How to clean really bad, light colored leather?

[Lt1Corvette]

I am looking for the best way to clean really, really, really dirty tan or white leather. I did an Escalade today with a tan interior. Well is was more of dark interior when I started. I used the Meguiars leather cleaner and a bunch of terry towels. This worked to get a lot of it, but there was still a grungy look in some sections. I am sure if I worked all of it a few more hours I could get it all. I am just looking for a more aggressive and less time consumming approach. To improve it took me over 90 minutes, and needless to say I am typing this with my left hand, because the right is dead.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[scrub]

You could try the All Purpose Cleaner and a soft bristle brush. The leather may be stained from the soil too, so no matter what you use its gonna look dirty and stained.

All Purpose Cleaner

Of course try the APC in a test area first but most leathers now are coated anyway so it shouldn't be a problem.

Did you use the 2 step cleaner conditioner or the gold class c/c?

Good luck my friend.

[Lt1Corvette]

Thanks Scrub,
I used the gold class cleaner on all the seats and misc. leather. Then I followed that with the gold class conditioner on the front seats and the spray cleaner/conditioner on the remaining seats.
I'll play around with the all purpose cleaner, what dilution ratio should I be using? Also any recommendations on a brush?
Thanks.

[SpoiledMan]

10:1 is your friend.

[RDVT4ME]

Hey Joe

Here's something different to try....and try on an out of the way spot first. I did a gray leather interior and it had some really bad marks that I could not get out. So I tried the MR Clean Magic Eraser......and it worked well. Followed up with some conditioner and it looked really good. No visible damage to the leather. Try it lightly first and see what happens.

[SpoiledMan]

I'll caution even further. If you do use the Mr Clean, don't ever rub more than just lightly as it is an abrasive product. You could do light sanding on a car with one of those.

[scrub]

Originally posted by RDVT4ME
Hey Joe

Here's something different to try....and try on an out of the way spot first. I did a gray leather interior and it had some really bad marks that I could not get out. So I tried the MR Clean Magic Eraser......and it worked well. Followed up with some conditioner and it looked really good. No visible damage to the leather. Try it lightly first and see what happens.

Great suggestion. I might add to use caution as the eraser is a fine abrasive and might leave a slightly dull area as it wears off the coating on the leather. I'm not sure though.

Dilution... I use a dripping damp rag and 10:1.

Brush... I use a brush from the walmart dish aisle.



Good luck and good cleaning!

[Lt1Corvette]

Thanks for the help everyone. I felt kind of bad because I expected to be able to get off much more than I did. The owners were really happy because it did look a lot better, just not all I thought it could be. I'll do some testing with the Magic eraser, always glad my dad's nasty car is around to experiment on.

[RDVT4ME]

I have found the Magic Eraser to be very effective even with very light pressure....and I mean light. It really is amazing.

Again, try it in an out of the way area or on something you are not too concerned about. As with anything new, try it and observe your work as you go.

I would not recommend using it on the paint of the car. You could definitely be putting dull spots in the paint.

[SpoiledMan]

Funny thing, I was detailing(restoring) a Lexus for a guy and he grabbed one of those things and went to work on some tar that was on the lower rear 1/4 panel. I warned him that they were rather abrasive and might take the paint off. He shrugged it off and kept using it. I was cleaning the door jambs and when I finished, he was working on the same area and most of the clear was GONE.

[RDVT4ME]

Using the magic eraser on tar? There are sure a lot easier ways to clean tar than that. I guess your customer learned a tough lesson. I imagine he was really rubbing hard too. Too bad he didn't listen to you.

I think some people think you need to really press hard with the magic eraser....you don't. As others have stated it has some real abrasive characteristics. Often a very light touch is all that is needed.

As with all the tools we use....check your work as you go.

[SpoiledMan]

Originally posted by RDVT4ME
Using the magic eraser on tar? There are sure a lot easier ways to clean tar than that. I guess your customer learned a tough lesson. I imagine he was really rubbing hard too. Too bad he didn't listen to you.

I think some people think you need to really press hard with the magic eraser....you don't. As others have stated it has some real abrasive characteristics. Often a very light touch is all that is needed.

As with all the tools we use....check your work as you go.

It wasn't so bad for him as he was planning on having the bumpers re-sprayed and just added that area to it but.... He now won't let anyone touch the car other than me because he "values my opinion" and saw that I was taking no short cuts with his car.

Always check as you go. It could save you lots of cash.

[Lt1Corvette]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I gave the all purpose cleaner a testing on my test vehicle aka dads car. Worked like a charm, removed a lot of nasty stains and pen marks from the seats. Made what was always a long a tedious job quick and easy.
I'll have to give the magic eraser a try one of these days. With a light touch of course.

[Don]

Lt1Corvette...

This is my sister-in-law's Buick Park Avenue that I cleaned last summer. I used the Meguiars GC Aloe Leather Cleaner with a medium-bristle brush...cloth's soak up too much of the cleaner, it needs to lay on the surface so the emulsifiers can do their work & bit of light scrubbing helps greatly. If it dries while you're still working it, just add a bit more. With her interior, I used nearly an entire bottle, it was that bad (as you can see). When I was done cleaning, I used GC Aloe Cleaner & Conditioner to remove any residue from the deep cleaning and recondition the leather.