I get a lot of questions about my “white” leather seats and how on earth I keep them clean, so I thought I’d write a post to share how I do it. I’m not saying this is the best way to clean your seats, but it has worked well for me. My car is my daily driver and frequently has dogs, mud, and other dirty things in it, so I’m not easy on it either! I was an automotive detailer for a few years in high school and although that doesn’t make me an expert, anyone who knows me knows that my car is always super clean and always commenting on how everything looks brand new, despite the car being nearly 7 years old now. The color of the seats is named “Platinum Silver” by Audi but the color is pretty much white. There are a lot of advantages to this color, most notably they stay very cool in the summer (a huge plus living in Arizona where temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit!), plus I think they look sporty and unique. The downside of the color is that it does not hide dirt well, and even worse if the leather starts to crack at all, the cracks are VERY noticeable.

The key is maintenance. I wash down my seats at least once per week. Sadly if you bought your car used, you don’t have much control over damage that’s already done due to neglect from the previous owner. If the leather is badly cracked or soiled, your best off to enlist a professional detailer or upholstery shop that specializes in re-dying leather. But assuming your seats aren’t “beyond repair”, the best strategy is to keep on top of the seats and never let them get too bad. If you take good care of them, they’ll age nicely and look fresh for many years to come. This part is simple really – you don’t have to use special cleaner each time. After I wash the outside of my car and then towel it off, I like to use that same towel to wipe down the seats. The towel should be damp but not soaking wet. This will remove any surface dirt and also hydrate the leather some to help prevent cracking. It takes just an extra 1-2 minutes per wash and is well worth it in maintaining the life of your leather.

I also wipe down the dash and an entire interior using the same damp cloth, which again removes dust without applying any harsh chemicals to anything. best vacuum cleaner review singaporeSometimes, simplicity is bliss…best way to clean sticky wood furniture I have been using Leatherique to maintain my leather but I also hear that Leather Masters is quite good. car leather cleaning solutionRegardless, I recommend you use one or the other and stray away from the store-bought brands like Lexol that I’ve never really been impressed with. best way to clean kitchen roller blinds

A few extra dollars for the professional grade detailing products is well worth it in my book. Pristine Clean is really good at removing spots and discoloration and gets the seats looking bright white again. dryer vent cleaning ratesIt also firms up the leather some and gives the interior a nice smell. best sealed hardwood floor cleanerI frequently get compliments on how good my car smells after I’ve detailed the seats, which is a cool bonus of this product. The product itself is not very harsh and easy to apply and remove. I recommend using a clean microfiber and my approach is to use a different microfiber for every product you detail with – so I have a microfiber only for seats, one for glass cleaner, one for spray detailer, one for interior cleaner, one for wheels, one for tires, etc.

It never hurts to have too many microfibers. The Pristine Clean is great for bi-weekly or monthly maintenance, but if your seats are in bad shape, or if you just want to be extra thorough, the Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil is a powerful product. The instructions recommend that you cover your seats in a generous amount of the product and then sit your car in the sun for 24 hours to let the oil bake into the leather. I put trash bags over the seats to really trap in the oil, and apply second and third coats over the time period to ensure that the seats soak up as much oil as possible. You’ll then want to wipe the seats down with a wet rag and then clean with Pristine Clean to finish the process. You’ll see tons of containments pulled out of the leather and the material should feel softer and more supple. The oil will NOT repair heavy cracking, but may make the cracks appear less worse and may even hide some minor cracks and discoloration depending on the severity. This is a powerful product but not a miracle worker so expect it to make your seats look as good as they can without redying or repair.

A clean car interior not only looks great, it is also better for your health and health of your passengers. This 8-year old Acura in the photo belongs to a friend of mine; it has more than 140,000 miles on the odometer; yet with proper care its interior still looks very good, as you can see. It takes about an hour to clean the entire interior thoroughly. Be careful with water inside the car; if water gets into electrical components, it may cause problems. Similarly, don't soak the seats too much and don't let water to get under the carpet; it could cause corrosion, stains and damp mouldy smell. Make sure to dry the interior well after you done.When cleaning leather car seats, you need to know exactly which type of leather cleaning solution to use. Leather is a highly sensitive material that can become cracked, worn and damaged if mistreated or if it comes into contact with any of the wrong materials and solutions. There are a number of different products to clean these seats, some of which are better than others.

There are a number of different cleaning solutions designed specifically for leather surfaces. These can be used to treat any product made of leather, from car seats to jackets, belts, shoes and more. These products contain certain chemical compounds that act to provide moisture to the surface of the leather without causing it to subsequently dry up and crack. Look online for a listing of different dedicated leather cleaning solutions, or visit a auto supply store near you. You may also be able to find products of this type in a shoe repair store. Some people find that certain dedicated leather cleaning solutions work well in the short term but may cause long term damage to their car seats. If you're concerned about this, treat your leather seats with a natural healing balm as well. These balms are designed to work with the polyurethane coating that covers all leather seats in cars. This coating is designed to protect the leather from damage, but if the coating becomes stripped away then the leather is open to exposure and subsequent cracking or splitting.

Certain natural balms will clean the leather while simultaneously protecting the polyurethane coating. Saddle soap is a cleaning solution that is most commonly used in horseback riding to clean saddles and other leather materials. Car owners with leather seats have tried various saddle soap products to a great level of success in their vehicles. The soap works to simultaneously clean the leather and to soften it up so that it maintains its shape and appearance. Ask a professional for advice about which saddle soap product to purchase for use in your car. There are products on the market that may seem like they would properly assist you in cleaning and protecting your leather seats, but many cleaning solutions contain ingredients that may actually harm your leather and lead to more long-term damage than necessary. Avoid cracking, fading and drying out of your car seats by periodically following a few simple steps over the life of your vehicle. Avoid grabbing anything you can find to quickly wipe down your seats, as the chemicals in most cleaning products will do more harm than good.

Like paint damage, leather damage is very difficult and expensive to repair. To avoid damaging the leather, both in the short and long term, be very selective about the products you use for cleaning. A spill may tempt you to quickly grab a baby wipe or other household cleaning wipe. These contain some of the most harmful ingredients that can come into contact with leather. Also, watch for cleaners and conditioners that contain wax, oil or silicone. These ingredients can leave residue on the surface of the leather that will eventually collect more dirt and residue, contributing to degradation of the leather's finish. Using a water-based foam leather cleaner is your best bet for the cleaning process. For more difficult stains, it may benefit you to scrub with the proper brush. Always test a small and inconspicuous area of the leather with product and brush, to make sure you're using the proper tools for the type of leather car seats you'll be cleaning. In addition to regularly cleaning your leather car seats, it's important to help them rehydrate, especially seats which are constantly exposed to heat or sunlight.