Best off the shelf leather cleaner....?

[youbetcha77]

Originally Posted by gdwriter

Thanks for the tip on the blender, Blaze. That worked great.

And boy, are my seats clean! It was hard to tell when I was doing it because it started getting dark, but I could see from the bucket of rinse water that I was getting out a lot of dirt. Went back this morning, and the interior (dark blue) is much brighter. Plus, it smells nice and clean, too.

Sandy, I'm going to pass on your advice to my friends who have leather in their cars.

Like I said mine turned out like Cool Whip and was great to work with. Its suprising how it cleans the leather.

Blaze

[Hus_Lac]

I did my seats this weekend and I was impressed. My seats was fairly clean to begin with, so after the dove technique, they were sparkling.

But i must give my propers to the Pledge idea...BOY did that stuff do a nice number on the seats...I could really tell the difference in the smooth and soft department.

Thanks Sandy for the advice!

[Sandy]

..and thank you for the compliments. I'm glad everyone who tried it got good results.
Don't forget to use the Pledge when done. It finishes it off really nice, and protects
it fromgetting dirty for a long time.

[JimHare]

Sandy, where do you find "regular" Pledge - I remember you saying in a previous post "No damn Lemon!", but every place I've checked that carries Pledge has only LEMON or ORANGE flavors - I could not find any "non-fruit" variety...Walmart, Acme, IGA, Home Depot, etc...is there a retail outlet you can suggest?

Have delayed using the Dove gunk until the Pledge Question is answered.

[Sandy]

A & P has it. Brown Spray can.
What state are you in ? Here in N.J. EVERY store has it !
Also, try a hardware store. Sears Hardware.

OH, I see, Salem, NJ

Okay try an ACME, if they are near you, as I saw it there, too.

Brown Can, says "EXTRA MOISTURIZING" on lower front of can.

I have seen it in EVERY A & P (Larger sized ones)

UPC CODE IS 46500 00318 - 9

[JimHare]

Originally Posted by Sandy

A & P has it. Brown Spray can.
What state are you in ? Here in N.J. EVERY store has it !
Also, try a hardware store. Sears Hardware.
OH, I see, Salem, NJ
Okay try an ACME, if they are near you, as I saw it there, too.
Brown Can, says "EXTRA MOISTURIZING" on lower front of can.
I have seen it in EVERY A & P (Larger sized ones)
UPC CODE IS 46500 00318 - 9

Ok, then that's what I got - however, mine does say 'With Lemon Oil" on the front.. well, we'll just have to allow a bit of extra citrus in the air, I guess. Thanks

[COBlackZ06]

Okay, this is an official thread revival from the archive.

Sandy asked me to send him some pictures of my Sixty Special, and even went so far as to determine when my Sixty Special was built, based on the last six digits of my VIN. Really nice of him to do that for me.

So when I looked at pictures of Sandy's Sixty Special, and asked Sandy how he kept the interior on his car, particularly his seats, in such pristine condition, Sandy pointed me to this thread. I read it, and I admit I was skeptical. Since I got my Corvette, I've been a devotee of Zaino products, including their leather cleaner and conditioner. But the more I read, with all the testimonials, the more I figured I would give it a try. After all, a bottle of Zaino costs $25.00.

So, Thursday after work, I stopped off and bought the supplies. Total bill came to $12, and it was only that expensive because you have to by Dove in two packs. I put the soap in a plastic bucket with 16 oz of bottled water, and waited. Yes, it really does take two days to disolve.

By lunch time today, I was ready. I tried it just as Sandy had recommended. The results were startling! I had no idea that a layer of something had actually permeated the seats. By the time I had finished, the disolved Dove mixture had gone from pearl white to a murky, brownish color. But as I went section by section, first with the sponge rubbing in the Dove, then wiping with the damp paper towel (yes, I used Bounty towels), the nap and suppleness of the leather began to come back.

Then it was time for the Pledge. Did you know that on the can, it actually recommends Pledge for leather? Who knew that? Not me, at any rate. The Pledge application returned the shine. It was stunning to see. The seats in my 13 year old Sixty Special now look as good as the seats in my three year old Corvette- and that's saying something considering how religiously I've worked on them! I can't wait to see what this does to the seats in my Corvette now.

Sandy, you are a scholar and a gentleman for sharing this with us. Many thanks!

-Patrick

[thu]

I like Lexol Leather Cleaner and Conditioner (two separate spray bottles). You'll find them at Leather craft and Equestrian Supply stores. About $10 per bottle. It goes a looooong way.

It doesn't deposit an oily substance on the material. It feels like a nice lotion. The leather soaks it up and stays supple.

[Sandy]

Dove is all natural. The cold cream in it softens the dirt. The "soap" part lossens & lifts it away from the leather. It desolves the crusty "dirt" & foreign matter.
The Pledge? The best things from the earth ~ hardly man-made.
Lanolin > Aloe Vera > Vit. C & E > Mineral Water > Moisturing Cream.

