# Leather Cleaner???



## wstrain87 (Jan 26, 2009)

I have been recommended by an experienced valeter to use Cif White cream on leather interior and light coloured dashes, etc. He told me to apply it with a damp sponge and then flick it up with interior detailer after. How does that sound to everyone?


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## Jochen (May 21, 2007)

scary :lol:


Cif has abressives in it and it's gonna make it look dull...
Just use some APC on the dash with a mf and with a small leatherbrush for the leather :thumb:


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## wstrain87 (Jan 26, 2009)

Jochen said:


> scary :lol:
> 
> Cif has abressives in it and it's gonna make it look dull...
> Just use some APC on the dash with a mf and with a small leatherbrush for the leather :thumb:


Thanks. He said that was a possible alternative, but that Cif cleaned better. Alot of the cars I clean are very dirty inside, as they are ex-fleet cars with high mileage, so it may take something a wee bit abrasive. I have seen his work and it always looks stunning like. Its cream leather Im for doing tonight (in a Saab 93) so I think it should be ok like.


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## judyb (Sep 7, 2007)

As this is an abrasive it is likely to cause damage to the top finish on the leather. Most APC's have not been specifically tested on leather.
It is always best to use cleaners that have been specifically tested for their purpose and those that have product support for any problems you may have.
If you are dealing with very dirty leather try 
http://www.lttsolutions.net/product.asp?product=54
and use with a stiff bristle brush to agitate the product into the grain pattern.

It is also best to check out the surface of the leather with a pocket microscope which will tell you how well it will clean. If the surface has micro cracking it will look as though it is dirty but will never clean successfully as the cracking is giving an illusion of dirt. It is at this stage that it is a good idea to do some light restoration. Leaving it until you can actually see the cracks is really too late. Far better results will be gained the earlier this is done.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

wstrain87 said:


> I have been recommended by an experienced valeter to use Cif White cream on leather interior and light coloured dashes, etc. He told me to apply it with a damp sponge and then flick it up with interior detailer after. How does that sound to everyone?


Name and shame him, there are plenty of purpose products on the market that need not cost a lot or mail order only, sometimes the solution to a problem does not alwys lay in a bottle of chemicals, get yourself some microfibre cloths and start with that 1st.


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## wstrain87 (Jan 26, 2009)

judyb said:


> As this is an abrasive it is likely to cause damage to the top finish on the leather. Most APC's have not been specifically tested on leather.
> It is always best to use cleaners that have been specifically tested for their purpose and those that have product support for any problems you may have.
> If you are dealing with very dirty leather try
> http://www.lttsolutions.net/product.asp?product=54
> ...


Thanks very much for your advice. I understand that if you havent tested a specific product you cant give a ********** answer, but in your professional opinion, would using a small amount of Cif cream on leather, with a damp sponge on just one occasion cause damage, or would it only be if this cleaning method was used regularly?


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## wstrain87 (Jan 26, 2009)

Avanti said:


> Name and shame him, there are plenty of purpose products on the market that need not cost a lot or mail order only, sometimes the solution to a problem does not alwys lay in a bottle of chemicals, get yourself some microfibre cloths and start with that 1st.


I couldnt do that to him, cos to be honest I have seen the finish he has created in really dirty Saab 93s in the past and I really could not fault it. However, I do see you have a valid point. I do have specific leather cleaners, its just a tip that he passed on to me, as the products I have are more for conditioning the leather, etc.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

wstrain87 said:


> Thanks very much for your advice. I understand that if you havent tested a specific product you cant give a ********** answer, but in your professional opinion, would using a small amount of Cif cream on leather, with a damp sponge on just one occasion cause damage, or would it only be if this cleaning method was used regularly?


It is sometimes pointless fishing for what you want to hear, is the vehicle your own? If not I wouldn't be experimenting with cif, not so sure about abrasives to be honest, however Astonish leather cleaner is available for £1 and is a much safer option than cif.


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## wstrain87 (Jan 26, 2009)

Avanti said:


> It is sometimes pointless fishing for what you want to hear, is the vehicle your own? If not I wouldn't be experimenting with cif, not so sure about abrasives to be honest, however Astonish leather cleaner is available for £1 and is a much safer option than cif.


Oh Im not trying to hear anything - just want to make sure people realise the position Im in. No its my car. I do valeting for a car salesman - usually Im just prepping the cars for sale (ie. wash, hoover, silicone, wheel slick, etc) but of late hes been asking me to do more of the full valets on the cars, as soon as they come off the boat. The tips are coming from a professional valeter who does alot of work for him and thats why I have seen the results.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

wstrain87 said:


> Oh Im not trying to hear anything - just want to make sure people realise the position Im in. No its my car. I do valeting for a car salesman - usually Im just prepping the cars for sale (ie. wash, hoover, silicone, wheel slick, etc) but of late hes been asking me to do more of the full valets on the cars, as soon as they come off the boat. The tips are coming from a professional valeter who does alot of work for him and thats why I have seen the results.


ok fair enough, get a purpose leather cleaner, it does not necessarily have to be mail order only or boutique brands, I have used the Astonish and know it is fine (but you can get something from halfords or your local motor factor) , products like cif are for cleaning kitchen and bathrooms and sometimes contains bleaches which may not be healthy for the surface you are cleaning in the car or for human skin even, for the sake of a £1-6 it aint worth considering the cif, on the wheels perhaps but certainley not interior,however if it is your car and you want to experiment, then of course, try it out and submit a review too :thumb:


