Woolite?

G

gret

New member
Hey guys been reading about ways to clean my leather seats / trim pieces and seem to keep coming back woolite + water.

After reading, I am still fuzzy on the product. Everything I read says to use "Woolite Original" I see no original products.

Steer me in the right direction please. LOL!

Thanks guys
 
Why not use something that is dedicated and is manufactured to use on surfaces of vehicles. You can use Optimum Power clean on pretty much every surface of the vehicle and works extremely well.
 
Woolite has been around what - around 60+ years...

Way back when, there were really no good products for leather interiors, etc...

Then somewhere way back there, Lexol was invented and that was about it for Boutique leather cleaners even with this stuff being a disaster on BMW leather if applied too often...

Someone way back when, decided that Woolite would be good for Interiors, etc., and once the Corvette Club heard about it - well, the rest is history... :) :) :)

I have never used it, will never use it, and still see it as a mild cleaner for delicate clothing; and then there are those nasty sheets of it that plug up your dryer, and all the pores in clothing, especially towels, rendering them useless for absorbing water like they could if not coated in woolite sheet stuff...

Read the ingredients sometime and decide if you want that on your leather or not...

It still may be good for what it has been adopted for in the automotive cleaner world, but I think there are much better products out today specifically made for leather and coated leather which is about what we all have now anyway...
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
Woolite has been around what - around 60+ years...

Way back when, there were really no good products for leather interiors, etc...

Then somewhere way back there, Lexol was invented and that was about it for Boutique leather cleaners even with this stuff being a disaster on BMW leather if applied too often...

Someone way back when, decided that Woolite would be good for Interiors, etc., and once the Corvette Club heard about it - well, the rest is history... :) :) :)

I have never used it, will never use it, and still see it as a mild cleaner for delicate clothing; and then there are those nasty sheets of it that plug up your dryer, and all the pores in clothing, especially towels, rendering them useless for absorbing water like they could if not coated in woolite sheet stuff...

Read the ingredients sometime and decide if you want that on your leather or not...

It still may be good for what it has been adopted for in the automotive cleaner world, but I think there are much better products out today specifically made for leather and coated leather which is about what we all have now anyway...
Dan F
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I started using it on my bmw's back in 98
 
Some car manufacturer use to recommend people to use woolite/water on their leather. I can't recall which.
 
Hmm.. If i do not use woolite then, can someone post a good cleaner and something to protect the leather. Dont want to spend much..
 
Some sorta-random thoughts follow:

Heh heh, automakers have provided a whole lotta detailing advice that's simply *WRONG*. Some of the stuff in my owner's manuals is downright hilarious (well, it would be if it weren't likely to cause issues).

Auto leather isn't all the same- yesteryear/today, one maker/another, one option package/different one, etc.

I know lots of people here use Woolite on leather, but...*why*? Don't you need to rinse it off? Does it leave the leather slightly acidic the way it oughta be? It sounds like the old "use baby shampoo to wash your car" advice to me. Other than Woolite being commonly available, I just don't get why one would use it on auto leather. Not hating on the stuff at all, I use it... when *laundering wool*.

Sure, I've used APCs on leather before (even alkaline ones), cleaned up some really awful stuff with products like OPC. Used the steamer on some leather too. But the oddball cases have nothing to do with how I generally treat leather. I usually stick with products that were developed specifically for the type of leather I'm dealing with. If I don't know what's appropriate I ask somebody who does know (e.g., Roger Koh at Leather Doctor). And 99% of the time there shouldn't be any real *need* for aggressive cleaning anyhow. FWIW, I haul dogs in a leather interior on a daily basis, so I do know from real-world leather care ;)
 
Keep in mind that you are not cleaning leather but a urethane topcoat or in other words...paint. I've used Woolite for some leather cleaning over the years and it worked quite well but I prefer Leather Masters Strong Leather Cleaner mixed 50/50 with moderately hot water.

From my Lexus owners manual:
Cleaning the leather areas
  • ● Remove dirt and dust using a vacuum cleaner.
  • ● Wipe any excess dirt and dust with a soft cloth dampened withdiluted detergent.
    Use a diluted water solution of approximately 5% neutral wooldetergent.
  • ● Wring out any excess water from the cloth and thoroughly wipeoff all remaining traces of detergent.
  • ● Wipe the surface with a dry, soft cloth to remove any remainingmoisture. Allow the leather to dry in a shaded and ventilated area.
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jfelbab said:
Keep in mind that you are not cleaning leather but a urethane topcoat or in other words...paint...
Click to expand...

Right. Usually. As long as it's not too worn or otherwise compromised.
.. I prefer Leather Masters Strong Leather Cleaner mixed 50/50 with moderately hot water...
Click to expand...

Yeah, Leather Masters products have always worked well for me too. Not always my first choice, but never a bad way to go.

I still find it odd that people need to do so much leather cleaning. Ours get used daily but I hardly *ever* do anything more than use an Interior QD.
 
I've never found a need for anything other than Optimum Protectant Plus (aka Leather Protectant). It has mild cleaners and was designed specifically for today's coated leathers. Since it is also great on vinyl it makes protecting the entire interior a snap and at $11-12 per bottle it's a steal.

The leather on my 07 Passat looks as good as the day it was delivered and for most of it's life has only been treated with OPP.
 
Woolite was not liked by some prolific posting experts but it works. The only downside is it is a soap so should be rinsed to remove completely. It can be used on clothes including microfiber.
 
I've used it for years on leather and other surfaces. The original formula is in the pink & white bottle at the store. That's the one you want. How do I know? I wrote them and asked.
 
Bunky said:
The only downside..[to Woolite].. is it is a soap so should be rinsed to remove completely. It can be used on clothes including microfiber.
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I kinda figured it was good at the free-rinsing thing, what with its intended (original) purpose.

pwaug said:
The leather on my 07 Passat looks as good as the day it was delivered and for most of it's life has only been treated with OPP.
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Though I do kinda chuckle about how new your Passat still is in my eyes, that "I've used this on my car and years later I'm still happy with the results" says a lot. How can ya argue with that?
 
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