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Cleaning Leather


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I know many topics have been posted about cleaning the wonderful seats, but are there a few do's and don'ts?

I've always used a brand name cleaner like McQuires' leather cleaner.

Or should I use water and soap? and what's the procedure for that?

Thanks.

I'm really bored at work today -_-

"Cadillac, it's not a car, it's an obsession"

-W.Kingdon

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The proper way to clean leather is with a very simple product known as "Saddle Soap". Use a mild concentration of saddle soap and GENTLY rub the leather with it. Don't saturate the leather too much. Allow the leather to dry naturally, preferably in a shaded area and not in direct sunlight.

Mink oil is the best product to use for conditioning leather. Avoid silicone products at all costs.

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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At the www.autopia.org site, there are A LOT of professional detailers and enthusiasts.

Reading through the archives, they recommend a 6:1 solution of water and Woolite. (6 parts water to 1 part woolite). In fact, Cadillac used to actually name "Woolite" in their user manuals for cleaning leather seats. They now just say use "mild soap" and water. It works for me, leaves a nice scent and is very inexpensive.

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TRY www.leatherique.com , these people are who professional restorers use. They will answer any questions you have and their products are reasonable. If you just go to their site you will see that these people wrote the book on leather care.

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You cant go wrong with any Maquires stuff. Just follow the directions. For Protecting & conditioning the leather Zaino Leather In A Bottle is by far the best I have used in 30 some years. Easy to apply, last & looks good and the smell is leatheronderfull.

PS not to start a fignt but I read in more than one place that saddle soap is not good for modern auto leather seats. Drys them out or something. I think it was recomended for our 49 Buick Roadmaster but things have changed.

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The proper way to clean leather is with a very simple product known as "Saddle Soap". 

Mink oil is the best product to use for conditioning leather.

I understand that this may be a dumb *smurf* question but can you get "Saddle Soap" at say a country and or western store? And this "Mink Oil", do I have to go hunting for this? :lol:

Thanks

Spence

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The proper way to clean leather is with a very simple product known as "Saddle Soap". 

Mink oil is the best product to use for conditioning leather.

I understand that this may be a dumb *smurf* question but can you get "Saddle Soap" at say a country and or western store? And this "Mink Oil", do I have to go hunting for this? :lol:

Thanks

Spence

Not a dumb question, but a silly joke. Saddle soap and mink oil can be got at most better shoe stores.

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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It should be noted that the leather seats in virtually all cars are "coated", i.e. sprayed with a protective coating (of poly or vinyl) from the factory. You can test this by putting a drop of water on the seats. Uncoated leather (older Rolls, some Jags) will darken as the water is absorbed. For coated leathers (like on Cadillacs) the drop will sit on top forever until it evaporates.

That means NO moisturizers, lotions, etc. will be absorbed by the leather. Only on the perforated sections, or on already cracked seats will liquids be absorbed. So you can use standard vinyl protector (303 aerospace, etc.) on "leather seats", since you are really just sitting on the vinyl coating, not leather.

Personally I don't use any protector, I just clean with the Woolite and water solution.

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gc_caddy Im confused now. That is a little different than what I have been led to believe. Woolite and water is a very good cleaning solution but gm even recommends a preservative. Eagle I think. Mike

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I use Woolite (I took a chance but WHEW! good to see "official" recommend here!). I like the Woolite because I can also use it on the carpets just as well.

We also like the Meguirs foamy leather cleaner.

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gc_caddy Im confused now. That is a little different than what I have been led to believe. Woolite and water is a very good cleaning solution but gm even recommends a preservative. Eagle I think. Mike

I've tried preservatives (Hide food, Mcquires, Tanners, etc.) but they don't get absorbed into the coated leather. They just leave a sticky mess to wipe off later. Most just plug up the holes in the perforated leather sections. The exposed leather within the holes will soak up the perservative eventually, so there might be some limited benefit for the perforated leather sections.

But in my experience, for the smooth leather seating areas, perservatives will not penetrate through the vinyl top coating. The perservatives do generally smell nice and restore the leather scent though.

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O.k Marika i went out and bought some saddle soap and mink oil now that i am ready to get it done,would you be kind enough to give us a procedure on how to use this stuff the right way.

Thanks

careldo

Sure thing!! You will take a soft towel, and wet it with warm water, then twist it out until it's fairly dry/a bit damp. Open the can of saddle soap and rub a section of the towel on the saddle soap, dont' worry about using too much, you can't, then gently rub the leather until it comes clean. Don't rub hard, be gentle. Taking a clean section of that same towel, wipe off the saddle soap left on the leather. Repeat, if needed, but don't overdo it, some stains may never come out especially if they've been left in the leather too long. Allow the leather to dry in a cool, shaded area, then using another towel, you apply the mink oil sparingly, let it set for about 1 hour, then buff the leather with another clean towel.

You can never ruin leather using saddle soap which has been around for almost as long as man has made saddles and rode horses. I use saddle soap all the time to clean the dirt that builds up on my steering wheel as well as stains that I sometimes find on my seats. Works perfect.

Remember, don't rub hard as you'll cause stretching of the leather and that's not a good thing.

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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Thanks Marika i plan to tackle this job on the weekend.

Just remember, not too much water, and try to work up a fine lather. Also, don't rub too hard.

Any darkening of the leather that you might encounter should fade away as the leather dries. Using too much mink oil will darken the leather permanently, but ever so slightly.

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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Treating perforated seats is pretty much the same. Just don't over-saturate the leather and don't rub too hard since the perforations actually weaken the leather somewhat which makes it easier to stretch.

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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The leather/trim shop that did a very nice job replacing part of my driver's seat gave me a can of 'Sprayway - Auto Care Vinyl/Leather Cleaner (with Oil of Mink)' to clean and treat the leather in my Caddy. He said it was the best he had found in over 30 years. He does all of the repair work for the local dealer here in Amarillo.

He sprayed some on one of the seats I had already cleaned with another cleaner and the difference was dramatic. It removed a greyish film that I didn't even know was there. Tried on a friend's car and it did the same thing. Works the same on vinyl too.

Highly recommended.

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