Woolite / Tide free

Suki22

New member
:confused: Can Tide/Free be used in a diluted state with distilled water be used to clean leather? Also what ratio is the best for leather that is not that dirty......



Thanks.........
 
Tide /Free is for sensative skin....no dyes or perfumes...thought it would be milder and gentler than Woolite....better for the leather............
 
suki22 said:
Tide /Free is for sensative skin....no dyes or perfumes...thought it would be milder and gentler than Woolite....better for the leather............



The detergent is meant for general laundry. Woolite is meant for delicates like lingerie. Go with the woolite.
 
8Banger said:
so you guy's mix up laundry detergent with water to clean leather?



I've been doing it for 12 years now, ever since it was the recommened cleaning method listing on the leather care tag of a Cadillac I was detailing.



Straight from Ottawa Leather's (OEM leather supplier) website:



Eagle Ottawa Leather Company :Leather Care



Before cleaning leather upholstery, vacuum it to remove dust. To clean leather, simply use a clean, soft and lint-free cloth dampened with lukewarm water and mild soap. Use a gentle, circular motion – do not rub the leather or apply extreme pressure when cleaning.



Wipe the leather again with another clean, slightly damp cloth to remove soap residue. Dry with a soft cloth.




As long as Tide Free is considered a mild soap, I guess you would be okay. I'd probably go 20:1 dillution to start. I normally use Woolite dilluted 10:1, but Lexus recommends a 5% wool safe detergent solution (which would be 20:1).



lexus_2.jpg




Lexus1.jpg
 
Scottwax said:
I'd probably go 20:1 dillution to start. I normally use Woolite dilluted 10:1, but Lexus recommends a 5% wool safe detergent solution (which would be 20:1).



Hmm...I've been using the 6:1 since that was a number floating around here and always thought it was a bit too soapy. Next time I'm going to cut it back a bit.
 
cajunfirehawk said:
Guys: Is it okay to use the "generic" Woolite sold by Target?



I am sure it would be, especially since Ottawa Leather says any mild soap will do. I'd prefer to stick with wool safe detergents since they'd be the mildest.
 
Using household products for cleaning leather can be tricky. In the UK we always used to recommend Lux flakes or Fairy Liquid and usie the foam that it created. However having had many problems with technicians going out to damage caused when these products were used we checked them out again only to find that they had started to add a lot of 'salts' to them to get the clothes/dishes cleaner. These 'salts' were detrimaental to the leather finsish and were breaking it down.



With so many dedicated products for cleaning leather it is a safer thing to use one that has been specifically tested. Also I doubt you would find anyone to help you within these comapnies if you did have a problem.



Specialist leather cleaners that have been tested will not do any damage to the leather finish and if there is a problem then it is with the finish and not the products. With these products there would be no knowing what had caused the problem, the finish or the product.



Just our way of thinking.



Cheers

Judy
 
My last 5 cars all had leather guts and all got the "Woolite" treatment. They also got a Lexol conditioning 3-4 times a year.

The one thing that every dealer on a trade or buyer has commented on is the excellent condition of the leather. It works for me.
 
After taking Scott's advice on Woolite - I use 8:1, I compared Woolite with Lexol Leather cleaner on same seats on the past 3 details I did. They both were good, but the Woolite worked faster and is much cheaper. I'll still use the Lexol conditioner.
 
All Im going to say is, if someone was detailing my car and I saw them pull out a bottle of Woolite to clean my leather seats then the detail would stop right there.
 
D&D Auto Detail said:
All Im going to say is, if someone was detailing my car and I saw them pull out a bottle of Woolite to clean my leather seats then the detail would stop right there.





Dan,

Give us your input, please. How do you clean leather and what do you use??





Thanks,
 
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