How Often Do You Treat Leather?

[Older Than Dirt]

I recently did a mid 90's Olds 98 with leather seats. I used Gold Class
cleaner and conditioner and the seats came out soft and supple with a nice
satin shine. The seats were in good condition before I started with no
cracks or fading, but were very dry and hard. How often should I treat to keep
them in good condition? Also only the seat bottoms and backs are leather
as the rest appears to be vinyl. Is it OK to treat vinyl as well?

[TOGWT]

Conditioning- recommend a preventative maintenance routine three to four times a year, once prior to the winter season to prevent cold temperatures cracking the leather, and once before the heat of the summer to prevent deterioration and shrinkage by heat, which result in continued cracking of leather. In addition to regular cleaning, leather requires replacement of natural oils; Collagen-based products restore the lost moisture and maintain it's natural flexibility. The smell of leather comes from oils evaporating out of the hide.

Schedule: Once every 30-60 days, Arizona, Florida and Texas, especially in summer, for northern climates between 90-120 days, use a leather conditioner to restore these natural oils and keep the leather soft and supple.

Do not use- vinyl dressing on leather as it will clog the pores of the leather and not allow any essential oils to permeate to the fibre, which will cause the leather to dry out and crack

Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) Protection - you should consider additional sunscreen protection (especially if you own a convertible) leather conditioners typically do not offer any UV screening. The best solution is to alternate between a leather conditioner and a UVR Protectant. One month use a conditioner to keep the leather healthy and supple. On alternate months mist and wipe the leather with a UV protectant. After application allow 60 minutes for product to cure, then using a 100% cotton cloth lightly buff surface

JonM

[John Styrnol]

Thanks, Jon