Leather cleaner and conditioner
- Thread starter tkerr45
- Start date
judyb
New member
Keep your leather clean by protecting it with a leather protector and then regular cleaning.
Adding 'conditioners' which generally contain oils and waxes will change the appearance of your leather over time as dirt will build up on the surface and cause a sheen.
Using the correct care methods and products will not alter the factory finish.
The type of leather you have is 'coated' leather. This is essentially a 'painted' leather
with a clear coat finish over the top. The leather may or may not be dyed through with
aniline dyes prior to the finish coating.
Essentially it is this top coating that needs looking after.
Cleaning is vitally important as the top coat will wear away if allowed to become dirty.
Dirt on the surface will also become ground into the finish by constant abrassion.
'Conditioners', balms, feeds etc (traditionally oil and wax based) cannot penetrate this
finish so are not worth applying - they can also leave behind residues on the finish which will only attract more dirt if allowed to remain. 'Conditioners' will not do any
protecting on leather even if they say they do as there will not be enough active
ingredient in them to do anything.
A protector will make the finish easier to clean and also inhibit dye transfer etc
on pale coloured leathers.
Leather however finished has to remain breathable and it will allow the movement of
moisture back and forth (transpiration) so the use of water based cleaners and
protectors will keep the leather correctly hydrated which is essentail to keeping it in
good condition.
Leather needs a little regular care and attention and this can be done with a maintenance product rather than a deep clean which you would then only need to do once or twice a year depending on usage and colour.
The routine for correct care should be
Protect from new (Auto Ultra Protect)
Maintain with a regular clean or maintenance product (Auto Ultra Maintain)
Deep clean with a foam cleaner once or twice a year (Auto Ultra Foam)
Simple steps of cleaning & protecting will prolong the life of the finish on the leather
Hope this helps
Judyb
Adding 'conditioners' which generally contain oils and waxes will change the appearance of your leather over time as dirt will build up on the surface and cause a sheen.
Using the correct care methods and products will not alter the factory finish.
The type of leather you have is 'coated' leather. This is essentially a 'painted' leather
with a clear coat finish over the top. The leather may or may not be dyed through with
aniline dyes prior to the finish coating.
Essentially it is this top coating that needs looking after.
Cleaning is vitally important as the top coat will wear away if allowed to become dirty.
Dirt on the surface will also become ground into the finish by constant abrassion.
'Conditioners', balms, feeds etc (traditionally oil and wax based) cannot penetrate this
finish so are not worth applying - they can also leave behind residues on the finish which will only attract more dirt if allowed to remain. 'Conditioners' will not do any
protecting on leather even if they say they do as there will not be enough active
ingredient in them to do anything.
A protector will make the finish easier to clean and also inhibit dye transfer etc
on pale coloured leathers.
Leather however finished has to remain breathable and it will allow the movement of
moisture back and forth (transpiration) so the use of water based cleaners and
protectors will keep the leather correctly hydrated which is essentail to keeping it in
good condition.
Leather needs a little regular care and attention and this can be done with a maintenance product rather than a deep clean which you would then only need to do once or twice a year depending on usage and colour.
The routine for correct care should be
Protect from new (Auto Ultra Protect)
Maintain with a regular clean or maintenance product (Auto Ultra Maintain)
Deep clean with a foam cleaner once or twice a year (Auto Ultra Foam)
Simple steps of cleaning & protecting will prolong the life of the finish on the leather
Hope this helps
Judyb
Bunky
Detailing Gnosis
Leather Masters make some nice leather care products and available from many online sellers like Detailer's Domain.
judyb
New member
They do but there are more advanced products on the market these days. Was with the guys from LM in San Fransisco last week at the International Leather Repair Symposium it was great to meet them.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
judyb said:
Were you with Claude?
judyb
New member
Yes Claude and Roger. My late husband worked with Claude many years ago at LM in USA when he worked in their technical department and did their training so it was great to meet him at last.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
That's nice you guys finally were able to meet. I've met him a few times as they were right around the corner from my home in Florida, but I mostly know Marlene from stopping in. All you leather people (especially the ones that go on the forums) seem to know each other? Even Claude knows Roger Koh which was quite surprising. 
Sounds like LM could have had an early influence on your product line? And from being a big fan of your posts, this probably translated into your product being superior! One of these days I will be sure to pull the trigger and try some.
Sounds like LM could have had an early influence on your product line? And from being a big fan of your posts, this probably translated into your product being superior! One of these days I will be sure to pull the trigger and try some.
Quality Leather
New member
Wait, there was a Leather Symposium last week???? Why wasn't I invited?:lol
Judy and Roger didn't get into a fight(scrum) or at least I didn't see it. It was fun hanging out with Judy and everyone else. Claude really injected a lot of good info into the discussions.
What Judy said about the protectors, I completely agree. Milt of Stahl called auto leather an engineered material meaning you need to look at it differently than regular furniture leather. While I haven't tried LM in awhile, I think Judy's protector or Stahl's new protector should be better for its intended purpose for auto leather.
Judy,
Did you grab a sample of the new Stahl protector? I let a friend try it and he liked it.
David,
Are you here or Detroit? I have a friend who damaged the hood of her car. A bird unloaded on it and when she cleaned it she damaged the paint. I wanted to get your opinion on what needs to be done to correct it.
Judy and Roger didn't get into a fight(scrum) or at least I didn't see it.
It was fun hanging out with Judy and everyone else. Claude really injected a lot of good info into the discussions. What Judy said about the protectors, I completely agree. Milt of Stahl called auto leather an engineered material meaning you need to look at it differently than regular furniture leather. While I haven't tried LM in awhile, I think Judy's protector or Stahl's new protector should be better for its intended purpose for auto leather.
Judy,
Did you grab a sample of the new Stahl protector? I let a friend try it and he liked it.
David,
Are you here or Detroit? I have a friend who damaged the hood of her car. A bird unloaded on it and when she cleaned it she damaged the paint. I wanted to get your opinion on what needs to be done to correct it.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
Man, this Symposium looked like it was lots of fun!!!
I'm in Louisville, KY until next Tuesday...
Metro Detroit until 5/19
Florida (Palm Beach / Boca Raton / Miami) until 5/28
Back to Metro Detroit
Call me if I can help!
I'm in Louisville, KY until next Tuesday...
Metro Detroit until 5/19
Florida (Palm Beach / Boca Raton / Miami) until 5/28
Back to Metro Detroit
Call me if I can help!
Quality Leather
New member
The symposium was a lot of fun. I learned a few things and it was responsible for a change in course of my business.
If you have fifteen minutes to stop by, then that would be great, but don't make it a must do. The car has been like this for two months or so. The car is a mile off of Sheridan and 95 in Hollywood. If you stop by, then I will give you a FREE bottle of Stahl's protector.
If you have fifteen minutes to stop by, then that would be great, but don't make it a must do. The car has been like this for two months or so. The car is a mile off of Sheridan and 95 in Hollywood. If you stop by, then I will give you a FREE bottle of Stahl's protector.