Leather Treatment

READER84

READER84

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Anyone recommend and leather cleaner/protector?
 
Dr. Leather wipes....

Dr Leather - Innovative Leather Technologies - Leather Consultancy - Home

A lot of other companies today offering leather cleaning solutions typically offer two products that work in synergy, being (i) a leather cleaner and (ii) a leather conditioner. The hassle of applying the cleaner, with a special cloth, allowing time for the cleaner to work, before it can be cleaned off which is then rewarded by the rather odd fact that you have to recondition the leather in a secondary stage is really rather old school. In truth this situation is completely unnecessary in this day and age, particularly with modern day leathers. It really would appear to be a ploy by certain companies to sell twice as much product!!!! For this reason the wipes are clearly a winner.

But don't just take our word for it. Many detailing companies are now realising this and have began to move across to our product. They have fully understood and appreciated that the Dr Leather Leather Wipes product actually gives the following benefits: A far simpler, more time effective solution to the usual two-stage products, allowing the detailer to save money in a faster cleaning procedure and only having to control the need for a single all-in-one product. A genuine polymer formulation specific to the modern day leather coatings, and which specifically avoids the use of any silicone based materials. Easy to dispose of wipes, avoiding the need for multiple cleaning cloths, which require regular washing. The incorporation of the industry standard leather aroma as part of the polymer formulation for rejuvenating the leather to that brand new leather smell.
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These??
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1360877644757053
 
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Found the Gliptone, might give that a whirl
 
I've had very good results with Gliptone Liquid Leather cleaner and conditioner products. They clean the leather beautifully, leaving a rich leather aroma and, best of all, no fake shinyness. Way way better than anything you can buy in the car shops.

Also, if your leather has any cracks or scuffs, they do an excellent product called Scuffmaster. It's a colour wash, matched to the exact shade of your leather (best if you can send them a tiny swatch of the leather) that you can paint on gradually to repair the damage.

Click here for their website. I cannot recommend them too highly.

EDIT: I somehow managed to only see your opening post, and none of the subsequent replies, before writing this. Still, it's good to know so many other people have the same opinion.
 
For an invisible and long lasting repair for scuffs/cracks ect, the leather would need too be slightly sanded, filled,recoloured and finished and I some cases depending on the area of the repair the grain pattern would be replocated ontop of the repair, so you would never know it was there. You wouldn't get anywhere near the same quality or finish of a repair using scuffmaster, for bust results it's always better getting a properly qualified leather technician to do the job.
 
Hi after reading this thread i am thinking about buying some Gliptone, But when it is applied does it not get stuck in-between the grains in the seat ?
 
Want to use it just to experience the smell people keep raving about, lol
 
READER84 said:
Want to use it just to experience the smell people keep raving about, lol
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The smell is great, but best of all is when you next get in the car (leave it overnight ideally for the conditioner to really soak in) there's no slipperiness or shinyiness when you sit in the seat. It feels so much more like new leather.
 
Turbo jay said:
For an invisible and long lasting repair for scuffs/cracks ect, the leather would need too be slightly sanded, filled,recoloured and finished and I some cases depending on the area of the repair the grain pattern would be replocated ontop of the repair, so you would never know it was there. You wouldn't get anywhere near the same quality or finish of a repair using scuffmaster, for bust results it's always better getting a properly qualified leather technician to do the job.
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I bow to your knowledge and expertise, but it's not always practical or viable to get a professional repair. The scuffmaster is good and making small discreet repairs.
 
jdp1962 said:
I bow to your knowledge and expertise, but it's not always practical or viable to get a professional repair. The scuffmaster is good and making small discreet repairs.
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I totally agree that for some people it may not be practical, but for example If people are able to go out a buy and maintain an Audi especially a new expensive one, then the cost of a professional repair on something like the seat or bolster is not much to pay too keep your pride and joy looking like new.
 
jdp1962 said:
The smell is great, but best of all is when you next get in the car (leave it overnight ideally for the conditioner to really soak in) there's no slipperiness or shinyiness when you sit in the seat. It feels so much more like new leather.
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Keep your leather clean by protecting it with a leather protector and then regular cleaning.
Adding 'conditioners' which generally contain oils and waxes will change the appearance of your leather over time as dirt will build up on the surface and cause a sheen.


Using the correct care methods and products will not alter the factory finish.


The type of leather you have is 'coated' leather. This is essentially a 'painted' leather
with a clear coat finish over the top. The leather may or may not be dyed through with
aniline dyes prior to the finish coating.


Essentially it is this top coating that needs looking after.
Cleaning is vitally important as the top coat will wear away if allowed to become dirty.
Dirt on the surface will also become ground into the finish by constant abrassion.


'Conditioners', balms, feeds etc (traditionally oil and wax based) cannot penetrate this
finish so are not worth applying - they can also leave behind residues on the finish which will only attract more dirt if allowed to remain. 'Conditioners' will not do any
protecting on leather even if they say they do as there will not be enough active
ingredient in them to do anything.


A protector will make the finish easier to clean and also inhibit dye transfer etc
on pale coloured leathers.


Leather however finished has to remain breathable and it will allow the movement of
moisture back and forth (transpiration) so the use of water based cleaners and
protectors will keep the leather correctly hydrated which is essentail to keeping it in
good condition.


Leather needs a little regular care and attention and this can be done with a maintenance product rather than a deep clean which you would then only need to do once or twice a year depending on usage and colour.
You will find that detergent style cleaners will remove the protection applied so you would need to reprotect each time you clean.

