Leather

sixgun95

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06-911. What is recommended to use on the learher. I am told a damp cloth, others high quality leather cleaner, what the answer? Lexol, Leatherique, Novus, nothing?
 
I have the Lexol cleaner and I would categorize it as very mild. Sonax leather foam is also very good but gentle. Leather Master is probably the best thing if you want to be extra careful, it's a very high quality product. Whatever you do, just be careful with how you scrub the leather. That's where a lot of people do the damage.
 
Leatherique "Pristine Clean" and "Rejuvenator" are both excellent choices.
 
Meguiars APC (green) is intended for interior cleaning and can be diluted as necessary. It should be followed up with a leather conditioner.

I have never been studying leather as much as paint, but uou cant go wrong with leatherique and leather master. Important to perform a small spot first.
 
I have the Lexol cleaner and I would categorize it as very mild. Sonax leather foam is also very good but gentle. Leather Master is probably the best thing if you want to be extra careful, it's a very high quality product. Whatever you do, just be careful with how you scrub the leather. That's where a lot of people do the damage.
I use a KIWI shoe brush. Cheap and doesn't seem to do any damage.
 
I've been using Chemical Guys Leather Stuff, and 2 weeks later my seats still make that new leather noise when sitting down. It makes the seats a bit glossy , but nothing gets on your clothes. Smells like leather too.
 
I have tried Leatherique kit, Optimum Leather Protectant & Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel on my leather sofa.

Leatherique kit - massaged Rejuvenator Oil onto it & let soak for 24 hours. Then clean with Prestine Clean, not much difference since I cant heat up the sofa & its too big for me to move it out to sun it. Tried a hair blower, no heat gun. not much result.

Optimum Leather Protectant - sprayed on, soak for a min. You can actually see a clean surface when it drips down, but still need a little elbow grease. has strong leather smell & a little gloss.

Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel - sprayed on, soak for a min. When it drips down, can see clean surface. doesnt need much rubbing, no smell or gloss. this is my prefered leather cleaner (very economical). Can always top it with leather conditioner of your choice.
 
I have tried Leatherique kit, Optimum Leather Protectant & Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel on my leather sofa.

Leatherique kit - massaged Rejuvenator Oil onto it & let soak for 24 hours. Then clean with Prestine Clean, not much difference since I cant heat up the sofa & its too big for me to move it out to sun it. Tried a hair blower, no heat gun. not much result.

Optimum Leather Protectant - sprayed on, soak for a min. You can actually see a clean surface when it drips down, but still need a little elbow grease. has strong leather smell & a little gloss.

Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel - sprayed on, soak for a min. When it drips down, can see clean surface. doesnt need much rubbing, no smell or gloss. this is my prefered leather cleaner (very economical). Can always top it with leather conditioner of your choice.

A while back I decided Ultima gel would be my next LC after my Z-9 ran out. Although I didn't think it would be economical. How so? It seems a little pricey to me.
 
DG twins or meg's leather cleaner and CG leather conditioner.
 
4 Star gel is the best cleaner I have found for leather. I like Blackfire leather conditioner.
 
More interested in a conditioner, my leather is immaculate, just want to keep it that way.
 
What kind of leather is it?? High end stuff I just use Swissvax Leather Milk. Pretty much the best on the market.

Leatherique Rejuvenator is a real hardcore leather restorer. Good on old stuff and really dried out leather too. Can be a very time consuming process though!


That stuff is shockingly strong!
 
Optimum Power Clean for anything but the lightest cleaning...

Optimum Protectant Plus for light cleaning and treatment/maintenance/protection.
 
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.

The type of leather you have is 'coated' leather. This 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 like Auto Ultra Maintain 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 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
 
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