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  1. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by jfelbab
    ... The Protection Cream is nearly odorless.


    Which is a big plus IMO. Within a short time, any scent completely dissipates leaving "Audis smelling like Audis", "GMCs smelling like GMCs", etc. They just smell like *clean vehicles*, not like some leathergoods store.

  2. #32
    STUTTGART'S FINEST Deanski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator
    Which is a big plus IMO. Within a short time, any scent completely dissipates leaving "Audis smelling like Audis", "GMCs smelling like GMCs", etc. They just smell like *clean vehicles*, not like some leathergoods store.


    Good point!:2thumbs:



    Deanski
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  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by NSXTASY
    ...To me I treat woolite like dawn. Woolite is meant for sweaters as dawn is meant for frying pans.


    Lexus seems to disagree with your Woolite opinion. This is from a Lexus owners manual:




    Leather Interior - Remove dirt on the leather in the following ways:



    1. Wipe it off lightly using a soft cloth (e.g. gauze) dampened

    with 5% solution of neutral detergent for wool. [a.k.a. Woolite]



    2. Wring water from a clean cloth and thoroughly wipe off all

    traces of detergent with it.



    3. Wipe off the surface of the leather with a dry soft cloth. Allow

    the leather to dry in a ventilated shaded area. Excess of wet

    may cause the hardening or shrinking of the leather.

  4. #34

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    Well...the owner`s manual of my Jag says to wash it with plain water, no shampoo/etc. and to dry it with a chamois I dunno if an owner`s manual is geared towards the kind of car care that we practice here. Most of the owner`s manuals I`ve bothered to read have rather rudimentary-level detailing advice.



    That`s not a slam at Woolite use or anything, just a general observation. Hey, I for one have zero problem with using non-automotive stuff for detailing *IF* it`s suitable to the job.

  5. #35
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    Very educational thread... subscribed.
    Sage advice from Greg Nichols: "Hey, Supe? When you`re trying to get the air bubble out of your syringe of Opti-Coat, don`t point it at your face, mmmkay?"

  6. #36
    Forza Auto Salon David Fermani's Avatar
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    Woolite is not made for automotive surfaces. Woolite is designed to clean fabrics and be flushed away with water, not clean plastics, vinyl and rubber and be wiped off.



    I spoke with two reps from Woolite(Reckitt Benckiser) as well as their Supervisor and asked them specifically about cleaning car interior parts with woolite. Their response was that it offered the two problems. To fully remove the soap requires a large volume of water to flush it away, simply wiping off would leave a large amount of residue behind that could attract more dirt. The second problem they alluded to was that Woolite was never intended to clean materials other then fabric so they have never tested it as such.

    When I specifically asked about Cadillac`s & Lexus (as well as all other car manufacturers) recommendation for using Woolite to clean leather, both representatives where dumbfounded, stating that the Woolite has never, and never will, recommend their product for cleaning leather (specifically).



    I followed this Woolite question up with highly regarded leather expert Roger Koh. When shown the MSDS sheet on Woolite, Roger was shocked that anybody would use this product on leather surfaces, stating that..

    "pH Value:

    The pH value indicated is 8.

    The pH neutral of average leathers is 3 - 5.

    Assuming the pH neutral of leather is 4, then this product at pH 8 is 10,000 times more alkaline than the average pH of leather.

    pH scale is calculated at the power of 10.



    The continue use of this product will cause the leather constituents like tanning agent, fatliquor to break bond (hydrogen bonding with the protein fibers), thus denaturing the leather.



    The perforated and needle holes will crack as the leather weakens through continuous alkaline exposure combine with physical stresses and flexes.



    Uneven application of alkaline cleaning products may results in streaks or brightening effect.



    Most leather finishes will also turns tackiness on continuous use and can be detected by wet finger testing.



    These adverse effects however can be corrected by neutralizing with a low pH of 2 with acidifier2.0™."




    I also forwarded the Woolite MSDS to well known detail & chemical expert Ron Ketchum (Automotive International) his response was:



    There is one component that is seriously high in percentage, and could create some damage, the sodium hydroxide . There is no reason for leather cleaner to contain it at all.



    Below is the link to the MSDS for Woolite:



    http://msds.reckittprofessional.com/...t/003291_r.pdf
    Metro Detroit`s leader in cleaning, preserving & perfecting fine automobiles!

  7. #37
    jfelbab's Avatar
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    Odd that the MDSD data sheet referenced does not agree with the one provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Perhaps they have changed the ingredients. I suspect the US HHS data is out of date.



    Household Products Database - Health and Safety Information on Household Products



    At any rate I`ve used Woolite on leather for about 20 years now and have seen zero ill effects. Perhaps the dilution makes all the difference since when diluted it is not as alkaline. Water from the tap has a PH of range of 6-8.5 around here so this detergent has about the same PH as tap water. So from a PH level this is no worse than wiping down with tap water.



