leather care

has anyone ever tried to clean their leather with saddle soap? i'm speaking of the
older and dirtier uphoulstery which is losing it's suppleness and grain uniformity?
i've used it on old saddles, but that's a far cry from connelly.
i wanted to rejuvenate my seats this winter but wasn't quite sure of the best
starting point as far as products were concerned.

 

Saddle Soap is not made for the type of leather used in most Cars. You could eventually damage the leather.

Here is a thread from a Maserati Board that explains: See #5 to answer your question.

http://www.************.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2806

 

Use WINDEX..............to clean old as well as new leather. It works fantastic. My detailer turned me on to this and I have done it for years. You do not damage the leather.......and you can easily condition it with whatever you use afterwards, and there will be no issues with chemical reactions either.

Best tip I ever got...........

 

Use Leatherique, this stuff is unbelievable!

www.leatherique.com


Joe

 

I think Windex is alcohol based, so it evaporates.

 

+1, I agree

 

2+

Nothing else touches my leather. Windex is amonia based and will dry the leather out. Use it only for the windows.

 

+3 great product.

 

I agree, avoid using Windex. I use Meguiar's Gold Class leather cleaner and conditioner in a spray bottle, it works great, no problems on a 47 year old Pf coupe.
Ed

 

BS..........you wipe it off immediately along with the grime that has accumulated.

Clueless idiots.

 

BS..........you wipe it off immediately along with the grime that has accumulated.

 

Well, aren't you the nice guy. Please stay in Canada, eh !
Creep

 

Interestingly this question just came up while a group of us were touring Schedoni. Simone Schedoni himself said he uses Meguiars products and everyone seemed to get a big kick out of that. Doesn't come with a much better recommendation than that!! I know what I'm buying when I get home to take care of my new leather!!

 

That's quite an endorsement.

 

Windex also has a lot of alcohol, but that is why it dries quickly. Interesting suggestion, I will have to try it. As far as drying of the leather, that is why you treat it, after cleaning, no?

We polish cars, and it removes the wax too, but we wax after, so no big deal. Same with leather, a cleaning process may dry the leather, but you treat/moisturize after, and all is fine.

 

If you look inside the spray bottle of Windex, the label lists the kinds of materials on which they suggest using their product. The list does not include leather or any kind of fabric, only various forms of glass. I agree that the spray should volatilize quickly and any loss of moisture would be compensated by application of a leather conditioner. But, why risk the adverse effects of desiccation of the leather? Each to their own.

 

I have a convertible.. and alot of times a week after using expensive "conditioners" i get a dark "film" on my leather.
which can actually end up staining. (kinda similar look to a fine brake dust). Anyway. I cleaned it the other day with saddle soap and it looks perfectly beautiful now. So my concern with the "pricy" conditioners is that it seems to me it could actually be harmful.