Car Leather Cleaner:
Why most of them won't work!

Experience has shown me that most people neglect the basic and simple requirements of proper car leather care. Only after years of neglect when their car leather has accumulated years of grimy build-up, do they go in search of the best car leather cleaner only to be disappointed by the dismal results of these overly mild car leather cleaners.

Understanding the Nature of the Beast

As I have stated at the beginning, the problem with the poor results most people get with their choice in a car leather cleaner is a blame to be shared by both sides. understanding the nature of the beast is your first step towards getting better results. Not only will I lay out a basic understanding for you, but then go on further to show you exactly how I get superior results using professional techniques, combined with professional tools and products.

Basics of Car Leather Care

With the attempt to keep this short and to the point, I am going to bullet point the critical points that I have separated into "Hype" and "Fact". Then I will get into actual techniques of car leather cleaning so you can start getting professional grade results and learn how to clean car leather yourself.

The Hype of Car Leather

• We have been lead to believe that car leather is overly delicate and has been elevated to some grandiose status requiring specialized cleaners.
• We have also been lead to believe that any leather cleaner worth a damn must be formulated with exotic ingredients to a ph balance dictated by arbitrary rule of the industry.

The Facts of Car Leather

• Car leather is just that; car leather. This means it is not your boot leather, your purse leather, your coat leather, or your horse and tackle leather.
• 99% of modern car leather is finished by using a tanning process using water-based dyes and processes that create a uniformed texture and consistent color. It is also sealed with a clear top coat for durability and protection against normal wear and spills of liquids and dirt in general.
• Due to the modern tanning processes of manufacturing car leather, it is much more durable and much easier to clean and care for.

The Best Automotive Leather Cleaner

Finding the best automotive leather cleaner is going to be more about defining the specifics of your particular situation. While I could throw hundreds of choices as to what the worlds best automotive leather cleaner is, my professional experience has shown that getting professional grade results when cleaning your car leather requires a combination of technique, tools, and product. I will keep it simple by showing you what works based on 20+ years of professional car detailing experience. I do not claim these are the only leather cleaners and techniques that work, they just happen to be the products and techniques that I know work!

Basic Car Leather Care

If you have a brand new car, or a car whose leather is in great to excellent condition, then you don't have to over think the moment as any name brand quality car leather cleaner will work for the normal day to day dirt that will accumulate on your cars leather. I have laid out many choices in the column to the right which you can purchase using my secure online links. If you are looking to keep things ultra simple and easy, I recommend the kit below that contains all the essential products and tools necessary to keep your car leather looking its best, while maintaining its beauty and value from the beginning:

Leather Master Car Leather Interior Service Kit

• Perfect for anyone looking to keep things simple in a complete, do it yourself car leather kit.
• Also includes an ink pen stain remover for those ink pen mishaps.

Dirty and Neglected Car Leather

I find that many people are confused and bewildered as to how to clean car leather and what is the best product to clean car leather with. What happens is people find themselves frozen with fear until their car leather is so dirty, they are finally forced out of desperation to go in search of the best leather cleaner for cars. The good news is that car leather is very durable, and can be neglected for years and still be restored to its original state of beauty and clean by following my professional tips.

Car Leather Cleaning Process

The example above is from an '06 Corvette that had never been detailed before. As you can see from the dramatic pictures, the picture on the right shows the possibilities of using the right product, along with the right techniques.

Car Leather Cleaning Before and After

The picture above is taken from an Lexus RX that my customer had bought used from a dealer lot. Believe it or not, the picture on the left shows you what the dealer believed to be clean car leather (I had already cleaned a small section of the leather before taking picture), while the picture on the right shows what truly clean leather looks like when the right automotive leather cleaner and techniques are used!

Best Auto Leather Cleaners

The reason most of you have not been able to find the best leather cleaner is because you have been searching for a car leather cleaner itself. But as we have learned, unless you are dealing with a brand new car and the dirt on your car leather is very light, most leather cleaners will be ineffective against the levels of dirt many of you will be faced with after years of neglect. For this reason, the best leather cleaner is not a product labeled as an actual leather cleaner at all. Let me show you what professional detailers like myself use to get superior results whether we are cleaning the leather in a $30K Honda Odyssey, or a $400K Ferrari.

Car Leather Cleaning Product

Meguiars D103 All Purpose Cleaner Plus

• Concentrate formula that can be mixed based on your cleaning needs.
• Start with a mix ratio of 1 part cleaner, to 10 parts distilled water for car leather cleaning.
• Excellent cleaner to have around for many types of cleaning jobs.
• Increase level of aggressiveness for more cleaning power on excessively dirty car leather.
• Always spot test in inconspicuous area first whenever using product for first time.

Car Leather Cleaning Tools

Now that you have a superior cleaner you can use on your car leather that isn't actually labeled as such, you need to combine your leather cleaning duties with the right tools as this will raise your level of results significantly.

Vinyl & Leather Scrub Brush

• Use along with any chosen cleaner to use including the Meguiar's APC-plus.
• Perfect for those deep crevices and accent piping of certain car leather seating.
• I like to wipe up with white terry cloth rag so I can see all the dirt I am cleaning away( Can you say instant gratification!)

Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad

• Allow to soak in water for a few minutes prior to using on your car leather.
• Use in conjunction with the scrub brush from above.
• Perfect for large, flat areas of your car leather seating during the cleaning process.
• Can also be used with any car leather cleaner you have chosen to bump-up your level of results.
• My suggestion is what is considered an off-label use.
• An excellent tool to have around regardless for other detailing, labeled uses.

Leather Cleaning Summary

I hope this page on car leather cleaning and leather cleaners has been eye-opening and informative. I am going lay out some additional bullet point suggestions to help your efforts in cleaning and maintaining your cars leather.

• Most people neglect the most critical step of cleaning their car leather and jump right into conditioning their car leather.
• Professionally, I rarely use any leather conditioners or dressing.
• If I do use a leather conditioner, it is strictly for superficial reasons or if my customer has requested is for tier peace of mind.
• I have car leather I have never used any form of leather conditioner on, is over ten years old, looks as good as the day it was brand new, and have only used car leather cleaner on from the start.
• The real trick to keeping car leather clean and healthy is to clean it regularly and consistently; this can be as simple as rubbing your car leather aggressively with a rag dampened with your choice in a car leather cleaner, or the Meguiar's APC-plus from above.

The Best Car Leather Conditioner

Any discussion on finding the best car leather cleaner is usually impossible without opening the door to the corollary of finding the best car leather conditioner to use. As you may have perceived, I am not a big fan of car leather conditioners. Because modern car leathers are finished with a clear protective coating, in most cases, using a dressing or a conditioner will simply be for superficial reasons; like adding a certain level of gloss or shine to your leather. If you simply cannot sleep at night knowing your car leather remains unprotected or undernourished from lack of applying the best car leather conditioner, then I have laid out my professional recommendations.Lexol Spray Leather Conditioner

• Well known and quality car leather conditioner.
• Use as directed.

Stoner More Shine Less Time Spray

• A very light, non-greasy aerosol dressing
• Perfect for use on black car leather for creating a perfect, even appearance after cleaning leather.
• Can determine the level of shine by simply spraying and leaving for maximum shine, or wiping down with micro-fiber to diminish gloss.
• Have used professionally for over 20 years.
• Also excellent for detailing interior ventilation vents that are beginning to look dried out.

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