conditioning leather once a day?

**jocktheglide** · 06-26-2005, 05:51 PM

is it ok to condition leather once a day if you know that your not gonna drive till the next day? I was thinking since my minvan is not tinted so dark the bright sun in NM still hits the leather pretty hard and I figure if leather is like our skin it likes to lotioned and especially being in the sun it giving it lotion would not hurt it?

**15951** · 06-26-2005, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by jocktheglide

is it ok to condition leather once a day if you know that your not gonna drive till the next day? I was thinking since my minvan is not tinted so dark the bright sun in NM still hits the leather pretty hard and I figure if leather is like our skin it likes to lotioned and especially being in the sun it giving it lotion would not hurt it?

I`m no expert, but I live in S. Florida, and every month or two seems to keep the leather in my vehicle like new. I think you might be essentially wiping as much off as you put on if you`re using conditioner on a daily basis. I would`t waste the time.

I`ve also heard of cases where people apply leather cleaner/conditioner too often, and the threading holding the seats together never gets to dry out. You might do more harm than good in this instance.

**TW85 HHI** · 06-26-2005, 07:06 PM

It is overkill. Skin, like anything that is porous, can only absorb so much. You would reach a point of saturation, resulting in wasted product as well as wasted time. Conditioning once a month will keep your leather in excellent shape, though you may still end up with cracking in the pigment coat.

**jocktheglide** · 06-26-2005, 10:48 PM

wouldnt all the sittin down on leather dry it up though due to our clothes touching it and wiping it? this care is a daily driver and not garaged.

**Setec Astronomy** · 06-26-2005, 10:53 PM

Hey man....you must have something better to do with that time...if you`re really worried, do it once a week when you wash the car...that should be more than enough.

**TW85 HHI** · 06-26-2005, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by jocktheglide

wouldnt all the sittin down on leather dry it up though due to our clothes touching it and wiping it? this care is a daily driver and not garaged.

Consider this: when you are sitting on most automotive leathers, you are not actually sitting on the leather but rather on a pigment or polyurethane coat. Taken from a post I made back in May:

Pigmented - Often embossed, this leather has a heavy surface coat of pigment. This is the most common type of leather for furniture and automobile use. It does not scratch as easily, gives a uniform color and appearance, and resists fading.

...

Finally, Coated Leather (also called Bycast) - It is produced by splitting the hide, melting a glue on the surface, and then rolling a film of colored polyurethane. Typically produced in only dark colors, it lightens when scratched. Very common for belts and handbags.

When you rub your skin, it will eventually become dry on the surface but the entire thickness of your skin has not dried out. In extreme cases, cracking will occur vs. just irritation or flaking. In the case of YOUR skin, you are in direct contact withy our skin instead of a pigment coat. My point is that while you are in constant contact with the surface of your seats, you are not in direct contact with the leather and the amount of conditioner/natural moisture absorbed or removed is...trivial.

Conditioning leather once a month is more than adequate. I have no set schedule and may condition every 2 weeks or I may condition every 6 weeks depending on my mood or if I have new products to try. Your climate will impact how frequently you condition but I cannot imagine needing to do so more than once a month, even in a desert region.

Typically, the "cracking" you see in leather (it cannot be avoided) is in the pigment coat rather than in the actual leather. However, if the leather does dry out, it will crack and eventually split open. Do not take this to mean that once a day or even once a week conditioning is needed.

Bottom line is if you condition once a month, your leather will stay in good shape except for the inevitable creases and stretching.

**jocktheglide** · 06-27-2005, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

Hey man....you must have something better to do with that time...if you`re really worried, do it once a week when you wash the car...that should be more than enough.

well to be honest I only work 3 to 4 days a week and have the rest of the week of and still get paid for it no matter and I dont get called in either thats mandatory that I dont get called. thank you TW85 HHI for the response now I understand the leather of my seats better and know why doing it once a month is sufficient.