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## wstrain87 (Jan 26, 2009)

Avanti said:


> ok fair enough, get a purpose leather cleaner, it does not necessarily have to be mail order only or boutique brands, I have used the Astonish and know it is fine (but you can get something from halfords or your local motor factor) , products like cif are for cleaning kitchen and bathrooms and sometimes contains bleaches which may not be healthy for the surface you are cleaning in the car or for human skin even, for the sake of a £1-6 it aint worth considering the cif, on the wheels perhaps but certainley not interior,however if it is your car and you want to experiment, then of course, try it out and submit a review too :thumb:


Thats exactly the sort of answer Im looking for. Everyone on here says you cant use certain products, but they dont tell you what is so bad about the product, which generally leads me to believe that it's just a stigma they have about a product (eg. everyone hates Colour Magic, etc.) but by you saying that it may contain bleach, which obviously wouldnt be used on leather, it helps me understand why it should not be used.

Just to be sure, someone said something about using APC. Is it OK on leather, or were they just referring to the dash, etc?


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

wstrain87 said:


> Thats exactly the sort of answer Im looking for. Everyone on here says you cant use certain products, but they dont tell you what is so bad about the product, which generally leads me to believe that it's just a stigma they have about a product (eg. everyone hates Colour Magic, etc.) but by you saying that it may contain bleach, which obviously wouldnt be used on leather, it helps me understand why it should not be used.
> 
> Just to be sure, someone said something about using APC. Is it OK on leather, or were they just referring to the dash, etc?


I understand your point and yes indeed, some posses irrational fears over some products or techniques, even if you do try APC the leather may need 'feeding' afterwards, but if the soiling is light a quck wipe may be all that is necessary.


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## judyb (Sep 7, 2007)

You cannot 'feed' leather. It is dead!!!! and it has a finish on that cannot be penetrated by so called 'hide foods' and 'conditioners'.

Astonish is equally as bad as Cif as this too is an abrasive that will cause damage - we have sen a lot of this. To the untrained eye it may appear that you are not doing any damage but once the finish is worn away the leather itself can be damaged which is then very difficult or sometimes impossible to fix successfully.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

judyb said:


> You cannot 'feed' leather. It is dead!!!! and it has a finish on that cannot be penetrated by so called 'hide foods' and 'conditioners'.
> 
> Astonish is equally as bad as Cif as this too is an abrasive that will cause damage - we have sen a lot of this. To the untrained eye it may appear that you are not doing any damage but once the finish is worn away the leather itself can be damaged which is then very difficult or sometimes impossible to fix successfully.


Sorry Judy, but while I have not tried LTT or specialise in leather as you do, I have to disagree with your comments on Astonish causing damage, my mate's Volvo upholstery is absolutley fine after many applications, or perhaps there are other products you can recommend to the OP? I do understand AE conducted a leather cleaner review and shock horror to many here, the boutique one did not win out, all the products were subject to the same tests.
I don't for one minute doubt the quality of LTT however as said in another post, there is no evidence that any available product does not cause damage after a time, however I can only go on my experience of using products, at least we agree, CIF is not the way to go. :thumb:


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## judyb (Sep 7, 2007)

I think you will find that the test results said that best results came from the LTT product but it only lost out on price. The top 2 were cream cleaners which are not recommended on leather as they leave residues on the surface if you do not clean them off!!!!!


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

judyb said:


> I think you will find that the test results said that best results came from the LTT product but it only lost out on price. The top 2 were cream cleaners which are not recommended on leather as they leave residues on the surface if you do not clean them off!!!!!


Indeed, you are correct, and please don't feel I am trying to provoke an argument. The top 2 ? LTT is the top one but lost out on price, so are you saying LTT is a cream cleaner? , I could not see why anyone would apply a product on a surface and then not clean it off 

Anyways, many people have digital cameras and naturally all here have internet access, it would not harm anybody to post a proper product review, as said I have no doubts over the quality of LTT and that alone should sell it, not scare stories about the competition .

Now I do notice you are down as the thread sponsor, so if the idea of the thread is to plug a product I can get off this one now.

I do notice in other threads (nothing to do with interior) there is shameless plugging of a certain product, which I know from experience is just not all it's cracked up to be and others are reporting that too


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

I like the AG Leather Cleaner and just spray on the Leather and wipe with a MF :thumb:


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## wstrain87 (Jan 26, 2009)

OK, so after hearing your advice I got stuck into the Saab. And lo and behold I ended up using just a btiny bit of Cif. Basically i rubbed the seat down with a damp cloth, sprayed a bit of APC and wiped that around (again with a damp cloth). This took off most of the marks, but for the remaining few I put a tiny amount of Cif on a scouring pad (as advised by a pro valeter) and tackled them with that. Rubbed all down again with a damp cloth and then dried as much as possible with a clean microfibre, before drying the whole car out with the heater. Have to say I was really impressed with the results. The Cif was actually really good around the footwell areas (which are also cream). Its not something I would use often, but at the same time I think I would struggle to find anything just as good. Plan to use some sort of leather treatment on it today, to try to care for the leather a bit.

Unfortunately I didnt have time to take any pictures, but if I ever do it again Ill try to put together a good write-up.

Thanks for the advice from everyone. And please dont think I was ignoring it by choosing to use the Cif anyway.


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## Jochen (May 21, 2007)

Good it worked out well, and I knew it would work but it just isn't the safest method I think...

I always use this brush and also works a treat with APC :thumb:


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