Best off the shelf leather cleaner....?
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A bar of Dove Soap, allowed to melt for 48 hours in a plastic bucket of 16 ounces of water. Applied in a circular lifting motion using a hand-size regular dish sponge, doing an area of 6" x 6" at a time. Rub softly, don't press hard, wipe off excess with damp paper towel.
~ I've had real good luck with Connolly Hide Care and recently with Leather Genie but I have to say that the Dove Bar thing that Sandy suggests sounds promising! Hell, it's been softening women's faces forever! Also, if you need to touch up color or change color Leather World Technologies has worked well for me too!
~ Recently we picked up a 2001 BMW 330CIC for the Girlfriend, the drivers side bolster had a wear/scuff mark from the previous owner. The Dealer had their Leather Guy come in and repair this area, you would never have known there was a problem! He also used Connolly!
Skullman {:{}
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~ Recently we picked up a 2001 BMW 330CIC for the Girlfriend, the drivers side bolster had a wear/scuff mark from the previous owner. The Dealer had their Leather Guy come in and repair this area, you would never have known there was a problem! He also used Connolly!
Skullman {:{}
From the handbook of one of the largest
Car/Truck manufacturers OF Leather to be
made into seat covers for the automotive market:
The Myth of Saddle Soap
In the late 1800s the final tanning of
leather required the talents of a "currier".
This crafstman took the tanned, but brittle
hide and worked oils into it until the desired
flexability was obtained. This process was
called fatliquoring. The fatliquor of choice
was an emulsion of oil in soap. This "Saddle
Soap" was not used as a cleaner. It was a
softening conditioner.
In fact, saddle soap is a very poor cleaner.
It must first desolve in its own oils, limiting its
capacity to desolve dirt and oils in the leather.
Saddle soap is also inherently alkaline but
alkalinity is damaging to leather. Another
problem arises during application. Most
saddle soaps instruct the user to work the
lather into the leather. Since loosened
dirt is then suspended into the leather, it is
pushed back into the leather's pores.
Saddle soaps have long been replaced in tanneries
by modern emulsions which penetrate, soften and
condition with greater ease and stablility. The
popular myth of saddle soap as a cleaner however
persists as modern folklore.
Sandy back:
Use Dove CLEANSING cream SOAP, bought in a
food market for under $1.00 and send ME, the
additional $24.00 you are willing to drop on some
quick fix, miracle, "IN" product that promises
the world, and delivers nothing, that "everybody"
uses. There is no "spray on ~ wipe off" 10-second
miracle leather cleaner, that will astound you
with miraclous results. BTW, I said 16 Oz. of water,
BUT I MEANT TO SAY 12 OZ. of water. Let it
desolve for 2 complete days, in a CLEAN PLASTIC
bucket. Use a small sponge, that is easy for you to work
with, and control. Squeeze out the excess water,
so it doesn't run all over. Use circular & lifting motions.
Work on a small section at a time. Again for control !
With patience and proper application you should be
pleased.
When it's clean, and I mean CLEAN, and the weather is
NOT damp outside, and you have done a final damp paper-
towel wipe off to rid the surface of all soap residue....
(this is important) - then, and only then - get yourself
a roll of ether VIVA or BOUNTY paper towels (the highest
content of cotten paper towels, means the softest)
and a can of spray PLEDGE. Spray an area no larger
then 1 person sits in, from a height of 12 inches with
a fine mist spray of Pledge (Brown Can - NO damn LEMON)!
Immediately (no waiting) wipe off the Pledge with the Viva
paper towel, turning the towel to the dry side, or taking
new, to "wipe up" the Pledge.
Now.....
Pledge has the finest ingredients to protect the leather.
Nothing equals it.....NOTHING! It has Vitimin "E", Aloe
Vera, Lanolin, Silicone, and liquified cold cream in it.
It puts a layer of all these wonderful softeners and
protectants between FUTURE dirt and your leather.
It will make the surface soft to the touch, and smooth.
NEVER use it until YOU are satisfied with the cleaning
results. Once you use the Pledge, you will not be able
to clean off any left behind dirt. Your results should
bring you something like my 1993 Sixty Special's seats:-
.
![]()
Car/Truck manufacturers OF Leather to be
made into seat covers for the automotive market:
The Myth of Saddle Soap
In the late 1800s the final tanning of
leather required the talents of a "currier".
This crafstman took the tanned, but brittle
hide and worked oils into it until the desired
flexability was obtained. This process was
called fatliquoring. The fatliquor of choice
was an emulsion of oil in soap. This "Saddle
Soap" was not used as a cleaner. It was a
softening conditioner.
In fact, saddle soap is a very poor cleaner.
It must first desolve in its own oils, limiting its
capacity to desolve dirt and oils in the leather.
Saddle soap is also inherently alkaline but
alkalinity is damaging to leather. Another
problem arises during application. Most
saddle soaps instruct the user to work the
lather into the leather. Since loosened
dirt is then suspended into the leather, it is
pushed back into the leather's pores.