    That said, I do use LM on my own vehicles as I mentioned earlier.



    PS. Upon checking the msds for LM Strong Cleaner I find that the PH is listed as 6.5-8.5. and their soft Cleaner has listed PH of 6-8. So I`d suggest that the PH of Woolite is identical to that of the LM products.



    PPS: After thinking about this for a minute I would conclude that the PH level of the cleaning solution is pretty irrelevant when cleaning protected leathers. You are not cleaning the raw leather anyway. You are cleaning the urethane coating on the leather.

  8. #38
    STUTTGART'S FINEST Deanski's Avatar
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    PH of Meguiars Detailer line of Leather cleaner/conditioner is 9.0 and contains several other hazardous ingredients.



    We can go on and on about this, but bottom line, most leather cleaners are nothing more than soap, water, coloring, fragrance and other items.



    Most users are cleaning protected leather, not unprotected leather, so in reality we are cleaning a coating that sits on leather. Yes, there are some that have holes etc in the leather. All the more reason to use a mild cleaner.



    I`ve seen first hand what conditioners for unprotected leather can do to foam cushions when I was at the shop that does the repairs for me and it`s not pretty. Some was caused by older versions of conditioners as most seats that I worked on were from a `60 series Austin Healy.



    Use what is designed for automotive leathers for conditioning. Use a mild soap and correct towels etc to clean with.



    Deanski
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  9. #39
    JAFO Junebug's Avatar
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    For me - I did a test of my own on a dirty old caddie`s leather interior and woolite 8:1 worked better than all the other "leather" cleaners. I didn`t have a problem wiping off any traces of woolite from the leather with just a clean damp terry cloth towel. Maybe CSI could find a trace, but I couldn`t. David - you say Woolite doesn`t recommend using their product on leather and then say that they`ve never tested it either, why not listen to Scott, Deanski and a few more that have used it for years and had no issues.



    Remember - you can go with these chemical "experts" or believe your lying eyes - it`s up to you.

  10. #40

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    what kind of woolite do you use? i grabbed some today that says is for "delicates"

  11. #41
    STUTTGART'S FINEST Deanski's Avatar
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    Just your generic Woolite in a blue/white bottle. Cut with a ratio of 8:1 (8 parts water/1part Woolite). If not getting results after two applications, you can up the ratio.



    Deanski
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  12. #42

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    This thread contains too much information. Must be bookmarked!

  13. #43

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    Thank you!



    David Fermani, for inviting me here.



    And hi! to everyone here too.



    How interesting,



    The more we know, the more we yet to know!



    Roger Koh

    Leather Doctor®

  14. #44

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    For me - I did a test of my own on a dirty old caddie`s leather interior and woolite 8:1 worked better than all the other "leather" cleaners. I didn`t have a problem wiping off any traces of woolite from the leather with just a clean damp terry cloth towel. Maybe CSI could find a trace, but I couldn`t. David - you say Woolite doesn`t recommend using their product on leather and then say that they`ve never tested it either, why not listen to Scott, Deanski and a few more that have used it for years and had no issues.



    Remember - you can go with these chemical "experts" or believe your lying eyes - it`s up to you.




    -------------------------------













    What is leather?



    It is the combination of protein fibers with other chemistry constituents that includes the tanning agent (chrome), preservatives, fatliquors, etc.



    Protein fibers in leathers are cationic charge (positive) to hydrogen-bond with these others anionic (negative) charged leather chemistry.



    Therefore they are pH sensitive, as water is temperature sensitive.



    Once the leather is exposed to alkalinity on a continuous basis, the protein fiber above the isoelectric point will shift to negative.



    Thus like a magnet, like poles repel, the anionic fibrils and the anionic leather breaks bond.



    It is the continuous accumulation of this alkalinity that slowly and gradually causing a “reverse-tanning” to the leather.



    In pigmented leathers, first the brightening of the pigment often observes as streaks, follows by tackiness, sliminess as pH builds up.



    As this chemistry phenomenon happens on a molecular level, it is beyond our lying eyes!



    It may take 3 to 5 years on a comparative study to realize what has happen.



    And remember, as long as the pH integrity of the leather is intact and constantly hydrated and fatliquor, leathers in general lives longer than we do.



    Without fatliquor, leather is a piece of cardboard!



    The lifeblood of leather is the “fatliquor”



    Without the hydrogen-bonding capability between the protein fibrils and the leather chemistry, it will revert back to rawhide!



    Leather is all chemistry!



    Any cleaning solution that has a pH value will either strengthen it or weaken it!



    So the average pH of healthy leather is from pH 3 - 5 and it is measurable with a simple pH meter.



    Again, well calibrated, scientific instrument tells no lies, beyond our eyes can see - it’s up to you too!





    Roger Koh

    Leather Doctor®

  15. #45

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    How is leather different from all other upholstery material found in an automobile?

 

 
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