Leather Seat Cleaning Help

CRappe

CRappe

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Tan leather seats with 100,000 miles. Dark stained & dark lines. Could be dark dye from clothing. How do I clean these?
 
You could try some 303 aerospace cleaner diluted(follow dilutions for leather, i think its 30:1)
 
Oh gosh, yep, it is dye from jeans and the like...I keep my drivers side covered for that very reason. I hear tell Woolite does a good job...I think Dan from D and D had a really good method for that, if i am not mistaken.
 
I know exactly what you're talking about. I've had some luck with Lexol Cleaner and a black ShMitt scrub. To be honest you're not going to get it all. Some leather reconditioning kits (sanding through dying and conditioning) produce pretty good results. There have been threads on our forum. I'll see if I can find them.
 
You can use Woolite 10:1. Just make sure whatever you use has a safe pH.
 
leather cleaner applied with pc/udm/cyclo using soft, grey carpet brush(es).
works very well. if that doesn't work maybe a steamer (not too close). if that doesn't work maybe magic eraser.
 
Lots of great help. I actually was thinking of trying the magic eraser. I will let you know the results when we work on it.
 
Jimmie said:
I know exactly what you're talking about. I've had some luck with Lexol Cleaner and a black ShMitt scrub. To be honest you're not going to get it all. Some leather reconditioning kits (sanding through dying and conditioning) produce pretty good results. There have been threads on our forum. I'll see if I can find them.
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That was an amazing result on that leather.

I have a wear spot on the side bolster in my car. It is a gray interior and I want to get some dye so I can touch that up.

Problem is getting a good match. Any idea how you determine what color to buy? Do you buy specific colors or do you buy kits and mix your own color?

any advice would be great

Dave
 
Go easy with that magic eraser! You can do real harm to the leather if you are not careful. I have had great results with Megs APC diluted 10:1 and a soft scrub brush, followed by a wipedown with a damp towel and the application of Wolfgang or Lexol leather conditioner.
 
We get many many enquiries every week about dye transfer on pale coloured leathers.

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 title explains the dyes that are leached from jeans, clothing, newspapers etc. 'recolour' the leather. The longer the dye is on the leather or the 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 good 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 there are products that have been specifically formulated for this problem that can be safely tried without damaging the finish on the leather.

If these further steps do not resolve the problem it is because the dye 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
Any questions just ask
 
CRappe said:
Lots of great help. I actually was thinking of trying the magic eraser. I will let you know the results when we work on it.
Click to expand...


Two methods of removal!

Its either 100% chemical reaction to penetrate, lubricate and suspense the dye stain safely to be extracted with towel or it’s a combination of partial ineffective chemical reaction with a partial mechanical etching effect to remove the dye-transfer stain.

What do you think works better – A] 100% chemical or B] a Combo of Chemical & Mechanical?


Tips:

It is always wise to know the logic behind the magic, on how a product works and its side effect if any!



Roger Koh
[email protected]
 
I've had very good luck with Leatherique cleaning the denim color from the light colored seats in my STS. The Rejuvinator oil floats it up out of the hides and the Prestique cleans it up nicely. My seats are heated/cooled and the cooling actually sucks rather than blows, and seems to pull ultra small fibers into the perforations in the hides. Expensive but worth it in my book.

Crovello,
Dave, they also sell custom dyes by interior color code. Check them out!

Glenn :dblthumb2:
 
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