How To Clean Leather Car Seats

Clean and nourish your leather to keep it in the best condition for longer...

The cold weather we get at this time of year (particularly here in the UK) can be a nightmare for your leather car interior. You see, while you may imagine that the summer sun is the biggest killer of the supplest of high-end upholstery, it's actually drop in temperatures that tends to dry them out, making them prone to cracking and more susceptible to damage during day-to-day use. Being winter too, with an abundance of grit and grime out there that's likely to be transferred inside the vehicle on clothing, it's easy to see why - simply to keep it all in tip top shape - your leather may need cleaning, nourishing, extra protection. But all that can be achieved simply by using the best detailing products...

What Can I Use To Clean My Leather Car Seats?

Leather is a rather sensitive semi-porous material that tends to hold onto grime deep within the hide. It's also particularly adapt at picking up stains, body oils and dye transfer from your clothes. Like safe cleaning products designed for other surfaces on your car, the main goal of any leather cleaning product is to draw out this grime, break it down and encapsulate potentially harmful particles in the solution, allowing them to be wiped away safely, without touching (and abrading) the surface itself. This of course, may cause damage along the way. Where leather in particular is slightly different is that you'll want to avoid products that dry out the hide, potentially causing damage directly or leading to fading and cracking.

Our selection of water-based interior cleaning products, including Total Interior Cleaner, are safe for use on all leather surfaces. For extremely dirty, greasy leather you can also use a light dilution of Verso All Purpose Cleaner. However for regular details it makes sense to use a cleaning product specifically designed for the job. And that's why we developed Hide Leather Cleanser.

This specialist interior leather cleaner is a mildly balanced, glycerine-based solution specifically designed to remove ingrained dirt from all types of leather. Formulated to be gentle and suitable for regular use but tough enough to penetrate pores and remove grime, body oils and dye transfer, Hide Cleanser is designed for intense deep cleaning but without drying out the material, no matter how regularly you detail.

This product cleans away contamination in the same way as our other surface-safe cleaning products, but it simply has extra attributes that makes it quick, safe and best suited to all leather-trimmed interior surfaces.

Is It Worth Using A Leather Conditioner?

There is always some debate among the unenlightened as to whether leather conditioners actually work, but the answer here is all in the question - what specific job are you expecting them to do? And on what type of leather?

The truth will always be that a high-end formula like or Hide Leather Conditioner will work differently on different kinds of leather, and this can only be according to the treatments the material has undergone before being supplied to the car manufacturer and used to make parts like seats or dashboards.

The short of it is that leather surfaces will always benefit from nourishing or protection, or both.

Types Of Leather

The first thing to remember is that not all leather is the same, and it's important to understand what type is in your vehicle, as it gives an indication of what a conditioner is physically able to do, and how it will "work'.

Pigmented and Painted Leather

The most commonly used and the cheapest to produce, many car leathers are painted or treated with an insoluble pigmented sealant, to get their final colour and finish. These are often called "finished' leather and have the advantage that they're comparatively tough when it comes to abrasion resistance, unlikely to dry out, and the paint/coating will mask the flaws in the original leather hide, allowing the manufacturer, and ultimately the consumer a multitude of cost-effective options. Note that we said comparatively tough here, these type of leather treatments may offer some degree of protection, but it's not enough to prevent harsh dirt, particularly the sort of grime common in winter, from becoming ingrained and causing damage to the pigment, paint or the leather itself. Once they've taken hold, these kind of contaminants can be tough to clean away.

Aniline leathers

These are often called Nappa or uncoated leather and offer the hide in its natural form. Usually found on high-end or classic vehicles, they're extremely soft to the touch, display the full grain and, although many use soluble dyes to get the final colourway, won't have any sort of protective coating. The downside is of course, that aniline leather is not only easily scratched and stained, meaning that adding protection is a must, but it also has to be properly cared for to prevent drying out and cracking.

Semi Aniline Leathers

These are also used on high-end modern cars and basically speaking offer the look and most of the feel of an aniline leather, but the versatility of having a very thin protective coating. Unlike painted and pigmented leathers the coating will not hide flaws, meaning that only the best quality hides will be used, but like all other leathers, they will need added protection to shield from heavy soiling and staining from grime and dye transfer from clothing.

How Does The Type Of Leather Affect What A Conditioner Can Do?

While our use of the traditional word "conditioner' may cause some confusion for those uninitiated with the different kinds of leather used in vehicle interiors, it's worth remembering that Hide Leather Conditioner is a dual-purpose product. It's designed to condition aniline leather by re-introducing essential oils to nourish the hide from within, and add protection. And, on semi-aniline and pigmented or painted leather, it simply acts as a barrier cream, offering better protection from the elements than the original coating can.

So, will Hide Leather Conditioner nourish or condition your upholstery in the traditional sense? With aniline leather yes. And with the others no, because that's impossible. Leather types that that are painted or coated with an impermeable barrier won't let any product be absorbed - but they're already protected from drying out anyway. And that's not to say that they won't need increased protection from dirt impregnation.

Look at it like this - you wouldn't clean your car without adding suitable protection, would you? In this way our Lanolin and wax enriched Hide Leather Conditioner is the equivalent of a hard wax. The breathable barrier it creates will keep grime suspended above the leather surface not only preventing it from becoming engrained, but making it easier to wipe away during routine maintenance.

Cleaning And Nourishing Step-By-Step

Using our top leather care products couldn't be easier. Just follow this simple two-step guide and you'll be clean, possibly nourished, and certainly protected to take on the low temperatures and winter grime...

1. Safely Clean With Hide Leather Cleanser

On lightly soiled leather Hide Leather Cleaner can be spritzed onto a microfibre Work Cloth and wiped over the surface. And, on heavier soiling, sprayed directly onto the leather, agitated with a detailers Upholstery Brush or Interior Detail Brush, and then wiped clean with a fresh microfibre Work Cloth.

The result you're looking for here is a natural satin finish - remember that shiny leather is dirty leather.

2. Condition With Hide Leather Conditioner

Using our highly nourishing, protective barrier cream is easy no matter what type of leather you happen to have. Apply your Hide Leather Conditioner sparingly to a Microfibre Applicator and gently massage into the surface, making sure every inch is covered.

Leave the product to cure for a few minutes, before buffing off any residue with a microfibre Work Cloth. That's it!

What's Next?

And that's how you can clean and condition your leather interior surfaces in just two easy steps. But what about the rest of your cabin? Well, just see our full Car Interior Cleaning Guide for everything you could ever need to know.

While you're there, be sure to check out more top how-tos in the Guides Section Of Our Blog, too.