Which Leather Cleaner & Conditioner?

[Randomhero]

Right now i have Mother`s Leather Cleaner and Leather Conditioner, and im almost out of them.



At Walmart, they carry Meguiar`s Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner and Gold Class Leather Conditioner. Walmart also carries Lexol Leather Cleaner and Leather Conditioner.



These are all in spray bottles, which would you use?

[tom p.]

What kind of car are you working? How old is the leather? What kind of shape is it in, Random?

[Shane.belzers]

The lexol cleaner is good but only for already clean or maintained leather in my opinion. They`re conditioner is good though. If your doing deep cleaning i think leather masters or OPT power clean are 2 to look at.

[Randomhero]

Just for general usage. I have an 2004 Accord with black leather. Once a month i apply some conditioner, and every other month i give it a good clean/conditioner.

[Accumulator]

I hardly *EVER* treat/protect my leather interiors, but when I do I use Sonus, or LeatherMasters, or Leather Dr. IMO the Leather Dr. stuff is the best.



I`m not a fan of Lexol despite having had it around the house for decades (finally decided to not even use it up on the dog leashes) and that Meguiar`s Gold Class [stuff] was a nasty mess when I cleaned it off the leather in a pal`s car..yuck.



Whatever you use, IMO the leather should look/feel "clean, like brand new" and not "slimed".

[togwt]

The finished leather used for auto upholstery DOES NOT require conditioing



Lexol was originally formulated for equestrian tack, so a dogs leash or harness would be an ideal material to use this product on

[pwaug]

You shouldn`t be using anything with any oil at all. I clean my 7 year old leather a couple times per year with a mild mix of APC (currently HD Total), rinse well with a damp towel and let air dry. Put on a coat of Optimum Protectant Plus every 3 or 4 months which is great because you can use it on the vinly also. Every month or so wipe down with a wet towel and let it air dry to hydrate the leather. Looks as good as the day I picked it up at the dealers.

[2005GTPinMD]

I use Leather Masters and have used Lexol etc. in the past. I prefer Leather Masters - it leaves a nice finish.

[Accumulator]

Lexol was originally formulated for equestrian tack, so a dogs leash or harness would be an ideal material to use this product on



IF you don`t mind "touching Lexol" when you use said item ;)



While I`m already sounding like I`m hating on the stuff (not that I really do, not in appropriate applications)... my Father used a lot of Lexol, and more than once he "over-conditioned" leather goods with it to their detriment.

[Junebug]

I`d just add, if you look at your car owners manual, chances are it`ll say clean with mild soap and water. I`ve used Woolite 20:1 for years with no issues at all. I use distilled water. Now, the peanut gallery of experts will chime up with - but we called Woolite and they don`t recommend it for that (ever hear of CYA in case of lawsuits?) and you`ll get the resident copy/paste guy to post all the stuff that is in Woolite that could harm your stuff, finally, you`ll get the fanboys of the leather product lines. So, who`s right?

If you put 10 detailers, or carpet cleaners or politicians in a room - you`d get 10 opinions.

I`m just telling you that to clean your caar seats/doors I use Woolite / Water and it works, now, I don`t clean them weekly with that, only if they are dirty. For weekly wipe downs, especially during pollen season, you can just use a damp terry cloth towel.

I do like OPP and use it for the UV protection and the fact that it dries quick, non-greasy and doesn`t smell bad. I`ll use that every 2-3 months and my gallon jug has lasted forever it seems!

This is just my opinion based on about 8 years of detailing. I`m not looking to convert anybody or say what they use is wrong, you should try a few things and decide what you`re comfortable with.

[pwaug]

I used Woolite at 20:1 for the first 5 years until I started to use HD Total with NO ill effects as JuneBug mentioned. I find the Total easier to wipe off though--less sudsy (if that`s a word).

[Bill D]

I`ve got a Mercedes SL coming up with a nasty interior. This gives me the chance to use HD Total although mine isn`t the newest formulation. I`m also going to use the tried and true Woolite 20:1 which I`ve already recommended to the owner to use for periodic cleaning once I get the big mess all cleaned up.

[gravytime]

Does Leather Masters Vital actually soften Finished/Protected leather? I`ve got a 2008 Subaru Tribeca and have been searching for something to soften it up a bit. I`ve been oh fer on various McGuire`s products, Wolfgangs Conditioner is Ok but didn`t soften it up a ton, if at all and Eiznett Lederpledge worked good but again, not so soft.

[Accumulator]

gravytime- I`ve never used the Vital, so I have no idea whether it`ll work for you.



BUT..while the conventional wisdom is that coated leather cannot be softened, I`ve found that some products *do* accomplish that. I know..."it shouldn`t be possible because the product can`t get through the coating to treat the leather". But it`s worked for me, to varying degrees, on numerous vehicles in conditions ranging from very used to showroom perfect. I figure it`s primarily because the coating has been compromised to the extent that the product does in fact get to the leather, but I do still wonder how it works on my like-new S8 :nixweiss



But since you`ve already tried a few products that did a little softening but not too much, perhaps you`ve discovered the limit to which you can accomplish it on your Subaru.

[tom p.]

Does Leather Masters Vital actually soften Finished/Protected leather?



Gravy: http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/132971-making-leather-softer.html#post1413315



I own most of the Leather Master line including Vital. I haven`t really used it enough to say that it will soften. Perhaps Scott will share his thoughts as he is a proponent of this product and will have far more experience than I.



I know for certain that if my aim was to soften, I`d reach for the Leatherique kit and plan to spend a day with it. It does soften, sometimes too much so so you must do a test area before doing the entire car ;) (I`d also look to Roger Koh`s product for the same action.)



I`ve got a boatload of leather products in my basement. Some of the OTC stuff truly sux leaving surfaces all gummy and sticky. That drives me a little (a LOT!!) crazy and I`ve found it a great challenge to clean the surfaces once the products have been used for an extended period :frusty: