For many, automotive leather is an unknown. It is simply a stylish option when purchasing a vehicle. There is a lot of information to unravel when talking about automotive leather. Most importantly, it is, how to properly take care of it.
In our shop, unfortunately when we see the vehicle, the leather has not been taken care of and needs more attention then just the standard cleaning. It is best to clean your seating once a month or by-monthly right from the beginning of taking ownership of your new vehicle.
Our process is to always first vacuum as to not create mud and work it into the leather. Use a mild cleaner gentle and specific for leather and without any oils or conditioners. Never spray cleaners directly on the leather as it may cause staining/streaking on the surface of the material. Spray your cleaner on the bristles of your brush, which should be made of a soft to moderately stiff horse hair. Scrub in circular and forward/backward, left to right motions. Make sure to use one hand to spread apart the seating at the seems in order to deep clean those areas. Immediately wipe dry with a microfiber towel and use one towel per seat as to not reintroduce dirt back into your next seat.
And that is it. We do not use conditioners or oils because they will not absorb into the leather, rather sit on the surface and absorb into your clothing. As you read the article below, it will explain this in better detail.
By gently cleaning in this fashion once a month or by-monthly your leather will stay as close to OEM as possible for a long time with much better results than introducing a greasy condtioner.
With that said, we do have and use a protection that works well at protecting your car leather and makes cleaning the next time a breeze. It is a ceramic coating specific for automotive leather. It is clear, last up to one year (depending on driving/care habits) and dries to the touch leaving zero oils behind. Similar to a ceramic coating for the exterior paint, it will leave a surface that dirt, oils, etc have a hard time sticking to. For this reason you can get by with a damp cloth for quick wipe downs or a very mild cleaner sprayed into a microfiber towel to wipe down your seating.
The article below is well written by Nadeem Muaddi, June 18th, 2018 where he interviews Aaron Waithlaite, founder and CEO of Hydes Leather.
What is the primary difference between automotive and furniture leather?
The primary difference is in the tanning process. Furniture leather uses a lot of fat liquor to make the skin fibers elastic and soft, which creates a supple leather. In automotive leather, durability and long life is needed so less fat liquors are used to create a stronger hide. This creates a leather that is more resistant to stretching and bagging.
Is automotive leather chemically treated differently than furniture leather?
There are differences in the surface finish. In automotive leather, there is more UV protectant to block out the sun’s rays. There are also extra additives in the pigment dyes for durability and abrasion resistance and to minimize off-gassing (the windshield fog that we all wipe away).
Furniture leather needs a lot of upkeep. Is that also true of automotive leather?
Automotive-grade leather by nature has a lot of protectant in it. Therefore, I feel that adding a lot of leather protectants and lotions is unnecessary. The leather has been tanned to preserve it. It isn’t alive anymore. The proper amount of ingredients have been added to make the leather last as long as possible, and it has been tested thoroughly.
Auto leather has a pigmented and urethane top coat to seal it. When lotions are applied to it, it’s really just sitting on the surface and then rubbing off on clothing. Occasional moisturizers are not going to hurt, but their benefits are also debatable.
I have seen cases where excessive moisturizing has altered the moisture content inside the leather hide, which causes the leather fibers to lose their strength and the interior becomes very loose, and in some cases dashboards bubble up or shrink.
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