Still not convinced - Leather Cleaner

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Danspeed1

New member
Next car I am doing; the leather seats are horrendous. The seats surprisingly have no damage or wrinkles for that matter, but they "were" tan at one point, now they are dark brown from all the dirt.



I searched the forum high and low for this information and the opinions are very varied. Price is a factor here because I underestimated the cost of the job.



1. Woolite 10:1: I tried this last year and I have to be honest,... its all the rave on this forum but the results I got sucked. It did not move the dirt nearly as well as i thought it would and I really didn't like the feeling it left on the leather after I was done. I rinsed the leather thoroughly afterward, and I agitated the leather during... still the results were mediocre at best. I blame myself. Maybe someone can take a moment and go through the proper process.



2. Zaino Z-9 Z-10: This is a great option because it actually works for me, but it gets expensive because i find it takes 2-3 applications to get all out. The conditioner, I just can't live without. I posed my question as a cleaner question because I already found the condition I will be using. Z-10



3. Leatherique: Again good results but extremely expensive. On the cars i am working on I cannot justify using this product.



4. Lexol: I have had the best results when cleaning leather with this product so far. It is cheap, seems to be effective so far. Reason I am even posting this thread though, is because the seats I am about to clean are beyond horrible I after reading all the negative posts about lexol on here I am wondering if this stuff is going to stand up to my next task at hand.



So as mentioned I have very dirty leather seats I am about to "clean." Whats a cost effective product that I can use to remove extremely heavy soiling? Am I missing any miracle product or am I best off staying with lexol?





DG
 
I never have used any of that stuff on Leather. I finally have some Leatherigue, but to be honest who has the time for that? I will only use that upon request. There are other ways to clean leather and then condition it.
 
Try some different dilluted degreasers & scotch pads. If it's an american car, it can probably handle a pretty strong degreaser.
 
I am in the same boat as you Barry. I will only be offering leatherique in my concourse package.



To the OP: have you. Leather masters strong cleaner. It's not very expensive. I have had great results but, I have not had seats in the condition you will be dealing with. What about optimum power clean?
 
Danspeed1 said:
Next car I am doing; the leather seats are horrendous. The seats surprisingly have no damage or wrinkles for that matter, but they "were" tan at one point, now they are dark brown from all the dirt.



DG
Click to expand...





Do you have pictures, please!



I will propose how easily it shall be done.



And you can show us the before and after pictures.





Roger Koh

Leather Doctor®
 
Roger Koh said:
Do you have pictures, please!



I will propose how easily it shall be done.



And you can show us the before and after pictures.





Roger Koh

Leather Doctor®
Click to expand...



I will certainly post before and after pics...



Its actually a 95 Mercedes... yea, i know... not my cup of tea.....





I have not had them drop off the vehicle yet because I want to place an order if necessary first.



DG
 
Try a foaming Leather Cleaner, I found them to be much more effective with pulling grime out. I have Croftgate Leather cleaner, and its fairly expensive but I use little, and it works well, as well as if not, better! than 10:1 Meguiars APC, but much safer.



Its not the only foaming cleaner, as their are a lot in the market, just search and you'll find several.
 
Danspeed1 said:
I will certainly post before and after pics...



Its actually a 95 Mercedes... yea, i know... not my cup of tea.....





I have not had them drop off the vehicle yet because I want to place an order if necessary first.



DG
Click to expand...





===







Sample first and test it out on the worst soiling condition leathers you ever seen.



Then you can decide what you need!







Roger Koh

Leather Doctor®
 
Heh heh, I see I'm not the only person who lets their Leatherique just sit on the shelf because of how involved the whole process is ;)



I'll be interested to hear what the leather experts recommend, assuming we get a specific product recommendation.



I too think LeatherMasters "strong" cleaner might be worth trying, and I've used the steamer with great results on *really* filthy MB leather...but I sure don't consider myself an authority on leather care.
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, I see I'm not the only person who lets their Leatherique just sit on the shelf because of how involved the whole process is ;)



I'll be interested to hear what the leather experts recommend, assuming we get a specific product recommendation.