The Pledge is only to protect the leather surface, while allowing it to breath, (as leather must). None of the ingredients in Pledge will block or mask the leather's ability to breath. It (the Pledge) temportaily blocks the dirt out. Yes, it only last about 5 to 8 weeks, depending upon how much the car is used.
I am glad to have helped you & shared my "secret" ~ well not-so-secret, anymore. I know the Corvette is a late model. DO NOT spray the Pledge without a good Dove Cleaning. If it's interior is black (I think it is) Black's dirt is invisable to the naked eye....but, it's there for sure. BTW, do NOT use that Pledge on the top of the dash. It will reflect in your w'shield at night and blind you to seeing what's ahead. SEATS & Door Panels O-N-L-Y !

Happy Rides.

[behind-bars]

YES Avoid pledge on the dash, I didnt, while not totally blinded by daylight, it did leave a nice film on the windshield that was a pain to clean.

I tried this method and it was ok, I guess I need to try again. I know everyone mentions leather, but do you do this on the vinyl bolsters aswell? no matter what I use on them they still remain pretty hard and not supple for more then a day or so. Also does anyone else have interior that looks as if its starting to burn from direct sunlight? Some parts of my seat backs look different then the rest.

I also would like ideas on how to hide the cracks in the bolster if anyone has them, though I imagine a reupholster would be needed

[COBlackZ06]

Originally Posted by thu

I like Lexol Leather Cleaner and Conditioner (two separate spray bottles). You'll find them at Leather craft and Equestrian Supply stores. About $10 per bottle. It goes a looooong way.

It doesn't deposit an oily substance on the material. It feels like a nice lotion. The leather soaks it up and stays supple.

My big complaint about Lexol is the time it takes to do both the cleaner and the conditioner treatment. Sandy's recommended treatment is actually faster, and certainly cheaper, than Lexol.

Originally Posted by behind-bars

YES Avoid pledge on the dash, I didnt, while not totally blinded by daylight, it did leave a nice film on the windshield that was a pain to clean.

I tried this method and it was ok, I guess I need to try again. I know everyone mentions leather, but do you do this on the vinyl bolsters aswell? no matter what I use on them they still remain pretty hard and not supple for more then a day or so. Also does anyone else have interior that looks as if its starting to burn from direct sunlight? Some parts of my seat backs look different then the rest.

I also would like ideas on how to hide the cracks in the bolster if anyone has them, though I imagine a reupholster would be needed

Fortunately, there's no need to use Pledge on the dash. Armor All makes a convenient set of wipes specifically formulated for dashes, and it won't cause a reflective glare.

As for your bolsters, that's a tough one. If the leather is simply creased, you can correct that sufficient conditioning to restore it. Once it's cracked, I think you're looking at replacing it.

-Patrick

[Sandy]

Only thing I use on my dash(s) is a damp folded Viva paper towel, and I wipe them off 2x @ month.

[derrty_deville]

The Armor All low gloss doesnt give a reflective glare. It looks much better than regular Armor All all aroundthe car.

[Ranger]

Here is something for you guys to banter around. My daughter's previous '99 SLS had a section on the passenger seat (about the size of your hand) that was lifted shall we say. Looked as though someone left something on the seat in the sun and when the removed it, it took a layer off with it. Somewhat like the layer of skin that will come off from a sun burn. It was very, very thin and the leather it self did not appear to be damaged and the color was the same. I called an upholstry guy about this to see if it was repairable and he said no. There is actually a very thin plastic layer that is applied as a protectant and that is what was lifted. My point is this. I suspect that back in Charlies day, leather was leather, and did not have this protective plastic shield (film) on it, so cleaning and more importantly conditioning was far more important. Today, while Sandy's (Charlies) Dove concoction may have been a great idea for its day (and certainly would not do any harm today), I am not totaly sure that it is necassary. I suspect that most any cleaner or detergent will do fine and will do no harm. Secondly, while I do apply a conditioner (Meguier's I believe), I am not totaly convinced that it is actually getting past the protective film and that I am not doing anything more than applying it and wiping it back off (and contributing to Meguiers bottom line). Your thoughts?

[COBlackZ06]

Originally Posted by Ranger

...There is actually a very thin plastic layer that is applied as a protectant and that is what was lifted. My point is this. I suspect that back in Charlies day, leather was leather, and did not have this protective plastic shield (film) on it, so cleaning and more importantly conditioning was far more important. Today, while Sandy's (Charlies) Dove concoction may have been a great idea for its day (and certainly would not do any harm today), I am not totaly sure that it is necassary. I suspect that most any cleaner or detergent will do fine and will do no harm. Secondly, while I do apply a conditioner (Meguier's I believe), I am not totaly convinced that it is actually getting past the protective film and that I am not doing anything more than applying it and wiping it back off (and contributing to Meguiers bottom line). Your thoughts?

I'll let Sandy chime in with his thoughts, but it seems to me that if a protective layer of plastic were applied to the outside skin of the leather, recommendations to periodically clean and condition the leather in the owners manual would be un-necessary. The plastic protection layer would handle it for you.

And as for Meguairs, Lexol, Zaino, etc, well, Sandy's convinced me: leather being a natural material, using natural ingredients to clean it has got to be better than the engineered/chemically produced stuff you get in automotive specialty shops.

Sandy? Comments?

-Patrick