Duty Leather
what's the best way to clean settled dirt from the baige leather interior (seats mainly) of my Volvo S40 I bot
looks like someone didn't care abpout cleanliness of the car from it's birth in 2000. i guess sponge and soap would hardly be strong enaugh to clean all the dirt thats been in the leather wrinkles for years. special leather heavy duty cleaning chemicals? soaking it for a few hours before cleaning? steam cleaning? any advice and more ideas?
sorry for spelling and unfinished main question. was supposed to be "I bought today". regards
You need to use a good quality water based foam leather cleaner. Strong cleaner or Maxi Cleaner if it is very dirty. With light coloured leather dye transfer from clothing can be a problem although using a good quality leather protector will help inhibit this. Maxi Cleaner was developed for ingrained dirt and dye transfer.
DO NOT use anything containing oils, waxes or silicones. (Most 'conditioners' contain waxes or oils) and furniture polish contains silicones. Most car cleaners also contain oils or waxes so should not be used as they leave residues on the surface of the leather which attract more dirt.
BABY WIPES are the worst thing you can use as they will destroy the finish on your leather. They are very strong alkiline cleaners to neutralise urine (acid) on babys skin so they are not the right thing to use on leather.
Saddle soap is too harsh to use on todays leathers.
A lot of leather wipes contain chemicals which will also destroy the finish or leave residues on the leather which will damage it. They are not cheap in the long run as you would need a lot to clean. A bottle of foam cleaner should do your car about 3-4 times.
Fairy liquid contains more salt these days to get dishes clean and this will break the finish down on your leather. This has been verified by the manufacturers (as with the baby wipes).
You should also follow cleaning with a good water based leather protector which will act like a 'scotchgard' and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed and make cleaning easier the next time.
Dry leather needs rehydrating with water and oils and waxes should not be used as the natural oils do not dry out of leather. Wiping over with a damp cloth regularly will help to do this.
It is important to maintain a regular cleaning regime cleaning dirt off the surface regularly and inhibiting the absorption of body oils into the leather with a protector is the best way of doing this.
The alternative is a brand new product on the market called Lazy Leather. This is the latest technology in cleaning and combines an effective cleaner with a protector. It is quick and easy to use and should be used as a maintenance product once your suite has been cleaned or from new if you have just bought it.
Using incorrect care products is usually the cause of deterioration in the leather as unfortunately most car care products contain waxes and oils or silicones which do not do the leather any good.
Please do not use baby oil!, bread!!! etc.
If cleaning does not totally restore the seats they can be recoloured to get them back to their original colour.
Source(s):
http://www.LTTsolutions.net
Leather care consultants to the furniture and cleaning industries