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leather cleaner and conditioner recommendations
- Thread starter Drsnsx
- Start date
Black soap with brush to clean then remoisturize with a good milky product. I do not like too fat or greasy products.
I expect ivory seats are a big problem because any of the oil based products will likely end up darkening the leather or at least make the creases / cracks in the leather darker and more obvious. There are cream like products (like Galen Leather Balm) that claim to have minimal color change on light leather. As asylum alludes to, one of the problems with those types of creamy products is that some tend to be bees wax based and leave a waxy or oily residue on the leather which is going to rub off on your clothes. If you are going to try one of those then test in a small area first.
For cleaning the leather I just use very warm water and a soft sponge. A soft tooth brush can help clean out the crevices. If your leather is really grotty, you can safely clean / de grease with a 1:9 (10%) solution of acetone in water. Test to confirm color fastness first; but, the 10% acetone solution seems to be pretty standard as a cleaning solution prior to repainting or a dye job on leather seats. The acetone solution is not for regular use.
I have black leather seats in my 2000 which uses the perforated leather which is different than the leather used in the earlier cars. For about 7+ years I have been using Obenauf's Leather Oil. You can get it from Cabela's and similar outdoorsy places. It is an oil / wax product and best to use it on a hot day which speeds up the absorption of the product. After two or three hours in 25 - 30 C most of the product has been absorbed and a buff with a soft cloth removes any residue. The leather seats are in very good condition; but, I expect that it will cause darkening on light leather. If you want to give it a try I suggest a test run on an inconspicuous area such as the forward edge of the seat bottom cushion.
For cleaning the leather I just use very warm water and a soft sponge. A soft tooth brush can help clean out the crevices. If your leather is really grotty, you can safely clean / de grease with a 1:9 (10%) solution of acetone in water. Test to confirm color fastness first; but, the 10% acetone solution seems to be pretty standard as a cleaning solution prior to repainting or a dye job on leather seats. The acetone solution is not for regular use.
I have black leather seats in my 2000 which uses the perforated leather which is different than the leather used in the earlier cars. For about 7+ years I have been using Obenauf's Leather Oil. You can get it from Cabela's and similar outdoorsy places. It is an oil / wax product and best to use it on a hot day which speeds up the absorption of the product. After two or three hours in 25 - 30 C most of the product has been absorbed and a buff with a soft cloth removes any residue. The leather seats are in very good condition; but, I expect that it will cause darkening on light leather. If you want to give it a try I suggest a test run on an inconspicuous area such as the forward edge of the seat bottom cushion.
I lived with the ivory seats in my 91, The Ivory seats have a polyurethane coating on them that prevents most of the oil-based conditioners from penetrating into the hide. A product like 303 protectant is probably going to work better there to treat the surface. For cleaning, I would use some hand soap and water and a light horsehair brush to agitate. Wipe the soap off with a wet microfiber or terry-cloth. If the seats are already darkened, it means grime has mixed with the poly clear and it's pretty much impossible to get out. If you want the seats looking white again, you have to re-upholster. The good news there is that the aftermarket leather doesn't have the coating, so any good leather product will penetrate the hide. Just make sure to use ones that are not dyed at all. Anything other than white will dye the leather!
Back in 2012 Feb I did a post covering the use of Scuffmaster leather dye to restore the seats on my NSX. They are black which is probably easier to do than other colors; but, there is a wide range of black finishes. 12 years later the seats are holding up well with no need to repeat the re finish although when you are only putting about 1500 - 2000 km per year on the car they are not getting a huge amount of wear.
If the leather just need surface restoration then dyeing or painting with a product like Scuffmaster will likely be cheaper than re upholstering. Scuffmaster can color match to your interior color if you want to pay for that.
If the leather just need surface restoration then dyeing or painting with a product like Scuffmaster will likely be cheaper than re upholstering. Scuffmaster can color match to your interior color if you want to pay for that.
Wow, you guys are great!!
I think I'll start with the mild soap and warm water. Surprising for the age of the vehicle the seats held up really well. I figured due to the color of the seats (and carpet) this would be a challenge to keep clean but It's so worth it to me because I really love the look of the black exterior with white interior.
Thanks for all the advice and I definitely appreciated it.
I think I'll start with the mild soap and warm water. Surprising for the age of the vehicle the seats held up really well. I figured due to the color of the seats (and carpet) this would be a challenge to keep clean but It's so worth it to me because I really love the look of the black exterior with white interior.
Thanks for all the advice and I definitely appreciated it.
The only leather conditioner thats actually worth anything is Leatherique, and even then it takes weeks to soak through the protective coating on most automotive leather seats. Higher end leathers tend to more readily accept conditioner but are more prone to staining and damge, however the leather found on the factory NSX is more on the cheap and durable end of the spectrum so it'll take a while.
On my 540i I applied Leatherique then put black trash bags over the seats so I could still drive the car, then reapplied as needed for about a month. Every few days if it was starting to look dry I'd add a little more. This did actually restore some of the softness in the leather. The NSX leather is similar to what was in the BMW.
The nappa leather on my reupholstered NSX seats conditions much better, once a year or so I'll do an application of leatherique and it is very readily absorbed and the leather is holding up beautifully.
On my 540i I applied Leatherique then put black trash bags over the seats so I could still drive the car, then reapplied as needed for about a month. Every few days if it was starting to look dry I'd add a little more. This did actually restore some of the softness in the leather. The NSX leather is similar to what was in the BMW.
The nappa leather on my reupholstered NSX seats conditions much better, once a year or so I'll do an application of leatherique and it is very readily absorbed and the leather is holding up beautifully.
I've had excellent results with Leatherique on my 1995 seats. There was supposed to be some kind of coating on the leather, but the leatherique soaked in nicely and softened up the hardened leather in a couple of segments that I suspect was sun damaged either directly or from the interior getting too hot. I could almost not believe the improvement.
It is a bit of a process in that you have to keep applying it until it stops soaking up the conditioner, and then apply the cleaner to clean off the excess, but the results have been worth it to me. It took about 1/2 dozen applications the first time, then just one when I did it every 6 months after that. It also works much faster on a hot day, although I got it to work in my garage by putting a small heater in the footwell.
Leatherique claims to not affect the color, but I'd definitely try an unobtrusive spot first. It definitely affected my color, from sort of old looking to like new! There is no obvious coloring in the products.
It worked so well, I used it on my living room couches too.
It is a bit of a process in that you have to keep applying it until it stops soaking up the conditioner, and then apply the cleaner to clean off the excess, but the results have been worth it to me. It took about 1/2 dozen applications the first time, then just one when I did it every 6 months after that. It also works much faster on a hot day, although I got it to work in my garage by putting a small heater in the footwell.
Leatherique claims to not affect the color, but I'd definitely try an unobtrusive spot first. It definitely affected my color, from sort of old looking to like new! There is no obvious coloring in the products.
It worked so well, I used it on my living room couches too.
Agreed - Leatherique has been the only cleaner / conditioner that I've found to be any remotely worthwhile in terms of actual lasting results. Used it in all my cars - leaves a nice matte finish. It's a bit annoying to apply, but the results are well worth it and once you do the first long treatment, the subsequent results are easy to keep up. Definitely recommend applying it in the summer with a hot ambient temp.
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