Cleaning Leather Seats?

I dunno - I use any old of polish on my shoes and they seem to survive :-)

The usual recommendation for preserving quality leather is some kind of leather or hide "food". They usually contain lanolin and a cocktail of waxes or oils. However, you should clean the leather first. I use a warm solution of pure soap (Lux or whatever you can find in your local supermarket), and clean cloths. When it's all completely dry, use some food and apply sparingly.

Interestingly, my 3-piece suite has a label on it eschewing the use of any kind of chemical cleaner or "food", so it just gets the soap treatment.

Autoglym have a pretty good rep, so yes, I'd go along with that. The hide food I use is a jar from Connolly's (who supply expensive hide to upmarket manufacturers) which came free with an expensive leather bag yonks ago. It lasts ages.

[snip]

ISTR that something called "Decasol" was the right stuff for leather seats. Haven't had the need for it for years but it used to do rather a good job on my S-type Jag.

Peter

If I were you, I'd just get the stock Saab Leather Cleaner and Conditioner. THe stuff is reasonably priced and the dealers usually have plenty of it. I got the cleaner and conditioner for about $6 each. If it's Saab factory stuff, it can't be bad.

That makes a lot of sense actually.

Leather is one thing I'm a little "twitchy" about as I always imagine it's one thing you can really mess up if you get it wrong?

cheers, Paul

Yes, strange isn't it? My DFS leather suite also recommends just cleaning every six months and warns against using creams. The supplied kit has a bottle of concentrated detergent that smells just like washing up liquid. I recently bought a bottle of leather cleaner/cream for my car from a motoring store and on the bottle it states: "For automotive leather only". Is there a difference between the leather used in cars and on domestic suites?

Kev

Use ordinary Saddle Soap. It isn't colour specific and is designed to work on leather which has a far harder life than a car seat.

Current favourite seems to be Gliptone from Elkparts, I believe they're the stuff that Saab sell and as I want to get a couple of other bits (call me sad lad but I need a cup holder!) Elkparts seems as good a place as any to get it all from. Shame there's P&P to pay but I guess that's life!

cheers, Paul

This stuff works great.

I use it on a 9000T that is parked all day in the street in the sub-tropical Queensland sun - that's basically 6 months of summer conditions. The sun and heat here f*cks leather rather fast unless you regularly condition it. My leather is still nice and soft after many years of solar abuse. Also, there is no odorant in this stuff (unlike most auto-shop products).

I use Lexol

Ikea do a leather cleaner and food pack - works great on domestic upholstery and didn't damage my first volvo (second one didn't have leather). Even comes with a sponge.

My car has dark gray leather and AutoGlym left an annoying white residue and the leather looked dried out afterwards. Very poor. I subsequently tried the 'Williams' branded leather cleaner from Halfords and it not only fixed what the AutoGlym messed up but was easy to apply, worked well and looked good afterwards.

I use Meguears (how the hell do you spell it) leather cleaner/conditioner in one (the leather is pretty shabby anyway).

Although they do do a two part seperate cleaner and food/conditioner too.

I was told that for general cleaning, unscented baby wipes are the best thing you can use. If it is safe for a babies skin, it can't do much harm to car leather.

try this:

Designed for renovation, but it's good.

I like Leatherique's (

) cleaner and conditioner does pretty good on my '94 9kCSE and did good on my old '88 900 SPG.

Craig

I have a rollerball ink stain on the front passenger seat, is ther any way to remove it?

Thx.

I agree - it works brilliantly. Follow with Autoglym Leather Conditioner. Saddle soap can be bought from equestrian shops and some shoe repair places.

Russell