Leather cleaning

[Matt1986]

Hi all. Just thought I'd share my experience with cleaning the cashmere leather in the LS400 MKIV . I've tried a couple of different leather cleaners, neither of which really shifted the grime. I saw a video on YouTube of a guy using cif cleaner to really clean them. Well, I've tried it and i am amazed with the difference. Once wiped off and given a condition the leather is clean and supple. No damage and worked a treat. Here's a before and after. I had no idea quite how dirty they were. 

[Beejay55]

Hi Matt

Could you post the second photo, and the link to the YouTube video?

Thanks

[shanra]

With Cif you've probably taken the plastic coating off with it, it's a very harsh cleaner.

[Newbie1]

Abrasives have their place (very occasionally). In a similar vein, I have used Fast Orange hand cleaner to great effect on my cashmere leather seats.

[Matt1986]

2 hours ago, Beejay55 said:

Hi Matt

Could you post the second photo, and the link to the YouTube video?

Thanks

The photo I posted has the front section done and the side is not done. You can see its much darker. I'll see if I can find the video

[Matt1986]

Soft scrub is a similar product to cif. That's what I had in the house. I used a soft toothbrush as well. 

[ambermarine]

There are very good soft liquid soap options for leather cleaning The leather is basically finished with a colour dye that is  buffed  on the wear side to build up the dye to a composite surface .

Using an abrasive on leather is a strict no no and will eventually attract dirt to the minute abrasions and show up as a patina which will make future cleaning very difficult.

[Matt1986]

[Matt1986]

Most of my seats need to be recoloured anyway especially the driver seat. I understand the risk but they were really filthy and I'd tried cleaning with leather cleaner already. I'm not advocating anyone try this but I wanted to share my results. 

[ambermarine]

"Fast orange" is a pumice stone abrasive which is US manufactured and is available as a gel like swarfega or in the form of a soap tablet very good in the workshop for cleaning greasy or oily surfaces and your hands but would'nt go near my Lexus with it.

[cruisermark]

Another household cleaner I have success with is daz handwash soap powder - I use a mild solution and microcloth to clean my grey ls430 carpets after vacuum - works very well

[Chris Skelton]

Leather neeeeds regular attention. Especially when it gets so hot inside the car-dries out the leather.  We probably polish cars a lot, but forget to feed the leather as much as we should? Don't forget to Armorall the plastic surfaces as well.

[ste42]

58 minutes ago, Chris Skelton said:

Leather neeeeds regular attention. Especially when it gets so hot inside the car-dries out the leather.  We probably polish cars a lot, but forget to feed the leather as much as we should? Don't forget to Armorall the plastic surfaces as well.

i use lord sherratons leather balm cream its good stuff

[Newbie1]

2 hours ago, ambermarine said:

"Fast orange" is a pumice stone abrasive which is US manufactured and is available as a gel like swarfega or in the form of a soap tablet very good in the workshop for cleaning greasy or oily surfaces and your hands but would'nt go near my Lexus with it.

It was fine. Not for regular use, but applied with fingers and not agitated with a brush, it removed decades of muck the finest leather cleaners couldn't remove. Each to their own, but we're not talking the finest Connolly hide here! It's some pretty ordinary corrected grain leather with an almost plasticised finish due to the dying process as described above. 

[Chris Skelton]

What!!?? You mean it's NOT from Wagyu cattle, kept away from barbed wire to avoidscarring on the leather?

If they use Piano grade wood, ......surely the leather is, organic, cured when the moon is full, by 'Leather Masters' who follow on centuries old traditional processes.

(When I visited a Temple in Kyoto,it was HUGE..... it turned out to be 2/3rd the original size, rebuilt after a fire   in 800AD!! They do things VERY properly in Japan)

[Newbie1]

I would love to have that top notch Japanese velour they use in the Century. Much nicer.

[RgrWynne]

The car mats are designed to be able to be washed in a washing machine and come up like new. I took mine to a launderette which had a large drum machine then dried them on the washing line. 

[Beejay55]

A 60 second blast with a jet wash brings them back to looking like new, also.

[Chris Skelton]

2 hours ago, Beejay55 said:

A 60 second blast with a jet wash brings them back to looking like new, also.

The leather seats????? (-:

[Beejay55]

If only 

No, I was referring to the mats in a prior post.  I should have quoted it.

[Beejay55]

15 hours ago, RgrWynne said:

The car mats are designed to be able to be washed in a washing machine and come up like new. I took mine to a launderette which had a large drum machine then dried them on the washing line. 

Here you go Chris 

A 60 second blast with a jet wash brings them back to looking like new, also.

[JohnDavis]

I have used the green gel Swarfega, which does not have the abrasive content of other hand cleaners, to great effect. 

Vacuum the seats first, especially in the crevices. Rub the Swarfega on neat, then use a damp cloth to wipe it off, then a dry cloth. When it is dry I like to put on the white Gliptone cream which makes the leather soft and smells good.

[MLW]

On mats I have also used old fashioned Swarfega. We had car mats that were covered in lots of brown/black diesel grease after a forced stop in a lorry car park.

In the bath.

Vacuum well.

Swarfega on the grease, with a nail brush. Amazing how it lifts it out.

Then 1001 carpet cleaner next. (from a £1 shop?), rubbed in well.

Big wash in fresh water in the bath and a drain.

On to the washing line in the direct sun.

One day later, immaculate dry car mats smelling wonderful.

Total cost.......about 75p.