Leather cleaning

[carguy44q]

Hey everone im new here just joined yesterday. Question for everyone, 06 white 4dr Infinity Suv tan leather interior has a rough feel to them, they were very dirty,looks like clothes dies faded onto the seats, used simplegreen apc, woolite.,citus degreaers,didnt come out to clean, what would you reccommed using to clean,door panels very dirty apc use on them and some brushes i guess, i cleaned the same one the other day but leather seats where black. Need some information. :( [/b]

[Pete]

First,

Welcome to the site.

With both the door panels and the leather, I use an APC cleaner with a nylon bristle brush to scrub. With ground in dirt, repeated spraying and fairly forceful scrubbing are the way to get things clean. If all else fails, Leatherique makes a deep cleaning process for soiled leathers.

Sometimes, though, no amount of scrubbing will remove that dye from leather. You'll need a chemical process. Most clothing dye is very difficult to remove *safely* from leather and vinyl.

This is where it gets tricky because a person can easily damage the leather coating without removing all of the dye. If it comes to the point that you have to use such chemicals, I see two choices:

1. Stop where you are and live with the dyed/stained appearance

2. Proceed with something harsh.
Be prepared that *when* you damamge the coating, you'll have to get it spot dyed and that it will never look 100% new again.

Some of the chemicals people use in this situation are fast flash lacquer thinner and acetone. I prefer the thinner since it doesn't evaporate as quickly and is more readily available. Sometimes, you can finesse the spot to remove enough dye and not cause damage to the leather. It's case by case.

In any event, dab a bit of the chemical on a clean terry cloth and wipe the offending area. It will soften the leather coating just as it would paint so don't use a lot of force or you'll rub right through it, similar to burning the paint finish with a rotary polisher. If the spot doesn't come out right away, let it dry for a minute or two and rewipe with fresh chemical on a clean portion of the towel.

I should add the obligatory safety warning. Both chemicals are toxic. Follow the safety labels in a well ventilated area away from open flames and heat sources. Wear approved gloves and avoid contact with bare skin.

[TOGWT]

Leather Care / Cleaning / Maintenance– These articles are designed to help detailer’s make informed decisions when selecting leather care products for automobiles. There is no hype; I am a writer not a vendor of leather care products, so this is not a sales pitch - just factual information
http://www.detailuniversity.com/ (http://www.detailuniversity.com/)

[Anthony Orosco]

Pete, no offense meant or directed to you personally but that's some of the harshest leather cleaning advice I have seen. Right up there with guys who recommend Soft Scrub and Bon Ami.

Leather should be cleaned with foam and avoid using a stiff bristle brush. I've been cleaning leather seats for a good numbers of years now and never ran across a situation where I needed to use a stiff brush and forceful cleaning.

Now trying to remove blue jean transfer is difficult, as Pete noted, and in a great majority of situations it can be made to appear lighter but it can't be removed 100%.

You can work up your leather cleaner into a rich foam and apply that foam to the leather with a Mr. Clean Eraser Pad and carefully agitate the area. Don't try to clean all of it in one forceful step but instead try several light cleaning steps. Now these Eraser Pads are abrasive and I don't care to use them on delicate surfaces but they do work well and as a last result I'll use them.

Try Leather Master for a cleaner designed for blue jean transfer.

Anthony

[Pete]

Perhaps my post didn't read as I had intended. At least it started a more thorough conversation which is what will help all of us.

I certainly wouldn't want someone inexperienced on the job to do any damage to their leather by following my recommendations.

The methods I described were for the stained and roughed up leather that carguy44 is asking about. In no way would I take thinner or acetone (a product I simply NEVER directly use in automotive applications) to leather that didn't absolutely fit the criteria.

As for the APC and a nylon brush:

The cleaner should be a mild dilution, not straight out of the drum.

The brush is by no means harsh. It isn't something that would even scratch human skin. When I say stiff brush, I mean something that is far more firm than the dusting attachment many people use on their shop vacuum wands.
It is NOT something anywhere near, say, a wire brush. I can't imagine the Magic Eraser being any milder than what I use.

Generally, a towel moistened with the right cleaner can take leather to a like new appearance in short order. On occasion, a quick spray and a vigorous rub are required.

When you get leather with ground in messes and dye transfer, this is when a person is, as I said, required to make the decision between leaving the stain as-is or pressing on to the more risky territory.

My suggestions are not theory: these are things I practiced daily as a professional for years. I continue to do this as an enthusiast, often helping others who have the serious leather problems we're discussing.

I also have proof residing in my own garages that such a process works and is sometimes necessary. Done properly, a person is rewarded with a job done well enough that no trace of the damage remains and the leather feels and looks like it should.

Hopefully our discussion helps offer multiple suggestions on how to get the job done.

It definitely reminds me that there are often several ways to get the same end results.