Sorry about the long post guys, my aim is just to provide people with the best possible information to prolong the life and appearance of your leather, and also so people don't waste there money on products like conditioners. Cheers
 
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I've got the gliptone stuff sitting at home and not too sure what the best way is to use it. Any suggestions?
 
If one WAS to go for a full-on professional repair, would anyone have a company recommendation? I don't even know where to start. Is it something a general auto shop (Halfords etc) would do, and would they employ decent technicians, or is there a well-known professional alternative company in the UK?

I'm in Glasgow, FYI.
 
Doubt its something they offer.

Try some of the larger Dent Magic type places, as a lot offer seat and trim repair.
Though id probably try and find a specialist, so maybe try local leather trimmers, upholsters. Who do leather retrims, they will probably know some, or offer it themselves.

Car Upholsterers - Glasgow | Trim Line Car Trimmers

Came up on google.
 
A4_MaJiK said:
I've got the gliptone stuff sitting at home and not too sure what the best way is to use it. Any suggestions?
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I bought some and i applied it yesterday.

I poured some onto the Micro-Fibre cloth and just rubbed it in on every leather bit of the seats.
What a difference ! The seats are so soft and supple its like new Leather.
 
selar said:
If one WAS to go for a full-on professional repair, would anyone have a company recommendation? I don't even know where to start. Is it something a general auto shop (Halfords etc) would do, and would they employ decent technicians, or is there a well-known professional alternative company in the UK?

I'm in Glasgow, FYI.
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There will be a specialist leather technician in your area, try searching google for someone local, I'm a leather technician but based in the northwest area.
 
I've read somewhere that Micro-fiber's can pull the Dye out of the leather?

The way i apply Gliptone is to make sure the car is nice and warm on the inside, Clean the seats with a damp cloth to make sure no dirt is in the stitching or creases then make sure the seats are dry.

I then apply the cleaner in small quantities making sure you get into all the creases/cracks & stitching, I then leave for 10 minutes and wipe off any residue.

Then for the conditioner apply liberally all over the seat again in the stitching, creases ect making sure it is all rubbed in. Leave the conditioner on for as-long as you can roughly overnight then wipe off any remaining conditioner.

Remember less is more.

Steve
 
Steven.c said:
I've read somewhere that Micro-fiber's can pull the Dye out of the leather?

The way i apply Gliptone is to make sure the car is nice and warm on the inside, Clean the seats with a damp cloth to make sure no dirt is in the stitching or creases then make sure the seats are dry.

I then apply the cleaner in small quantities making sure you get into all the creases/cracks & stitching, I then leave for 10 minutes and wipe off any residue.

Then for the conditioner apply liberally all over the seat again in the stitching, creases ect making sure it is all rubbed in. Leave the conditioner on for as-long as you can roughly overnight then wipe off any remaining conditioner.

Remember less is more.

Steve
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The type of leather used in cars it a pigment leather (coated) essentially a painted leather with a clear coat finish on top,the leather may or may not have been dyed throughout with aniline dyes prior to the finish coating. As the leather has a painted finish and clear coat finish there is no dye present to come into contact with so using a clean micro-fiber cloth will not remove any finish or colour. Always remember to wipe leather not scrub.

As the leather has a clear coat finish on top there is no point whatsoever applying conditioner as I've already said," conditioners" will not penetrate the leathers clear coat finish so are not "conditioning" anything, now using a
protector will work with the leathers finish and act as a barrier therefore preventing soiling, dye transfer ect, from attacking the leathers finish making cleaning much easier while also protecting and prolonging the life of your leather.
 
Buying some gliptone tomoz to sort my S3 interior. Any one recommend best way to apply the cleaner. I've read on a few diff sites people using all sorts of things from old sport socks to nail brush.
 
Mutton cloth will do you fine or a lint free cloth... work section by section (small areas) and use small overlapping circular motions. Each circle overlapping the other by no more than 1/4. It's time consuming but loves labour is worth while for a job well done.
 
I use a microfibres to apply, soft nail brush gently to agitate and a clean microfibres to remove the cleaner and then a microfibres to apply conditioner and then leave overnight to dry.
 
Turbo jay said:
The type of leather used in cars it a pigment leather (coated) essentially a painted leather with a clear coat finish on top,the leather may or may not have been dyed throughout with aniline dyes prior to the finish coating. As the leather has a painted finish and clear coat finish there is no dye present to come into contact with so using a clean micro-fiber cloth will not remove any finish or colour. Always remember to wipe leather not scrub.

As the leather has a clear coat finish on top there is no point whatsoever applying conditioner as I've already said," conditioners" will not penetrate the leathers clear coat finish so are not "conditioning" anything, now using a
protector will work with the leathers finish and act as a barrier therefore preventing soiling, dye transfer ect, from attacking the leathers finish making cleaning much easier while also protecting and prolonging the life of your leather.
Click to expand...

Sorry for digging out such an old thread, but I guess that's what the search function is for right?

Reading the above how will protecting the leather with a sealant or something help minimise creases in bolsters?

Interior is/will be Lunar Silver SSS.
 
Furniture clinic,it cleans and protects the leather, l use on my lunar silver leather smells lovely too
 
Use gliptone
It is great, but when applying the conditioner, ditch the cloth and get some surgical gloves on and massage directly into the leather.
Leave to soak in/dry for at least 24 hours before sitting in..
This is what I do to my ivory leather in the A5 every couple of month and it is brilliant stuff that is well worth the effort and money.
 
So Gliptone seems to be the product of choice , do I need to order the cleaner and conditioner?
Thanks in advance.
 
I used Dr Beasley's Leather Cleanser and then sealed it with CarPro CQuartz Leather Coating.

Worked out really well. Leather feels like I didn't do anything even after 2 coats.
 
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