Welcome to leather cleaner car seats where this professional detailer is going to show you what works as opposed to the bad results you are most likely used to getting with traditional carnauba wax. We have been mislead as car owners and consumers by an industry simply wanting to sell us more and more products; convincing us that leather is a delicate and exotic material that requires specialized cleaners and conditioners.
What they have failed to communicate is that the car leather of today’s automobiles, is very different than the car leathers used in the cars of the past. Car leather care and cleaning is much easier and simpler than most people realize due to the advances in car leather manufacturing. With an industry bent on selling us more and more products, it is no wonder why the vast majority of people remain in stuck in the past!
Getting professional results with cleaning your car leather is easier and simpler than most people think. With the right products and tools, applied with some strategic techniques, you too can enjoy the same results normally reserved to veteran detailers.
“Darren, I am tired of the frustrating results I get with every car leather cleaner I seem to use! I’ve got questions and need answers!”
How come these over the counter leather cleaners don’t clean worth a darn?Is there any leather cleaners that actually work?What are the proper techniques for cleaning the leather in my car?
Most people like yourself are stuck in the past and the industry wants you to stay there so they can continue to sell you more and more products. But the car leathers of yesterday are not the same as the car leathers of present day cars.
Pictured Above: As you can see by the before and after pictures above that drastic results are indeed possible. But your every-day car leather cleaners are not going to produce these type of professional results.
As consumers, we are forever at the mercy of advertising and marketing; all designed to sell you more and more products. So many voices, with so many opinions and all you want is clean leather car seats; but you’re unsure as to where to start and how to do it. I will share with you some of what twenty years in the world of professional auto detailing has taught me regarding actual leather cleaning methods and leather cleaning products.
Car Leather is Car leather!
What do I mean by that? This is to remind you that we are filled with many leather items in our world: leather shoes, belts, gloves, equestrian tack, etc. And the point is this, “car leather is car leather”, it is not any of these other forms of leathers. Leather car seats exist in many of the cars and trucks today, and no longer is it just a material reserved for the elite among us.
Leather can be found in everything from sports cars, sedans, trucks, SUV’s, vans, and even higher end RV’s.
Follow along as I break down the subject of your cars leather interior into the different levels of dirt including specific strategies of cleaning.
Since there will be endless situations and one man’s dirt is another man’s clean, I have broken this page into (3) areas based on level of car leather cleaning any of you will encounter. Simply find the area that meets your particular situation the best.
Most of you visiting this page will have missed the window of opportunity by learning the tips of cleaning and maintaining your car leather upholstery when it is brand new from the beginning.
But with that said, there are those of you out there who have just recently purchased that brand new car with leather upholstery looking to maintain your car’s leather in show room condition.
For those of you out there this is an area that doesn’t have to be over-thought as you will not have excessive amounts of dirt on your car leather. Despite the endless opinions you will hear out there regarding how to clean leather car seats, due to the nature of modern-day car leather, keeping them clean from the beginning is far easier and simpler than ever. I suggest you lay the ground work first by reading my car leather care page first, then come back here.
Well known industry leader in car leather care.Suitable choice if you are cleaning and conditioning new car leather that has not been allowed to become excessively dirty.Kit comes complete for all your leather and vinyl care.
Another well known industry leader in car care.Suitable for any new car leather if you stay on-top of your leather cleaning and conditioning.All-in-one cleaner and conditioner.
This area will be where most of you find yourselves. Light to medium levels of dirt on your car leather. What you will find interesting is that I don’t actually recommend any dedicated car leather cleaners, but an all purpose cleaner form Meguiar’s.
For my dedicated page on this Meguiar’s product, you can see the comprehensive review at all-purpose cleaner.
Many of you will be faced with excessive levels of dirt on your car’s leather and to clean leather car seat will require the use of even more aggressive cleaning capabilities. You will be alarmed, but the product below is one of my favorites and I indeed use it on car leather.
For my dedicated comprehensive review of this Meguiar’s product, you can go to super-degreaser.
This would be for engines, tires, wheel wells, etc.To clean leather car seat, I start with a 10;1 ratio and use repeat applications as much as needed for desired results.If you want to follow up with a leather conditioner, it is entirely up to you.
Car leather will last a life time if you are willing to simply keep it clean from the beginning. Most people race to see what the best car leather conditioners are and bypass the more critical factor of just keeping the leather in your car clean in the first place. Common dirt and skin oils combine to create damaging effects to your cars leather. The longer it is allowed to remain, the more damaging it becomes.
Use scrub brush to get better results regardless of your choice in cleaners.Use scrub brush to aggressively scrub and clean leather car seat after you have sprayed area with All-purpose cleaner.Yes, it is completely safe to clean leather car seats with.
Simply another alternative to the scrub brush above.Without the use of some form of scrub brush, you will never clean leather car seat with acceptable results unless of course your car leather isn’t really dirty to begin with.Most people think car leather is a very delicate and fragile. Trust me, your car leather can be scrubbed very aggressively with either of these brushes. If in doubt, simply go easy and work your way into it.
Darren’s Professional Tips to Clean Leather Car Seats Follow dilution recommendations on product labeling.Always, always, test in a hidden area first for color-fastness and results.In my professional business, all I use is the APC (All-purpose-cleaner) and the Super Degreaser form Meguiar’s for all cleaning needs.
Don’t Forget: Just wanted to let you know I spend a lot of time putting together my videos on my You Tube channel to bring the information to life so you can learn the actual techniques. Please make sure to subscribe to my channel as I will be constantly updated it with more and more instructional videos. Also, feel free to leave any comments or questions as this also helps me in producing the videos in a way where I deliver the exact information and tips you are looking for.
Thank you for visiting clean leather car seat!