What is The Best Way to Clean Leather Car Seats?

Leather seats add a touch of luxury to the interior of your car. Since they are costly, you need to care for them adequately so that they do not dry up or lose their luster. If you are wondering what is the best way to clean leather car seats?’, then here lies the answer to your question.

If you have leather seats in your car, you need to set aside a fixed amount for its maintenance. Leather tends to stain quickly, rip, and become discolored. Moreover, it may get heated during the summers, and become too cold during winters. The warm temperature tends to dry it up and fade its color. Therefore, leather seats demand more maintenance than the others.

In this article, you’ll come to know how to clean cream leather car seats, the techniques of conditioning leather car seats, and how to protect the exterior of your car from contaminants. Read on to get an idea of what you can do to protect your vehicle from damage.

The methods to clean leather car seats

You need to be extremely careful while cleaning leather car seats. You can follow the steps mentioned below to clean your leather car seats:

• Check for any perforated areas in the seats: In case your car seats have holes, you should make sure that the water, conditioner or cleanser do not get inside it. Go through the car owner’s manual thoroughly before selecting any cleaning products for your car. Follow the instructions given in the manual carefully and ensure that you do not use such products to clean leather upholstery which may damage it.
• Vacuum the seats: You should begin the cleaning process by vacuuming the seats. Ensure that the dirt and debris are removed from all the cracks, and crevices of your car. Then, apply a cleaning solution to the leather seats. Ensure that you do not use an ammonia-based cleaner or bleach as they can cause a depreciation in the quality of leather. While vacuuming, you should be careful not to scratch the leather.

• Clean the dirt on the surface: When the leather seats are dirty, you shall see a layer of accumulated dirt and grime on the seats. Even if the seats seem to be clean, the dust tends to get collected in them over a period. Spray your cleaner on the microfiber towel. Then wipe the entire seat to clean the dirt. If you do not have a commercial cleaner, you can prepare it by mixing one part vinegar with two parts linseed oil.
• Use a brush with fine bristles for cleaning the seats: For the deep cleaning of the leather seats, you should scrub the leather by using a soft brush after spraying the cleaner on them. Cleansing the leather shall help in the complete removal of dust. In case your car seats have perforations, you should not spray the cleaner directly on the seats. Instead, you should spray it on the brush and then use it to clean the seats. After doing so, you should wipe the seat dry by using a microfiber cloth.
• Remove the excess cleaner by using a microfiber cloth: When you have completed cleaning your seat, you need to wipe it using a clean, dry microfiber cloth. It shall get dirty with the oil, dirt, or grime that might have accumulated on the seats.
• Clean your car seats frequently: It is essential for you to clean your car seats every one or two months. Deep clean it three or four times in a year to prevent the accumulation of dirt, and grime.

The techniques of conditioning leather car seats

Most car owners become quite skeptical while choosing a leather conditioner. So, what is the best leather conditioner for car seats? The conditioners which do not have waxes, silicones or petroleum distillates are perfect for leather car seats.

Here are some techniques of conditioning leather car seats:

• Pick an appropriate conditioner: Ensure that you choose a suitable conditioner for leather seats. Do not buy cheap conditioners because they will stick to your seats and become greasy thereby damaging the leather. Purchase a high-quality leather conditioner that will replenish the natural oils in the leather seats.
• Perform a spot test before using the conditioner: Before you use the conditioner, you should apply the conditioner to a concealed area and rub it using a microfiber cloth or sponge. Check whether the conditioner is leaving any stains, causing discoloration, or damaging the leather seats.
• Apply the conditioner to the seats: You should apply a small amount of conditioner on the seats and rub it gently with a sponge or a microfiber cloth. Do not apply too much conditioner as the seat may become greasy. You can wipe off the excess conditioner by using a cleaning microfiber cloth or sponge after you have conditioned the seats.
• Ensure that your car is parked in the shade: It is essential for you to park your car in the shade so that it does not come in contact with the UV rays of the sun. The conditioner may take up to an hour to set in the leather.
• Polish the seats using a microfiber cloth: Before following this step, ensure that the leather has soaked the conditioner. Next, you should use a sponge or a microfiber cloth to polish the leather seats. Wipe using circular motions, and remove the excess conditioner. You should condition your seats only a few times a year. Over Conditioning leaves your seats greasy and it may damage the leather.
• Remove stubborn stains on leather by preconditioning: If you want to get rid of a stubborn stain on your seat, you should apply a leather conditioner in the area, and then allow it to sit for a time. Then, you need to use a leather stain remover on the marks to clean it.

Read also: Top 7 Outback Seat Covers for Subaru

How to protect the car exterior?

Most car owners are aware of the damaging effects of the sunlight, tar, rocks, tree sap, and winter elements.

Now, the critical question is how to protect the car exterior?

• Wash the exterior of your car frequently: You should not allow oil, dirt, grime, and other elements to accumulate on the surface of your vehicle. They can damage its appearance. Moreover, the contaminants can cause a depreciation in the value of your car. You should use high-quality car wash equipment for cleaning your car. Avoid using detergents as they may remove the car’s wax, and cause blotches all over it. Use a soft cloth to wipe the exterior of your vehicle. Do not use hard cloth because it may damage the paint.
• Rinse your car to get rid of dust and debris: You need to rinse your vehicle to remove the dirt and debris which may damage the paint if they are dragged from one end to the other.
• Clean your wheels and tires: The wheels and tires of the cars tend to accumulate a lot of dirt because of their closeness to the roads. Brake dust can cause a lot of damage to the wheels and the paint of the car if they are not cleaned for a long time.
• Use paint cleaners for the removal of contaminants: If you want to remove stubborn contaminants from the exterior of your car, you can do so by using paint cleaners. You can purchase pre-cleaners or pre-wax cleaners based on their degree of abrasiveness.
• Claying regularly to preserve the luster of the exterior: The contaminants tend to embed themselves into the surface of your car, and thus, the texture of your vehicle becomes rough. When these elements are collected on the surface of the car, they tend to diminish the appearance of the vehicle and affect the waxing of your car unfavorably. Clay bars can clear the dirt on the surface of your car.
• Waxing your car is essential: Waxing is crucial to maintaining the car’s paint. Wax your vehicle periodically to keep them shining and defend them against contaminants. Choose an appropriate variety of car wax. You can opt for natural or even synthetic formulas based on your requirements.
• Repair the chipped car paint immediately: Do not neglect small scratches and chips on the exterior of your car. The purpose of paint is to protect the steel which lies beneath it. Pay attention even to the shallow scratches because they might cause rusting if they are neglected.

Thus, you need to pay attention to the minute things to protect your car from getting damaged. You should use proper car covers and park your car away from the direct sunlight.

Moreover, you should avoid parking your car in those areas which have high traffic because other vehicles bumping into your car pose severe threats to the vehicle. You should also follow our answer to your question: ‘What is the best way to clean leather seats?’ to have a spic and span car interior.