unfinished) King Ranch style leather in favor of something that wears better. I'm not surprised at all, because what you worked on is far easier to properly maintain compared to the unfinished (original) style featured in this article.

Nice write up Nick! I too prefer to work the hide style leather via bare hand leather conditioning. I've found the first time around the leather seams to almost drink the conditioner, but this decreases as you continue to maintain the leather over time.

:dblthumb2: