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Author Topic: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner  (Read 14514 times)

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Fierofool

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Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
« on: February 07, 2018, 09:56:50 am »
I hesitate to put this in the "Expert Tech Advice" section because I haven't personally tried it.  But I felt it worth mentioning because I have seen it recommended so many times and there's never been a negative comment about it.

It's a simple homemade leather cleaner and conditioner.  If you have leather seats in your Lotus with the 2 Fiero bolts, the Lamborghini powered by a 2.8 GM V6, or just a little Kia Reo, and it sits in the sun, or in an unheated garage during the winter, your beautiful factory or Mr. Mike's seats will gradually begin to dry and crack.  To paraphrase something I read in one of the articles, 'Leather was once a living organism that was naturally supplemented with oils that prevented it from drying.'  Leather upholstery doesn't have that ability. 

The Formula:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Vinegar
Trigger Spray Bottle
Cotton towel or wipes.  Many of the articles recommended a microfibre towel, also.

https://www.diyncrafts.com/2254/home/inexpensive-and-effective-homemade-leather-cleaner

If you have leather furniture you probably already know how difficult it can be to keep it clean and shining. While there are many leather cleaners and wipes on the market to help you, these can get pretty expensive, particularly if you have a lot of leather to clean.

There is a great homemade recipe for leather cleaner that not only cleans but also conditions your leather to keep it healthier. This is a great recipe for those of you who use wood heat or have forced heat air in your homes and it works really well on leather car seats and even those great leather jackets that you have hanging in the closet.

The recipe is simple. You just need:

    ¼ cup of olive oil
    ½ cup of regular vinegar
    A spray bottle

Just mix the two ingredients together in your spray bottle and shake it well. Now you just have to spray the leather down and wipe it clean with a cotton cloth. Note that you can add a few drops of eucalyptus oil or your favorite essential oil if you want to give it a better smell than vinegar although the vinegar smell really doesn’t last long.

Please note that this recipe is perfectly safe for regular leather but is it not designed to be used on suede.

Read
There are three kinds of men:

1.    The ones that learn by reading.
2.    The few who learn by observation.
3.    The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.    Will Rogers

f85gtron

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Re: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2018, 10:09:03 am »
Great tip! 
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Fierofool

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Re: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2018, 10:20:35 am »
Lexol products are supposed to be really good, but my 87's seats are still getting hard.  The 86's seats are also hard but several pieces of the driver's seat need to be replaced due to wear.  My Sport Trac seats are starting to show signs of hardening, so I plan to start using this formula on all 3 vehicles. 

Wonder if this would also work on weather seals instead of the Simple Green cleaning then conditioning with Castor Oil. 
There are three kinds of men:

1.    The ones that learn by reading.
2.    The few who learn by observation.
3.    The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.    Will Rogers

GTRS Fiero

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Re: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2018, 07:04:53 pm »
Great info!  I'd like to eventually have cleaning tips for all the areas of the Fiero.

Roger

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Re: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2018, 10:41:10 am »
You can't fix stupid but, you can adjust it with a 2x4.

Tha Driver

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Re: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2018, 11:57:59 am »
303 Aerospace Protectant
I haven't tried it (I never treat anything...;-(  but it's supposed to be the best. I couldn't find their website, but one did come up that my computer would access.
http://www.detailing.com/store/303-products.html
I also noticed that Advance & NAPA websites came up on the search.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

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GTRS Fiero

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Re: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2018, 06:18:11 pm »
So, did anyone try any of these?

Fierofool

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Re: Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2018, 08:42:23 pm »
I used the oil and vinegar on my 87 a couple of times, but due to overall lack of attention, I haven't continued.  I didn't notice any discernable difference, but that might be because of not being used frequently enough. 
There are three kinds of men:

1.    The ones that learn by reading.
2.    The few who learn by observation.
3.    The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.    Will Rogers