For cleaning please see the guidelines below to give professional results and prolong the life of the leather.
CLEANING PROCESS
Keep your leather clean by protecting it with a leather protector and then regular cleaning.
Adding 'conditioners' which generally contain oils and waxes will change the appearance of your leather over time as dirt will build up on the surface and cause a sheen.
Using the correct care methods and products will not alter the factory finish
'Coated' leather is essentially a 'painted' leather with a clear coat finish over the top. The leather may or may not be dyed through with
aniline dyes prior to the finish coating.
Essentially it is this top coating that needs looking after.
Cleaning is vitally important as the top coat will wear away if allowed to become dirty.
Dirt on the surface will also become ground into the finish by constant abrassion.
'Conditioners', balms, feeds etc (traditionally oil and wax based) cannot penetrate this finish so are not worth applying - they can also leave behind residues on the finish which will only attract more dirt if allowed to remain. 'Conditioners' will not do any protecting on leather even if they say they do as there will not be enough active ingredient in them to do anything.
A protector will make the finish easier to clean and also inhibit dye transfer etc on pale coloured leathers.
Leather however finished has to remain breathable and it will allow the movement of moisture back and forth (transpiration) so the use of water based cleaners and protectors will keep the leather correctly hydrated which is essentail to keeping it in good condition.
Leather needs a little regular care and attention and this can be done with a maintenance product rather than a deep clean which you would then only need to do once or twice a year depending on usage and colour.
You will find that detergent style cleaners will remove the protection applied so you would need to reprotect each time you clean.
A maintenance product helps to retain the protection rather than remove it so a reapplication of protector is only required after a deep clean.
Whilst individual products may be effective if they have not been tested together you may find they are counter productive
The routine for correct care should be
Protect from new
Maintain with a regular clean or maintenance product
Deep clean with a foam cleaner once or twice a year
Simple steps of cleaning & protecting will prolong the life of the finish on the leather
Hope this helps
Judyb
