Leather cleaning

[SiH]

Just a quick question, my leather's looking a bit tired and I was wondering if anyone knew of a decent upholstery cleaning service. Preferably in either Nottingham or Brighton Sorry it's a bit short and to the point but my other half's breathing down my neck :P

[simpo two]

Could you do it yourself? Liquid Leather (cleaner plus conditioner) does the job and smells of leather too :-)

[TheHobbit]

simpo two said:

Could you do it yourself? Liquid Leather (cleaner plus conditioner) does the job and smells of leather too :-)

Who makes that then.... and is that a recommendation from experience?

Cheers,

K

[dai capp]

I use saddle soap (available from any equestrian shop), Zymol leather cleaner (got my last lot from Halfords) and Sheraton feeder (I got this from a posh furniture shop whose name escapes me).

Seems to do the trick for me and I'm a bit particular about my car - there's a pic of the interior on my profile...

Cheers

DC

[rude girl]

Dai

How old is your car? Mine's 9 now and the magnolia collects grime in the creases.

I bought a soft brush on Saturday to have a go at it (a 'natural bristle facial exfoliation brush' for those in the know - it was bloody expensive, more than I'd spend on my face!!), but haven't tried it yet.

Yours looks pristine, but it also looks a lot newer than mine (pic on profile).

[prestige]

first u need to buy autoglym leather cleaner this following simple instructians will clean your leather

then u need autoglym leather conditioner this will feed your {hide} leather. again simple instructians
both items are available in halfords.
after the above u can apply a scotchguard which is available in spray cans and is an invisable skin for your leather and carpets.
p.s. i have been a car valeter for 18 years
i hope this helps

[dai capp]

rude girl said:

Dai How old is your car? Mine's 9 now and the magnolia collects grime in the creases. I bought a soft brush on Saturday to have a go at it (a 'natural bristle facial exfoliation brush' for those in the know - it was bloody expensive, more than I'd spend on my face!!), but haven't tried it yet. Yours looks pristine, but it also looks a lot newer than mine (pic on profile).

It's just over 5 years old...

I had two griffs both with magnolia hide. The first one was 7 years old when I got and had been owned by a smoker which had left the inside very grimey. I used a soft nail brush with diluted washing up liquid to get the grime off and then fed it with the Sheratons stuff I mentioned previously. After a few goes it came up clean (and the Sheratons stuff smells of marzipan!). A brush like the one you mentioned sounds fine to use, though if it's too soft it won't get into the creases.

If you have part leather as I did on the first car you can use a slightly stiffer nail brush for the vinyl!

All in all there's no substitute for time. Mrs Dai Capp did the first car and she spent hours on it. I spent an afternoon on the blue one to get it looking like it does in the photo!

All the best

DC

[dai capp]

prestige said:

u can apply a scotchguard which is available in spray cans and is an invisable skin for your leather and carpets.

Bloody good idea that - I shall be away to purchase some!

I take it it does dry out the leather/prevent feeding. I have a phobia about having the leather crack my car!

Cheers

DC

[the dodger]

TheHobbit said:

simpo two said: Could you do it yourself? Liquid Leather (cleaner plus conditioner) does the job and smells of leather too :-) Who makes that then.... and is that a recommendation from experience? Cheers, K

'Gliptone Liquid Leather' Halifax. Tel [phone] website: www.liquidleather.com
They have the whole range of leathercare and do mail order. All I have ever used (oh - I did use some Autoglym once, but doesn't have the "smell-factor").

[simpo two]

TheHobbit said:

Who makes that then.... and is that a recommendation from experience?

The Dodger beat me to it... but yes, I use it on both my cars to good effect. If the leather's dirty you'll need some patience with the cleaner, but the smell afterwards is just like real leather, hurrah!

[Edt]

One more vote for Gliptone

Regards, Ed

[snorky]

yes deffo liquid leather - I tried saddle soap but it's v.greasy . liquid leather works great, you don't need to use much and it smells great too

[TheHobbit]

I'm quite happy with the Autoglym product line, so will probably go and try some of that..... but the smell would drown out the damp carpet smell .... hopefully got all the leaks plugged now, so time to remove the smell....

[count duckula]

In a product test last year in autoexpress the miguars leather cleaner got a good review.

Malc

[j_s_g]

snorky said:

yes deffo liquid leather - I tried saddle soap but it's v.greasy . liquid leather works great, you don't need to use much and it smells great too

I always clean the leather with saddle soap first. Found the Autoglym cleaner to be pish. Yeah, the soap's greasy, but it'll do a great job of stopping the leather from cracking, and it cleans it well.

[TUS 373]

WARNING!

If you have magnolia hide and then use a leather conditioner, take care. A Chimaera I owned had magnolia leather which was cleaned with one of the afore mentioned products. My next journey in it was a non-stop run upto Scotland. 300 miles later I had a perfect black/grimy imprint of my black trouser belt ingrained into the leather. No amount of cleaning would get it out. It seems that leather conditioner migrated out of the seats into the belt, loosening the pigment, and promptly making a mess of the seats.

Go easy on the cleaner and conditioners, use them sparingly. I still believe the best leather cleaner you can get is Lux soap flakes made up into a nice soapy solution with plenty of hot water. After all, every other product is putting "stuff" onto the leather and not necessarily taking the dirt off.

After using something like Lux though, the leather does need refeeding to keep it soft and supple. But don't slap too much on.

[griff2be]

Agreed - lux soap flakes in very hot water, then wiped dry with a towel. You must feed the leather afterwards when it is completely dry.

This tip was passed on by a leather specialist and it works.

I wouldn't use washing up liquid!

[jigs]

TUS373 - you shouldn't wear all your leather bondage gear in the car anyway!

[seasider]

Agreed on the Lux Flakes, not to much and wipe off with a damp sponge...not sure about "very hot" water though & never washing up liquid to many chemicals, i think it also contains salt...

Then Connolly hide food... Again not to much!
If possible leave on overnight the leather just eats it You'll soon find out how much to apply, it can take a bit of time removing the excess if over applied..

Makes the leather as "soft" as N17 TVR's gimp suit...well that's what Podie & tegriffic told me

& N17 reckons it makes it as "supple" as his young

German male friend...



>> Edited by seasider on Tuesday 13th April 15:18

[Podie]

Seasider, you are a sick little monkey.