Interior cleaner for leather and faux leather

[Grey Ghost]

I need a decent cleaning product to spruce up the leather and faux leather (at least some parts feel fake) trim of my Chimaera. I have been using Auto Glym interior cleaner and either I am getting fussier, the product in my bottle has gone past its sell by date or I have lost the ability to do a good job..........the last one is unlikely

Can anyone recommend something else, preferably where I can spray/rub on and then wipe off with a clean cloth in a simple manner. I am happy to go down a more detailed route (excuse the pun) if I can get the product(s) easily and one of you experts explains the process in easy steps.

Thanks in advance

[PJ S]

LTT Solutions, Furniture Clinic, Dr Leather - cleaner only required, no conditioner.
LTT do a protector, which does the same job as the original clear coating the tannery used.

[Tanguero]

Saddle soap.

[jagnet]

PJ S said:

LTT Solutions, Furniture Clinic, Dr Leather - cleaner only required, no conditioner.
LTT do a protector, which does the same job as the original clear coating the tannery used.

^ this.

Tanguero said:

Saddle soap.

No, definitely not. Saddle leather and automotive leather are finished in very different ways, and saddle soap will adversely affect the latter.

[Grey Ghost]

Cheers all, after a bit of product review researching I'll opt for Doctor Leather

[Egbert Nobacon]

Yex, I've got some Gliptone Leather Cleaner and also the leather feeder which I find easy to use and very good.

Your more than welcome to try it next time your down here.

[Grey Ghost]

Egbert Nobacon said:

Yex, I've got some Gliptone Leather Cleaner and also the leather feeder which I find easy to use and very good.

Your more than welcome to try it next time your down here.

Murky buckets

I have now developed another cunning plan which I'll show you the results of if I go ahead

[gsd2000]

Grey Ghost said:

Cheers all, after a bit of product review researching I'll opt for Doctor Leather

Dr leather is a member on here. He runs a 10 second Holden ute

[Tanguero]

jagnet said:

Tanguero said:

Saddle soap.

No, definitely not. Saddle leather and automotive leather are finished in very different ways, and saddle soap will adversely affect the latter.

What absolute rubbish! Saddle soap will clean surface treated leather beautifully and do it no harm whatsoever. Saddle leather is different but that does not mean saddle soap is not appropriate. WTF do you think is in most of the so called "specialist" leather cleaning products. Soap and glycerine mostly.

[jagnet]

Tanguero said:

What absolute rubbish! Saddle soap will clean surface treated leather beautifully and do it no harm whatsoever. Saddle leather is different but that does not mean saddle soap is not appropriate. WTF do you think is in most of the so called "specialist" leather cleaning products. Soap and glycerine mostly.

Saddle soap softens the tough vegetable tanned leather of saddles by virtue of its alkalinity. In contact with the acidity of the leather, it breaks down the leather's fibre structure so softening it. Because the vegetable tanned leather is so tough to start with, it can cope with this without turning to mush.

Chromium tanned leather as used for home and automotive leather is much softer and more supple, and so won't hold up to alkaline solutions nearly as well as saddle leather, especially in areas of high wear.

Furthermore, modern automotive leather is coated with a pigmented polyurethane layer which acts as a barrier to oils and waxes. These traditional conditioning agents simply sit on the surface, attracting dirt of their own accord. If there are perforations or micro fractures in the polyurethane layer, the oils can pass through it, but in turn can act to separate the bonds between the leather and its coating.

You can test this by placing a drop of water on the leather. If it sits on the top after a few minutes then you have coated leather, and if the water can't pass through then what hope do oils and waxes have of doing so. Even gasses can't pass through: demo c/o Dr leather

All that's needed to condition modern leather (from around the early '90s onwards in most cases) is water, to maintain its moisture levels and prevent it drying out and hardening. A protective coating such as LTT's Auto Ultra Protect, especially on light coloured layers, is recommended to prevent dye transfer etc.

Judy at LTT, Darryl at Dr Leather, and Adam at FC are extremely knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. If you want advice on leather care from experts in the manufacture and maintenance of it then drop any of them a line and I'm sure they'll help. I'd stake my leather upholstery on all of them advising against the use of saddle soap.

[Tanguero]

On a polyurethane coated leather, saddle soap (which is neutral not alkaline by the way!) acts as a surfactant to to remove dirt without harming the coating. Wikipedia is a terrible thing, a little knowledge and that not understood!

[kazino]

Just contacted him to order some wipes, he does a deal on detailingworld from what I remember where you pay him direct.

[grand cherokee]

i've used Furniture Clinic to recolour/repair some ivory leather on my Range Rover - absolutely superb

took the lady over two hours and was charged under £100 inc a proper VAT receipt

their cleaner and conditioner are also superb - better than Gliptone imo