cleaning suggestions please

[adam79]

I've been thinking about this for a while, and thought maybe you all could help. I just picked up some leather seats out of a 73 coupe deville, and they are not in the best condition. The leather is old and musty and dirty, and the seats have scattered mildew and mold. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions on how to clean these leather seats and what products to use? I dont know much about leather upkeep.. Thanks, And happy 4th!

[CatatonicBug]

Meguires (sp?) makes a nice line of products for cleaning automotive stuff. They have a few things that are specially made for leather seats. I'd start with that stuff. It's available at Walmart.

[b.walker5]

Think Horse....

Got to an equestrian supplies store and get a good quality saddle soap, some neatsfoot oil and some beeswax.

Spread out lots of newspaper or such on your lounge floor, or outside on a warm day, but not in direct sunlight.

Wash your leather with a soft cloth and warm soapy (saddlesoap) water, use a soft boot brush for seams and hard to get places, dry it thoroughly but slowly, never use external heat to dry leather, you will dry out any natural oils left and it will crack. Use a paintbrush or a rag and lightly coat the leather with neatsfoot oil, dont saturate it. When it soaks in and the surface had dried out again, usually around 30 minutes or so, give it another coat. Really dry leather may need a third coat. Let it dry for a couple of hours in a warm, not hot, place and then wipe off any excess oil on the surface. Leave it over night in the warm place to dry completely. Next day, with a clean, soft cloth vigorously rub down the surface of your leather as is you were polishing it, give it lots of elbow grease and press hard, (not hard enough as to split seams). This serves two purposes, It does polish the surface to a degree, but more importantly it drives the oil deep into the pores of the leather and keeps it supple and strong. Leather is skin and it needs the oil to survive, just like our skin. Next step is optional but I always do it, especially on old neglected saddles. Warm the leather in front of the fire or out in the sun and apply a good quality beeswax polish to protect the surface. Just be careful when sitting on a freshly polished seat, they are slippery for the first day or so.

Done properly the above steps will restore your leather to 'almost' it's former glory, badly cracked and torn leather sometimes has to be given last rites, and if done at least annually it will last for years. Remember, leather is skin and just like ours it requires regular upkeep. It can be time consuming and laborious but the end result is almost always worth it. Faded leather can be re-dyed with raven oils between step 1 and 2.

This can be used on any surface tanned (shiny) leather, including jackets, handbags, horse tack, boot's, shoes, seats etc. For bike jackets i recommend the final polishing step be done with a good quality wax shoe polish, not the liquid stuff. This not only waterproofs and protects the leather but it also maintains the colour.

Saddle restoration is a hobby of mine, shared with my wife and we have used this method for many years and never been dissapointed.

Hope it helps