I too think LeatherMasters "strong" cleaner might be worth trying, and I've used the steamer with great results on *really* filthy MB leather...but I sure don't consider myself an authority on leather care.
Click to expand...





===





Detailers should be able to handle the worst leather soiling condition with a smile.



Just with a fool proof cleaning system using only horsehair brush and towel (steamer not necessary) that shall delivers consistent new-like condition on demand everytime.



Show us the worst soiling condition you ever seen and I shall recommend the “how-to� that will produce you the longest smile in your leather detailing life so far!





Roger Koh

Leather Doctor®
 
Roger Koh said:
===





Detailers should be able to handle the worst leather soiling condition with a smile.



Just with a fool proof cleaning system using only horsehair brush and towel (steamer not necessary) that shall delivers consistent new-like condition on demand everytime.



Show us the worst soiling condition you ever seen and I shall recommend the “how-to� that will produce you the longest smile in your leather detailing life so far!





Roger Koh

Leather Doctor®
Click to expand...



Roger,



I have that red dye stain, I'm going to be trying your cleaning system on. Once I do I'll post a write up on the process here on Autopia.



Cheers,

GREG
 
I use malco leather and plastic cleaner 22 dollars a gallon I cut it 50/50 have used it for probley 10 years with no problems very easy to use. most of the time u only have to spray n wipe
 
Greg Nichols said:
Roger,



I have that red dye stain, I'm going to be trying your cleaning system on. Once I do I'll post a write up on the process here on Autopia.



Cheers,

GREG
Click to expand...









Remember to do a complete test first to see how the dye stains response; show us pictures; prior to the actual removal process.





Roger Koh

Leather Doctor®
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, I see I'm not the only person who lets their Leatherique just sit on the shelf because of how involved the whole process is ;)



I'll be interested to hear what the leather experts recommend, assuming we get a specific product recommendation.



I too think LeatherMasters "strong" cleaner might be worth trying, and I've used the steamer with great results on *really* filthy MB leather...but I sure don't consider myself an authority on leather care.
Click to expand...





Leatherique is a great system. It leaves the seats so soft and smelling really nice. I don't even mind the time it takes to let do it properly. I could slather the seats with it... sit the car outside for 2-3 days, and work on other projects in the meanwhile. Its the just cost...



were talking $80 for two bottles... and on a large interior your using 1/4 a bottle of each. That's $20 a car.... its just too much for what I charge to detail.



DG
 
Ok, i will hold off on pullin the trigger and wait... when the car comes in I will take pics and leave it up to the experts. Car comes in first week of June. So stay tuned.



DG
 
If you like Z9 cleaner, try Duragloss Leather Cleaner, 441. It's exactly the same as Zaino, even down to the bottle design in as far as I can tell. I've found it for about $5 a little bottle and you can get a gallon online for about $25 if you really love it. Do not, do not, use anything abrasive on leather seats. I followed some advice from someone on this board and used a "delicate" scotchbrite pad on one of my seats. It quickly ripped through the top coat. I have found three safe cleaning tools: horsehair brush, sponge, cloth. I know there are safe stiffer brushes that people use, but in these cases, safe is relative and what's good for one material might not be ok for another. The DG cleaner works well for me and I don't use any conditioner on top.
 
Danspeed1 said:
Leatherique is a great system.. I don't even mind the time it takes to let do it properly. I could slather the seats with it... sit the car outside for 2-3 days...
Click to expand...



Heh heh, leaving aside how I *do* mind every minute spent on such stuff :o ....I can't park the vehicles outside without inviting some really serious issues (tree droppings). So the whole "heat" issue gets problematic for me :think:



I *do* think the Leatherique would be perfect for the Jag though, might end up using it on that one if/when I ever get it back from my buddy's shop. I could always just pull the seats out, but some of the other interior leather, well, I dunno what I'd do :nixweiss
 
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