What happens when you use a steamer on leather too long? and other stuff I need help with.

[RMarkJr]

Sooo I was wondering what happens if you use a steamer on leather for too long. Will it take off the protective layer or will it turn another lighter color?

also would you choose to clean the leather with just a steamer with a microfiber cloth? or would you choose to use chemicals and a brush? or maybe both?

I am asking because I did a family members Nissan path finder today inside and out that has tan-ish leather. It took me a bit longer than I would have liked at 6 hours.

The outside had lots of bugs on it and the inside hadnet been detailed ever .. but it wasnt dirty .. just grime on the leather seats and the texture on the panels

I did each tire and wheel well separately first. Then I wet the front end and sprayed it with bug and tar remover and used a bug remover pad.

Then I foamed the entire SUV and started washing it top down.

Rinsed it off and dried with forced air .. which I am beginning to think is a bit of a joke to use. By the time I dried it off that all took about an hour and a half.


The big issue was the interior. It took about 40 minutes alone just to vacuum it out. That seems a bit slow but I did get it cleaned out pretty well using a 6hp shop vac.

So now I am about 2 and a half hours into it. still have the interior to do .. the door jams.. tire dressing.. dressing on the outside black parts .. windows in and out .. etc.


Then from there it was almost a mess of what to do. I did the door panel on the passenger side first with the steamer and then part of the dash, vents, and console that I could reach. Then it was trying to decide what to do bouncing back and fourth from panel to seat to side rail etc..which attachments to use or if I should use chemical with a brush ....what I do not have is a non scratch pad that I see people use on leather and panels .. no idea what a good non scratch pad is to use for that.

does anyone have a process to clean out the SUVs faster?

also I found that no matter what I did the grime was not coming off very easy on panels or the seats in the texture part especially on the leather seats. I used vapor chief 100 and I was using detailing brushes with griots garage interior cleaner... until I get the meguiars all purpose cleaner that I have been waiting on since February. Even tried one of those like xoxo scrub brushes with the stiffer bristles and still didnt come out as good as I would have liked... definitely nothing like you see on youtube lol

there was also a blue dye transfer line on the side of each front seat that I could NOT remove. Any ideas on that?



I am really looking for any help because I guy came up to me doing this one with a SUV and I have his to do coming next Friday or Saturday and trying to find a way to cut down on time.

 

[GSKR]

If your trying to cut down on time me personally I would ditch the steamer.you can shave off 2 hrs on that 6 hr interior detail.just like anything else in life the more you do the better you get.As far as the blue transfer depends on what kind of car some come off others just dont.If I was to purchase a steamer I would have to get a 75.00 stand alone fee just to pay it off.The cheap steamers may get you buy but they are not the steamer you want.There weak and leak ,besides the point if I wanted one it would only be used on mats or floor boards.On leather or vinyl to much steam gives it a ripple effect .Buy a carpet extactor.

 

[RMarkJr]

so using a steamer to long gives it a ripple effect? Will it take of the protective coating on the leather and have kinda of a peeled look to it?

 

[GSKR]

Makes it looked out of shape and really deosnt clean all that quick.But common sense plays a big part .I saw a 3 in one systems for 3300.Its a steamer and a steamer extractor or vac in one system with 145psi.just to much money and I would be scared to use it and break it.

 

[futurepro17]

I did this same detail using the Vapor Chief 100 on my sister's pick-up over the weekend. She had blue jean dye transfer on her tan leather on the edges of the seats. Used the steamer to clean and disinfect (key selling point) and still used some WG leather cleaner with a soft brush to clean up the rest. What I have found works best is to be quick with the process (don't stay too long in any area), dry the area you steamed with a clean mf towel and keep moving. Vacuuming should also be fairly quick and consistent. Make sure you have the right tools for the crevices and tight spots.