How To Maintain Leather Seats for Better Durability and Appearance
Leather seating not only provides a comfy seat for your daily drive, it is a core part of your vehicle's aesthetic. Whether it's full-grain or faux, leather seats scream style. But when they crack and fade, they are simply screaming. Well, they would if they could.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Proper maintenance can restore your leather to its original beauty. Follow this guide so you can say hello to a better-looking, stronger leather seat.
Leather Seat Cleaning: How To Use Car Leather Cleaner
If you think about how often you sit in your car (and how often you spill things) it’s easy to see how fast dirt and grime can accumulate on your seats. Luckily, leather seats are pretty easy to clean. It’s probably why you chose leather seats in the first place.
Before you give your seats a good scrubbing, it's best to have the right tools for the scrubbing. The tools you’ll want are:
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Leather cleaner: Keep it pH-balanced as the seating material is acidic
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Brush with long soft bristles: Use to reach small, hard-to-clean corners
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Microfiber towel: For wiping and drying without harming the leather
Techniques for Cleaning and Restoring Leather Seats
The cleaning process is broken down step-by-step for the most effective cleaning:
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Vacuum your car seats to remove lingering debris like dirt or crumbs from the snack you had on the way to work.
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Spray leather car seat cleaner onto your brush and the seats.
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Scrub the leather with the brush section by section, in both horizontal and vertical motions.
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Take your microfiber towel and gently wipe off the residue from the cleaner. Make sure to change to a dry section of the towel to provide a fresh surface to absorb the residue.
Your leather seats should look fresh and clean at this point, but remember, you’re only halfway done. To keep your leather looking and feeling good for the future drives ahead, you’ll want to condition them.
Conditioning Leather Seats To Prevent Cracks and Fading
Benefits of Leather Conditioning
Without routine maintenance, your leather can degrade to something best left at the used car lot. Maintaining your leather with conditioner prolongs its lifespan and keeps it looking great.
Want the specifics? We’re glad you asked. Conditioning helps to:
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Restore the smooth and soft feeling of the leather
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Protect against the UV rays of the sun
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Reduces risk of cracking by keeping material flexible
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Extends the lifespan of the leather material
Choosing the Right Leather Conditioner
There are many options when shopping for leather conditioners, but which one is right for your seats? For the best conditioners, look at the details:
What is it made of? Avoid any synthetic oil conditioners or ones with petroleum-based ingredients. Conditioning your seats with these will only lead to long-term damage problems. Look for conditioners with natural oils like lanolin as they help penetrate the material, enhancing and protecting it.
How much sun is there? If you park your car in direct sunlight, a conditioner with UV protection is handy. These conditioners provide a strong barrier against the sun’s rays, preventing your leather seats from cracking or fading.
Keep it balanced. Leather is already an acidic material so utilizing a conditioner that is not pH-balanced will only cause your seats further damage and discoloration as time goes on. Keep your conditioner balanced and enjoy a more durable and smooth-looking interior.
Step-by-Step Conditioning Process
Below is our breakdown of the leather conditioning process.
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Give your conditioner bottle a good shake so that the ingredients are mixed.
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Place conditioner onto a microfiber towel; the best way is typically two lines spread across.
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Apply the conditioner in short circular motions until the leather is completely coated in an even, thin layer.
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Now it’s waiting time. Allow your conditioned leather to dry for around two hours.
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When all seats are dry, take your towel and gently buff out any excess conditioner.
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Our last step is taking one final look at seats and admiring the fantastic job you did.
How Often to Condition Leather Seats
A good standard is to give your leather seats full conditioning every 3 to 6 months, but this differs from driver to driver. It’ll depend on factors such as:
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Leather Type: Not all leather seats are the same, as they each have different maintenance needs. If your seats are synthetic or faux leather, they will typically need less extensive conditioning than full-grain leather seats.
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Frequency of Driving: When you drive a lot, your car is exposed to a lot. If your car sits in full sun for prolonged amounts of time, conditioning often will help to protect the leather.
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Area Climate: Hot and humid climates wreak havoc on leather, quickly drying it out to soon begin cracking. So if your summers are prone to broiling temperatures, routine conditioning is in order.
Car Leather Maintenance: Keep Your Leather Looking Its Best
You’ve learned how to clean and condition your leather—now what?
Routine maintenance may sound like a pain but a major part you already have practice with–cleaning. You’ll want to give your leather seats a proper clean every few months. Also, take note to take care of spills immediately. Accidents can happen but leaving soda on your seat can stain and damage the leather quickly.
The other major part of maintenance is defending your seats from the sun. UV rays can fade leather and dry it out. To prevent this, keep your seats out of direct sunlight such as parking your car in nearby shaded areas or purchasing a sun protector for your windshield.
If your seats are damaged beyond repair, it's best to call a professional.
Clean and Condition Your Leather for Restored Luxury
With thorough cleaning and conditioning, you can maintain that “new leather” look for a long time. But don’t forget about the exterior of your vehicle.
When the inside of your car is clean, how about the outside? Elevate your car exterior with the advanced drying from the Absorber by CleanTools. With a sponge-like pore structure, this towel provides a simple and fast way to get your car quality clean. With chemical and mold resistance, there is no other towel that gets the job done better. Spend less time drying and more time driving with the Absorber by CleanTools.