Saddle soaps have long been replaced in tanneries
by modern emulsions which penetrate, soften and
condition with greater ease and stablility. The
popular myth of saddle soap as a cleaner however
persists as modern folklore.
Sandy back:
Use Dove CLEANSING cream SOAP, bought in a
food market for under $1.00 and send ME, the
additional $24.00 you are willing to drop on some
quick fix, miracle, "IN" product that promises
the world, and delivers nothing, that "everybody"
uses. There is no "spray on ~ wipe off" 10-second
miracle leather cleaner, that will astound you
with miraclous results. BTW, I said 16 Oz. of water,
BUT I MEANT TO SAY 12 OZ. of water. Let it
desolve for 2 complete days, in a CLEAN PLASTIC
bucket. Use a small sponge, that is easy for you to work
with, and control. Squeeze out the excess water,
so it doesn't run all over. Use circular & lifting motions.
Work on a small section at a time. Again for control !
With patience and proper application you should be
pleased.
When it's clean, and I mean CLEAN, and the weather is
NOT damp outside, and you have done a final damp paper-
towel wipe off to rid the surface of all soap residue....
(this is important) - then, and only then - get yourself
a roll of ether VIVA or BOUNTY paper towels (the highest
content of cotten paper towels, means the softest)
and a can of spray PLEDGE. Spray an area no larger
then 1 person sits in, from a height of 12 inches with
a fine mist spray of Pledge (Brown Can - NO damn LEMON)!
Immediately (no waiting) wipe off the Pledge with the Viva
paper towel, turning the towel to the dry side, or taking
new, to "wipe up" the Pledge.
Now.....
Pledge has the finest ingredients to protect the leather.
Nothing equals it.....NOTHING! It has Vitimin "E", Aloe
Vera, Lanolin, Silicone, and liquified cold cream in it.
It puts a layer of all these wonderful softeners and
protectants between FUTURE dirt and your leather.
It will make the surface soft to the touch, and smooth.
NEVER use it until YOU are satisfied with the cleaning
results. Once you use the Pledge, you will not be able
to clean off any left behind dirt. Your results should
bring you something like my 1993 Sixty Special's seats:-
.
Excellent cleaning - conditioning instructions.
I plan to try the Dove - Pledge treatment on one seat and compare the long term results with my normal Woolite - Mink Oil treatment on another seat.
The rule I use is; If you would not put a product on your skin, why would you put it on leather?
I plan to try the Dove - Pledge treatment on one seat and compare the long term results with my normal Woolite - Mink Oil treatment on another seat.
The rule I use is; If you would not put a product on your skin, why would you put it on leather?
Joined
·
779 Posts
Sandy, I've always read/heard to avoid anything with silicone at all costs, because it ultimately clogs the pores of the leather - don't know if this is true.Sandy said:It has Vitimin "E", Aloe
Vera, Lanolin, Silicone, and liquified cold cream in it.
.
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The Dove bar procedure is extremely interesting. Another good soap to use is Ivory Flakes - repeat: Ivory FLAKES, because the flakes are a pure soap, any other Ivory product (and practically all other so-called soaps) is a detergent, and detergents are to be avoided.
I feared mentioning Ivory Flakes as there is always the possibilty
than a few flakes will not totally disolve, and then it get messy.
Also because the Dove has softeners in it that better loosen the grime/
dirt.
The silicone in the Pledge is far from the silicone one sprays on
a squeeky door, or a tight bolt. Different animal.
Jim D. isn't Mink Oil kinda on the sticky (or tacky) side? If it is,
it will attract dirt. The Pledge dispells dirt. Dirt doesn't adhere
when Pledge is on it.
than a few flakes will not totally disolve, and then it get messy.
Also because the Dove has softeners in it that better loosen the grime/
dirt.
The silicone in the Pledge is far from the silicone one sprays on
a squeeky door, or a tight bolt. Different animal.
Jim D. isn't Mink Oil kinda on the sticky (or tacky) side? If it is,
it will attract dirt. The Pledge dispells dirt. Dirt doesn't adhere
when Pledge is on it.
Joined
·
79 Posts
Sandy,
Thanks for sharing the info with us. I am going to try it tomorrow.
Thanks for sharing the info with us. I am going to try it tomorrow.
I want to further mention that the Pledge will in fact wear off totally in about 8 weeks, so IF IF IF you get a dirty spot ON the leather, you WILL be able to clean it off in due time, again with the dove.Eldyfig said:
Remember you can always take a kitchen knife and cut the bar in half and add about 8 OZ of water. You don't need to use the entire bar, unless you are doing a 9 passenger station wagon !! :banghead:
Joined
·
50 Posts
Holy crap! :holycrap: That interior looks AMAZING. Just beautiful...Nice work Sandy!Sandy said:![]()
Best "off the shelf" I don't know, but I have excellent results with "Meguiar's Gold Class" No crease marks, discoloration or anything.....and I've used it every few months or so for almost 3 years. It's a cleaner and conditioner, and it is very mild.
Joined
·
51 Posts
Can i just put the soap in my blender with 16oz. of water? im not sure i can wait 2 days for my eggshell leatehr to be platinum like your again 
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