Detailing Your Interior: Leather Seats

[Candyman]

Hello Everyone,

Welcome back to our Guide to Detailing Your PT Like A Pro! In this Segment, we are going to discuss the proper way to clean, and care for Leather Seats. Conditioning your Leather Seats, replaces the natural tanning oils evaporating out of the hide. The smell of leather comes from these oils. If not replaced, leather will eventually dry out, become brittle and crack. Think of these tanning oils as microscopic, lubricating oils. If you look at leather under a microscope, the fibers look like a pile of rope that's all tangled up. Tanning oils coat these fibers allowing them to bend, move and slip across one another. These oils keep the leather soft and supple. Without lubrication, leather fibers will become stiff and brittle. When repeatedly flexed, stiff, dry fibers will simply break and the leather will develop cracks. Here is a basic plan to clean, and care for your Leather Seats!

TO PROPERLY CLEAN YOUR LEATHER:

* Spray cleaner to a wet applicator pad and apply to one area at a time (i.e. a seat back).
* Gently agitate the surface with a leather cleaning brush. This removes stubborn grime and will not harm the leather.
* Use a clean, damp sponge to rise the leather.
* Towel dry with a clean terry cloth towel.

In addition to regular cleaning, leather requires replacement of natural oils. (The smell of leather comes from oils evaporating out of the hide.) If these oils are not replaced, the leather will dry out, deteriorate and crack. Once every month or two, use a leather conditioner to restore these natural oils and keep the leather soft and supple. Leather conditioners with rich combinations of natural oils that have a high rate of UV Leather Conditioning agents which are especially beneficial on neglected, abused or aged leathers that have developed "character lines".

TO PROPERLY CARE FOR YOUR LEATHER:

Apply conditioner to a damp applicator pad and wipe all leather surfaces in the vehicle.

Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the oils to penetrate and give a final wipe down with a clean towel. Don't be alarmed if there is conditioner on the wipe towel. The leather will only absorb as much conditioner as it needs.

If you own a convertible with a leather interior, you should consider additional sunscreen protection. Leather conditioners typically do not offer any UV screening. The best solution is to alternate between a leather conditioner and a good Leather Cleaner which contains UV Protection in its Formulation. For example, one month I'll use a conditioner to keep the leather healthy and supple. The following month, I'll mist and wipe the leather with my Leather Cleaner to add UV protection.

Coated or "Corinthian" leather.

Some leather being used in domestic automobiles has a top veneer of vinyl. This should be considered a vinyl interior and treated with a vinyl dressing. Do not use a leather conditioner on vinyl topped leather. The conditioning oils can not penetrate the vinyl coating to reach the leather. If you're not sure if your car's leather is vinyl coated, check with your car dealer or the manufacturer.

In our next Segment, we will be finishing up our Detail with a couple of final tricks to complete our project!

As Always, thank you for reading our Guide To Detailing Like A Pro, and till next time, take it easy, and we will see you a little further down the road!

Candyman

[Candyman]

Reposting in correct order